Grinder's American Diner

At 7:30 am on August 20, 2025, I was pleasantly surprised to see the inside area of this diner to be as clean as it is! Even the men's bathroom was spotless. There is no built-up of dirt in the corners of the floor for as old as this diner is. The atmosphere is a nice 1980 - 1990's feel which I loved!! As soon as I walked in, all of the ladies behind the counter say "Hi". This is my first visit. I took a seat at a booth and Ms. Sheri pleasantly approached to ask what I'd like to drink. The menus are on the table so after reviewing the choices, I ordered the omelette with mozzarella cheese, mushrooms and a biscuit. A side of grilled home fries with a coffee where also enjoyed. Sheri was very attentive by stopping by often. Thank you Sheri!! As time went on, all of the regulars were coming in. The atmosphere was very friendly and upbeat! The total cost for my breakfast was much more than one would have paid 4 years ago: $17.00 with tax. The saddest part of my experience was the outside parking lot. There was trash all over the area. My parents taught me that there's no reason one has to be dirty. I don't understand how one lives in such conditions especially having a business. The trash is overwhelming, unwelcoming and takes my appetite away. This is what keeps me from going back. :(

The place looks nice inside out.I I wish the food taste better, it's my first time and my last. The food on the table was $46 something was not right, Just look at my plate I got rob out of bacon, eggs didn't have any taste, grits were the only thing good beside the bacon. My advice do not waste your money or time and go some where better. Hopefully this review helps save someone else an hour of there time anda disappointment.

The food quality was solid, and the service was polite and attentive. However, the breakfast menu architecture is unusually rigid. The omelette plates only allow grits or home fries, with no ability to substitute another breakfast item (such as French toast) in place of the default starch. Even ordering a small French toast as a replacement results in being charged as a completely separate entrée, with no credit or swap mechanism for removing sides. This makes it difficult to assemble a normal, balanced breakfast without unintentionally ordering two full meals. The issue isn’t price — it’s that the system has no flexibility for common breakfast preferences. Clearer upfront communication or a simple substitution pathway would greatly improve the experience for customers who don’t want potatoes or grits.

My husband and I went for breakfast, and it was great! The food and service were both wonderful. Plenty of parking and pricing is pretty good. We paid about $45 for both of our plates and adding a side to each of our plates, and drinks. The pancakes are the size of your face lol. Great experience ☀️☕️🥞

Nice local diner style restaurant. Friendly and helpful staff. Food was ok. Biscuits were large but doughy and gravy was peppery but not very warm and thick and over $10. Same Old Grind basic breakfast was basic. Prices very high! Was going to get cheese grits but bowl was $4.50 and additional $1.80 for cheese.

A great breakfast/ lunch place that I was fortunate enough to stumble apon when I moved to Jacksonville recently. The food is great and the service is even better. They close about 3pm but open early for breakfast to start the day. The prices a okay too. If you have a chance definitely give them a try. They are worth the money for sure.

Always a good place for breakfast, will make to order or order off menu. Atmosphere is older usually with work crews on occasions. Pricing is good, restaurant been here a long time they obviously been doing something right. Servers are polite, respectful and attentive. I definitely recommend. Update: Not much has changed. My only negative was the coffee seemed weaker than past visits and not very good. Would still recommend this eatery for breakfast.

Our First time here and would definitely come back, it felt homey and clean. Our breakfast came out fast and was delicious. Our server Megan did a great job.

Great place to eat. Friendly staff and food is brought out promptly. They are a great place for breakfast.

Always the best! We drive out of our way to go to Grinders. The service and food are always great! Fast and friendly staff!

we both had breakfast and everything was good. Protein breakfast and the regular breakfast with English muffin. The server was very nice. would come back to this place in the future.

My daughter had the Country Breakfast (what I had our first time in). I had Short Stack, Banana and Pecans Combo with a side of sausage links. The pancakes are delicious and fluffy. The sweet tea wasn't good today. It tasted watered down, so we switched to sprite. That tasted off as well, so we ended up with water but I still paid for the teas although we didn't drink the tea or the soda. Overall, we had a great second experience.

I was charged $12 for toast & side of grits? Are you kidding me? I told the waitress I didn't want a full breakfast. She charged me for the full meal anyway. So, I guess I made her trailer payment this month.

