Lil' Jon Restaurant & Lounge

I've been here a few times. It's a classic American diner which are hard to find anymore. The food is average; not amazing, not horrible. If you're a foody, you'll hate it. If you like comfort food and don't care how it looks, you'll be okay with it, which is why I've been here a few times. Staff is a bit odd. They love the regular customers, you'll see them laughing and chatting it up with them, but they seem wary of new faces. They get the job done, but it's a strange vibe.

Lil’ Jon is the homey, warm and comforting blanket that is classic diner food. Staffed with salt of the earth servers, the restaurant consistently delivers when you just need a spot to eat breakfast in the afternoon or cure a hangover. (Bar in the back is first come first serve and a nice shortcut when the line is out the front door.)

Typical OG(original gangster) Diner with great food and great service at a good price. I ordered the #4 bacon, eggs, toast and hash browns with coffee. For the morning I just had this set me back on the road to success 🙌 Highly recommend! Whether you just want a quick meal or you are a diner foodie, you will love Lil' Jons

The current 4+ star score is deceiving, there is no reason for this to be above a 3 at best. First off the server was cold and robotic, wouldn't look us in the eye and just threw us our check like 5 minutes after we started eating. We just assumed he's having a rough morning... But then we looked over and saw him smiling and laughing with other customers, which made us feel unwelcome. We thought "whatever, at least the food should be good with this high review score!" Sadly this was also not true, as my Eggs Benedict was tasteless even with copious salt and pepper. If it was cheap I wouldn't mind, but at nearly $20 it better have some flavor. I couldn't help but compare it to the DELICIOUS Pork Belly Eggs Benedict down near my work at the "West Hill Deli". They're $13 there and PACKED with flavor. My fiancé's "Asian" Chicken Salad was a disgrace to salad, chicken, and Asian culture. You can see in the picture that nearly HALF of the meal was those cheap fried noodles used as filler. The chicken was somehow very dry even though the salad was wet, and the whole thing tasted like a $5 prepackaged grocery store salad kit sold for again, nearly $20. Maybe this used to be better, maybe the reviews are written by only regulars. Either way our experience was massively disappointing, gonna give this one a few years before coming back to check for improvements.

Lil Johns is great in a lot of ways, but the staff always looks so grungy. Perhaps you guys could shave?? Yes, daily. The two day fuzz is not a refined look. And I liked my waiter - very attentive. But his t-shirt was not tucked in, which is generally ok. But when he leaned over to fill my coffee cup, the bottom hem came within a half an inch of touching my food. So, yes, they give you nice big portions, everything is good, except for that.

Some other food can definitely be mediocre but their breakfast fair is very good and ready very quickly. They make a sincere effort to connect with people, and it creates a welcoming environment. The plastic booths and decor feel a little worn and dated but that's simply reflects their priorities and their commitments to good food and good service. They are not inexpensive, but they are pretty reasonable for being on the Eastside.

Nice 1950's style diner. I had the chicken cordon Bleu which tasted excellent. Rest of menu was basic diner sandwiches and salads which I didn't try. Friendly service but they seemed to be a little understaffed. Perfect for a casual lunch or dinner at an affordable price

Food: solid and flavorful. I’m picky about omelettes and pancakes . Probably one of the better omelets I’ve had , period. Pancakes pretty solid , and uniquely large (size of dinner plate ) , thick and fluffy . Wide range of options including all day breakfast. Service : fast and friendly Atmosphere : festive and friendly with customers who look like they’re enjoying themselves and employees who look like they’re also content and get along with each other . Love the good ole days feel. Will be back again for sure ! Def check out if you love breakfast and old school friendly vibes !

A fun old school diner. With a comfortable ambiance. And homestyle cooking. We love their milkshakes so much.

Arrogant, condescending and extremely rude! Around 9:15 this morning waiting for about 6 minutes to be greeted and seated by " the manager". When I pointed out he was having people seated that arrived after us before us, with such a condescending attitude stated he was so sorry we had to wait 2 seconds. I told him it was not 2 seconds. Then he kept pushing the situation into a worse situation. Oh! then a minute he stated. I again stuck to the truth. He said we have cameras. I said good, check them but I know you won't. When he seated and asked us about drinks, he then added yet another layer to his condescending tone by stating, hopefully the waters won't take more than a minute. This guy has no business being a manager! I would even go as far as saying he has no business in anything customer related. Over 30 years of business gone and an instant! Or should I say "2 seconds "! Owners - please respond Hey Parker- did you look at the video to see how WRONG you were?! I'm sure you could care less!