Grinders is one of my favorite diners in Jax. Always quick service and delicious food. If your in for breakfast make sure to upgrade to the babycakes. Yumm! Just an FYI if you check in using Yelp it says you get a free coffee but they do not honor it.

My family and I like to explore some parts of the city by taking a long nice walk then finishing off by hitting a new brunch spot after. Needless to say we come hungry. Grinders it was for the day. Local. Pretty busy. You seat yourself and we had no trouble for a family of 3. Cleanliness - flies everywhere. This was kind of icky but it is what it is. The tables appeared to be decently wiped down. Food: pancakes came a little burnt. Disappointing. Because they start to taste bitter and chewy after that. Did a make your own omelette and this was probably the best thing we ordered. Cheese grits were regular grits with a slice of cheese on top. Wasn't horrible. Hubs got a bfast platter with bacon, eggs, potatoes.. nothing special but it was good enough. Overall worth a try but not sure if we would choose this place again.

I was getting my car serviced at Nissan less than a mile away. My friend picked me up, and we stopped in for breakfast. I found Grinder's American Diner on Yelp with four stars. I'm giving five stars. My sausage gravy and biscuits were delicious. The gravy consistency was perfect, not too thin or thick. And was packed with flavor. The biscuits were light and fluffy yet huge. My scrambled eggs with cheese were cooked perfectly! My friend enjoyed her breakfast too. She did say she had tried better fried green tomatoes. Our server was friendly and checked in regularly. It was an old school diner feel with a family vibe. I could tell several patrons were regulars. Always a good indication! There was also outdoor seating available. If you are looking for a good no nonsense breakfast, stop in and give them a try.

My first time visiting but seems like it was going to be great since it was really busy and crowded. Terrible omelet and the cheese NEVER melted ‍....Won't ever go back and it was very busy I felt like the food would have been entirely different.

Nice local diner with American style cuisine. We enjoy their breakfast menu. If you like little diners with a small town, local feel, and amazing staff, this is the place to go. The food is hot and delicious. Always on point.

We just chose a random place from Apple Maps on our way home from vacation. It's very much giving "diner" vibes. No special decor or anything. Our server, sorry I didn't catch her name, was amazing! She took out orders and brought them back and not a single mistake or anything missing. She was so warm and friendly. Considering how hungry we were, I didn't get a single picture but believe me when I tell you the food was fantastic. We had everything from fish and cheese grits, to French toast, to biscuits and gravy. Sausage links, sausage patties, fried eggs, scrambled eggs, you name it, we had it and it was all so good!! Oh and blueberry cobbler to go. So I haven't tasted it yet. I would recommend and will return when we're in the area again.

Tried this place out while visiting the beach. I was not disappointed! The grits with cheese was amazing and the eggs and bacon was no disappointment as well. The gravy was delicious as well. The biscuit was a little on the dry side for me, but I guess the gravy will add moisture. Grinders Will be my breakfast spot from now on when I visit from now on.

Grinders is awesome - it's always busy because the locals know where to get good food at a decent price. The staff are awesome as well - it kinda reminds me of eating at my Grandmas growing up

Great little diner we doing while visiting Jacksonville. The eggs were cooked to perfection, but the grits were awful. I think they were cooked with no salt, and I couldn't add enough salt to get any flavor. My mom had a breakfast sandwich, which she said was great. If I ever find myself in Jacksonville again, I would stop by again if in the area.

This is the definition of an American diner. Down to earth staff and a place to grab coffee and talk about life. They do simple well, this is a Jacksonville staple!

Wow! It's been a while Grinders and I am sorry. Sorry that I had forgotten just how delicious your Grinders are. The service is always on point. Today we were a party of 6 looking food after a sad funeral. Your comfort food was exactly what we needed. I will be back sooner than later. ThankYou

Just stoped in today to try something different it was quick and the cashier was friendly my food was good

Grinders has a great menu. Need to go there for just more than breakfast. My normal breakfast. 2 eggs, chicken fried chicken with pepper gravy. Home fried potatoes grilled. Everything was good. A bit slow but good. They were busy.

Old school diner. Great service & food. Win Win! Definitely worth the stop if you're hungry for a big breakfast.

this is a typical diner with typical diner food. Yeah it's always been a favorite of ours. My sister likes the pork chops and eggs and I always get the chicken fried steak and eggs. If you get grits, make sure you ask him not to serve it, lumpy which they do, I don't Kasian and their home fries are good and I prefer mine extra crispy.

Wow oh wow! This place is a hidden gem. The service was outstanding. I went on a Thursday morning, around 11am, to order a meal to go after a work meeting. I sat at the bar and 4 people greeted me and told me to let them know when I was ready to order. The place was pretty busy which surprised me for mid day on a work day-- definitely says something about the food and service. The ambiance was sweet and southern; not much more you could ask for. I ordered a patty melt and an omelette with Swiss, bell peppers, onion, and sausage with a side of home fries on the grill with onions for the beau. That might be the best damn patty melt I've ever had. The beau said it was the best omelette he's had in his entire life. And don't get me started on the home fries and biscuit. Oh lawd. Safe to say this will be in our monthly rotation of restaurants! Simply delicious!!

Went two days for breakfast. 2 of us. Had the chicken fried chicken, eggs and omelet. Food was excellent. The fried chicken was the winner (ha - winner winner chicken dinner) - it was kinda light (for fried chicken) and tasty. The biscuits are worth the trip alone. The service was outta this world. We got there at opening on Sunday morning and there was a line. This is the kinda place the customers know each other and the waitresses know the customer's names. We had the same waitress both days and she recognized us the second day (not totally due to my rugged handsomeness) and remembered the drink order. Good prices too. If you are looking for a comfortable place for good solid food - this is your spot!

Was in town for the Jill Scott concert, Grinders was one of hubby and I favorite places to go to for breakfast. Convinced my friend we should go here before leaving town. Well, you know how we hate to pump up a place and then go there and things are not what you are used to? Yep, that's what happened. My veggie omelette was greasy, our pancake was dry and rubbery her sausage gravy was very very thick and not a good gravy consistency. I sat there trying to convince her that they really used to be good! Maybe they have a new cook! Maybe they are having a bad day! Not sure what it was but food was disappointingly not good. Service was good up to the point when I showed her the free coffee coupon that popped up when we checked in. Then it turned to ohh no, we don't do coupons, we don't do discounts of any kind. I didn't argue. But interesting you having a paying customer showing a coupon for a free cup of coffee and didn't feel the right thing to do was to honor it. Even if letting me know in the future you wouldn't be able to. Interesting, a cup of coffee. Okay. But they used to be really good. Mind you last time we were here was 2019.

This was our first time coming here and we really wanted to try out a diner. We walked in and this place was absolutely packed. We waited outside about 5 minutes and we were called. I was surprised how fast we got seated. Every table was full and we got placed in the corner to the right. The diner didn't have enough menus so the table next to us passed their menus to us. I ordered a lot of random food since I was in a hungry mood. Everything came out great our waitress was amazing. We should have known it would have been packed on a Sunday afternoon but we got seated and food in a good time. I will be coming back.

Crazy crowded, but worth the wait this morning! They now have picnic tables under tents for outdoor dining now. We finally got a table, ordered and enjoyed our food. There's not one thing I can complain about. Our favorite dining place for breakfast closed down. So now we will start having our weekend breakfast here. Great prices, food and hard working staff.

I am a frequent customer at Grinders. The food is great and I see other customers that come frequently as well. I want to also say that the service is better than other restaurants in the area. My favorite waitress is Michelle. She constantly goes out of her way to be responsive to the customers and her courtesy is next to none. I see her helping the other servers by bringing food to their tables and she is constantly cleaning tables to make sure that the customers have a clean environment. Overall Grinders has no competition and I am a life long customer.

I did not enjoy this restaurant. The food was bland, it's too small and the workers are all throughout the kitchen touching their hair, faces and the food! I was disgusted. I'll never return.

Really neat place to eat!! So good. What a lovely place. I mean it almost feels like it could be a set diner, like on a TV show. You are recognized asa you enter. And it's bustling. Really great service. Really great food. Great atmosphere. Fast service. Definitely looks promising as a favorite.

Grinders is the real deal if your wanting a hardy Diner breakfast or lunch. It ain't fancy but the food is delicious and servings are huge. I'm a breakfast fan, and grinders is my go to for thick flavorful sausage gravy and biscuits! They also have a large menu, lots of great choices from big fluffy pancakes to a great eggs Benedict with a fantastic hollandaise sauce. Lunches are also great big burgers, open face turkey or roast beef with gravy are available daily, as well as a daily meat and three! So basically this little (clean) hole in the wall Diner is serving up great food that's high on the hog!