Food: 10/10, probably the best chicken fried steak I've had. Service: 0/10, lady in my section did not check in on me when I needed a water refill. She walked around literally every table but mine. POS: 0/10, I understand that the cashier does their job, but why charge me twice for my breakfast when I showed proof of purchase via my banking app. I dined in 11/1, 6:30-8:00 am.

My new favorite brunch spot, and it's only a few minutes from me! Came here on a Tuesday afternoon and got greeted and seated right away. The overall ambiance was very pleasant and old school, yet very cozy. Service was excellent. Our server whose name I forgot was very friendly and warm. Checked up on us regularly and made sure we had our refills. We ordered the chicken fried steak and the eggs Benedict. The eggs Benedict was pretty solid but the chicken fried steak was probably one of the best I've ever had. Definitely coming back.

The food was decent. I wish there was a little more variety or options for breakfast. I also wish there were more vegetarian or vegan options. The server was perfunctory. It's a classic diner with retro decor and it's pretty busy and noisy. It's got a fast turnover rate for tables which is great if you're in a hurry.

We were nearby and decided to have brunch here last weekend. The place was packed, but we were seated quickly. We ordered Vegetable Omelet, Eggs Benedict, 1/2 French Toast, side of Bacon, Coffee, and Hot Chocolate. We loved all the items we ordered, the ingredients were fresh, and everything well made and delicious. This is great breakfast served all day, we'll be back soon.

This is our favorite diner on the eastside. Food is consistently delicious and service is quick and friendly as well. Pancakes are massive (hand for size reference lol) just go!!!

Great spot for some comfort American foods. Love their vibe, give me one of those back to the 60-80 diner environment! They do have a bar connected to it as well. Large variety of selection on their menu. Breakfast serves all day as well. Most of their entrees comes with a soup or salad, and a side of fries, mash, or baked potato after 5pm. I got their fried clam strip, gumbo soup, and a side of mash potato. It was good. Especially the soup. Expect the fried clam were in the boarder line of burnt. Haha, good service and price for what you get!

Had one of the worst experiences in my life, and I've been coming to this little Jon's for close to 25 years. Me and my fiancé stopped in for a late dinner at about 745 on a Sunday night. Our order was simple... two cokes, my fiancé ordered a French dip with cheddar cheese, I ordered the Asian chicken salad. My salad was amazing like I've had dozens of times before, my fiancé got his French dip and there was no cheese on it. So he politely told our waiter "please can you have them add cheese and melt it". The second time the sandwich came back. It had cold cheddar cheese on it. Well, my fiancé was disgusted and said " I no longer want the sandwich" I told the waiter " please go make him a new French dip sandwich with the cheese melted.".... After we waited about another 10 minutes then we heard a female waitress say " oh where is the French dip... ". WHAT? Me and my fiancé both stared at each other.....They hadn't even STARTED to make the new sandwich. So my fiancé was livid & he got up and paid for our cokes and salad, and I said to this lady" wait you haven't even started to make his French dip?"? She said no they're starting it right now and my fiancé said " I do not want it. No, don't make it " It would've been another 10 minutes And we had already waited more time than we should have for a stupid French dip sandwich. I don't know if the ownership has changed, or management has changed, but this restaurant has gone downhill and we will never eat here again.....#lostcustomer We heard the lady were walking out. Say to our waiter. Oh, it's not your fault... Well, then who's fault was it?????

The real classic diner experience. All the classics are here- lots of options to make sure you get what you want, and the diner atmosphere you could only find in a movie anymore. Service was fast and friendly. I had the #6 which is an 8oz steak eggs hashbrowns and toast. The steak was cooked as ordered and the hashbrowns were really really good. I also had some of my partners rye toast and wow really good. Sadly I didn't take a picture because I was too hungry.

My mother and I come here almost every day! Fantastic food and atmosphere! We know most of the wait staff by heart. One of them, Kenneth, actually keeps an eye out for our car on the days he works and has our favorite booth and drink orders prepared by the time we get inside! Definitely a five-star restaurant if ever there was one!

A Classic always Solid and always reliable. If it's not broke don't fix it! Consistently great food, big portions with a reasonable prices. Eat at a Legend you won't be disappointed

My father and I had a late lunch here. The interior is definitely very nineties and quaint. The service was impeccable, the staff was kind and I mentioned that I had somewhere to be so our orders came relatively quickly. The food may not look as appetizing as more fancier places but it was delicious anyway. Just a very lovely establishment overall.