I first came here when I was in high school back in 97 for breakfast. It was good then it's still good now. No fuss straight to the point home cooked comfort food. They serve breakfast and lunch. I really wanted to get the fried livers but opted for biscuits and gravy and side of pancakes. Saving the fried livers for when my best friend is in town. Sit anywhere you like when you walk in. They are hustling and busy back there I love that. Our server was very nice and quick. We will be back again! Thank you!

The food was acceptable for a diner. The service was adequate and fairly attentive. The waitresses seem to be trained to push up charges without telling you. this is the first diner restaurant or any restaurant that actually says on their menu that they charge market prices on diner food. The menu says the following price is subject to change without reflection on the menu. Unacceptable for a diner.

Grinders American Diner is the kind of place where you can get some breakfast classics, like this short stack combo of blueberry pancakes, two eggs, and bacon, cooked as if you were a guest in their home, where the wait staff calls everyone "honey," "darlin," and "sweetie," if they don't know you, and call you by name if they do. Check them out for a hearty and inexpensive breakfast with a side of bright cheeriness.

I ordered a burger on Texas Toast. Toast was burned but they corrected it immediately. Came back out just right and was one of the best burgers I have ever had, it was cooked pink in middle like I asked and was fantastic. Wife ordered breakfast, chicken fried chicken and eggs. The egg whites were over cooked as well, brown and crunchy but she cut most of that away. She said hers tasted great as well. Server was nice and polite. A bit hard to get her attention but they were very busy so we understand that. Overall good experience and we will be back.

Grinders is a great place to go for breakfast. It seems like everyone in Jacksonville knew that this morning. They have be around for about 25 years. Stopped in for breakfast to go but it would have taken 25 minutes for my order. If I had the time I would have waited. It is definitely worth the wait. Everything I've tried is great. My favorite is the ham and cheese omelette with comes with has browns and toast. I always add bacon to mine as well. It is very well supported by the community. The wait staff are always pleasant even though they are slammed. Parking is always good as the lot is big. Try them out you will not be disappointed. It is not a fancy place but it is not a hole in the wall either. Nice sized establishment. Well every penny and is competitively priced.

Grinders American Diner on Atlantic Blvd is a nice restaurant. The food was good and the service friendly. This will be in my breakfast rotation as the food was tasty and ambiance lovely. The pork chops on the Monday special is a hit. The scrambler was a huge pleasant surprise. They are keeping the spark in the Regency Area.

Excellent food, fantastic atmosphere, packed restaurant. We were lucky enough to get a table quickly. Service was fast

Tried them again today 10/10 Food absolutely disgusting. Turkey bacon is so nasty. Can't even chew it let along swallow it grilled potatoes raw. Come on now First time waffles were nasty, home fries nasty. This place is not for me. Waste of money today.

Amazing food, service, and ambiance!!!! I will definitely eat here again and again!!! Highly satisfied!!!!

Ok, I reviewed this place a few months back, and it had missed the mark due to an overexcessive amount of oil in the to go plate. I decided to give it another shot this morning...always gotta give at least 2 tries. They did not disappoint that time. I reordered the same items.No grease in the box l, good portion of cornbeef hash and just overall delicious. I didn't let them know I was.coming in...I know restaurants take extra care if they know they're trying to redeem themselves. Well they definitely did!!! IT WAS AHHHMAZING!!! Now I can say this will be my "go to" place and try some lunch and even bring the husband. I will recommend this to any and everyone! Great job. Wouldn't let me upload another picture but that's ok. I'm thoroughly! satisfied.

Amazing food. Amazing service. Perfect hole in the wall that delivers every time. Everything is full of flavor.

This is one of my favorite places! Good old-fashioned American breakfast food! We've eaten here multiple times. This time I went for the country fried steak and gravy, scrambled eggs, and grits. So good! Crystal had corned beef hash and eggs, also fantastic. Grinders is always busy. Our service ran a little long but the staff was hustling so we weren't upset. They have lunch options too but we always go for breakfast because it is always so good. Prices are affordable and appropriate.

We come everyday for breakfast. Ever since their new cook Chris started cooking ends I have been getting shells in them almost daily... Today is Thursday and I had shells in my eggs twice this week and my buddy that came in at 8am also got shells in eggs today. The cook had been told. Last week when I got shells in eggs last week also. ...... Help

Love this place, food and staff are great.. My problem is trying to go in the place during the week and weekend.. Some people set up in parking spaces selling foods and parking motorcycle on sidewalk I am handicap and cannot get by with cords across the the walkway, the people standing around, not moving for me to get by, And our course the motorcycle blocking the sidewalk... I have left multiple message for the shipping center with no help... Any ideas? Would love to continue to patronize you but cannot risk my health.. Retired couple of jax

The food is very good and prices are very fair. Very similar to diners in the tri state area.

My sister and I had lunch here and the staff was just amazing! They were welcoming and extremely sweet the food was also delicious. I love that we found this place because there are not many food spots in Jax that we actually like. Don't hesitate to come here it's the best!!

I usually don't do this sort of thing but this is easily the worst experience I have ever had at a restaurant. My friend and I were eating and found some hair in our food, so respectfully we let the server know and we're not looking to get a discount or anything along those lines. Our server was the most helpful, unfortunately I can't remember her name and I let her know that I am very sorry she has to work for someone who doesn't know how to treat their employees or customers. Most of the other servers wouldn't believe us about the hair so we took pictures of it Incase they tried to get rid of the evidence like the first couple pieces of hair we found, because yes there was at least 7-9 pieces in total. I was given the owners number to address my concerns and I was told to "fuck off and never come back". Most disgusting behavior I have ever encountered.

Packed full of regulars on Sunday morning around 8:40am! I am a firm believer that Sundays- if you want breakfast out, you need to get to the restaurant before 9am- or you fight the church crowds. This place was still packed! They have 2 front doors and upon entering it took a minute for a server to let us know to find out own seat- so we did. One empty and clean table in the place was vacant- I am really excited now! I stumbled onto this establishment while scrolling through recent reviews- a breakfast diner not too far from home that I hadn't tried! Shocker! Grinders (according to parents) has been there forever. The menu featured standard fare for breakfast omelets, breakfast platters, pancakes, sandwiches- the norm. Exactly what I appreciate! I ordered the Southern breakfast, eggs, homefries, bacon and biscuits and gravy. I promptly split the biscuit, threw the eggs on top and drowned the whole thing in gravy! YEEESSSS! The biscuit was flaky and buttery goodness, gravy perfect and the eggs cooked perfect too! Hubby and I were discussing breakfast elsewhere and they had slightly over cooked the eggs. NOT HERE! Hubby ordered the ham and eggs- the Virginia style salted ham- one of the few things he loves super salty. (Pssst- he didn't order corned beef hash! shocker). His eggs were also cooked to perfection and we both loved the fried homefries. I love breakfast- and I finished my breakfast and was happily waddling out of the restaurant! The prices are a little less than most other diners- which was a pleasant surprise. Service was fast and efficient! I look forward to coming back! If you are wondering why no pictures... well- mom called just as they dropped the plates on the table and by the time I got her off the phone- I dug in without a thought of a Yelp picture!!! Oh well- I will be back!

Eat here about once a week and I've never had a complaint or had to send anything back. Great staff & great food

We came here for Sunday brunch. They were very busy. Unfortunately you have to grab a table as it comes available and there I organized way they seat you. This is a small hole in the wall staple. Needless to say a greasy spoon. We got a table pretty quick and even service quickly. Our waitress wasn't extremely nice, but she was busy. We all ordered breakfast except for my daughter. The food took longer than expected even being busy, but with that being said, when we did get it, everything was cooked to order perfection!! The eggs were cooked exactly how we all ordered them. All the correct meat choices and grits were perform consistency. The biscuits were fresh, fluffy and quite delicious. My daughter had a grilled cheese and fries. The bread was toasted and crinkle fries were very good. This little place is a gem and much loved in the local community.

Finally found this hidden gem and it was worth the wait! Hubby had the big breakfast and loved their gravy. He is the finicky one! Everything was fresh, hot, and, very yummy. I had the Turkey club with onion rings which made my NY heart sing! Real deal diner. Not great for the waistline, but a huge selection, very fresh, servers a lot of fun. Look forward to trying more!