Service is too notch. Very courteous and quick. Makes you feel like a valued customer. We ordered eggs Benedict which was good. Not the best I have eaten though. The hot chocolate was flavorsome. My son enjoyed the kids meal. All in all a decent experience.

Cute old fashioned diner in East Gate. Very busy, extremely loud, surly waitress. Food is mid. Good hash browns. Had better pancakes. Busy even weekdays. Too loud to hear each other. Try to sit on the right side.

The food was ok. The waiter Kenneth was exceptional. He was the host, waiter and cashier. He covered to whole restaurant by himself with a smile. They should give him a huge raise. I have seen places with multiple people working and not be able to deliver his service.

The look, feel & vibe is classic retro diner. Arrived at the peak of lunch hour, so service was a little slow. Ordered Club House, delicious and huge serving. Absolutely, will come again!

Had a wonderful, late morning breakfast on our visit to Seattle. We knew when we saw the full parking lot that it must be a good spot. The wait wasn't too long and once we were seated the staff was hoppin'. Service was outstanding. Started with the cinnamon roll and then ordered a combo #1 and a Denver omelette. Everything was delicious. We left full!!!

If you're expecting finding this is not your space. But if you want some stick to your ribs goodness this is your spot what you would expect in the traditional diner. Very fast and friendly service.

Horrid service by older lady working the front of the house. Rude and unprofessional. Will not be returning due to her poor professionalism and the way she treats her coworkers as well as customers that are her job security. She literally was yelling at the kitchen staff. Uncool and made me feel unwelcome.

Horrid, rude waitress in a baseball cap with a vest. Avoid at all costs! Extremely rude and unprofessional. States she is "teasing" but is WAY out of line. Food is inconsistent at best. Cinnamon rolls are great some days and hard and cold other days. Food out of the kitchen smells burned most days. I am really just fed up with the level of customer service and inconsistent food quality. I am not sure how this business has stayed open so long. Food quality rating on the door even says it has had MULTIPLE times that they have been cited. I wish I had noticed this the first time I visited this place. Such a shame, I wish management would take care of this because it could be a great place, but it is not.

Heard very good things about their cinnamon buns. They are huge. Probably enough to feed 3-4 people. The icing is served on the side. The waitress/cashier was very nice and cordial. Plenty of parking too. CB is a little over $7.00 each

Service ok until they got busier. At that point the waitress 'took' half our table away so three people should sit down. After paying and leaving you could see the restaurant was basically 1/4 full. I'd recommend any other diner over this. The place has struggled since covid with soggy-ass fries and worse eggs. I get people may be hungry, but why sit them in a jammed up bar when the restaurant is mostly empty? I will say the fries have made a comeback. Not crisp, but not wet noodles either.

our waitress was slow n didn't come on check til we practically done eating. food was terrible. bacon was very tough n over cooked. it looked like it was crispy at one time n they reheated it. basically everything was over cooked. staff never checked on us. im very disappointed, i doubt i will return

Love the diner. The servers are so friendly and efficient. Pancakes are fluffy! People seem to love the cinnamon buns but it was too hard and crusty on the outside for us. Everything on their menu is a good choice. What makes us come back again and again is the quick service.

We went here last minute when another restaurant was unexpectedly closed. We were able to get seating at the bar right away and were able to get our order taken right away so we were in and out within one hour which was really nice because we were in a rush I am gluten-free and was able to have their hashbrowns. They do offer gluten-free toast, but it is cross contaminated with the other toast so I did not have any. We had basic omelettes and they did the job. Nothing to "write home about" but there was nothing wrong with them either . The portions were huge and we left very full. The hashbrowns were very good. The restaurant was definitely very busy and you could write your name on a sheet if you wanted to wait for a table Everything seemed clean and was really what you would expect from a diner experience

Service was prompt but food was salty, processed meat, instant mashed potatoes, smothered in salty gravy on mushy cheap white bread. Pricey processed food for $18 Definitely don't recommend this place!

Wonderful comfy home style restaurant! The food was very delicious! 6 of us had lunch here last Wednesday. Everyone was very happy with their meal! We had chicken wings, onion rings and potato skins for appetizers. They were all very yummy. Chicken wings were perfectly cooked and spiced! Onion rings were super yummy! Juicy onion rings covered in a nice crunchy breading. Potato Skins were filled with bacon and cheese. Very lovely to eat! My daughter had the chicken teriyaki dinner and enjoyed it. Two chicken breast in teriyaki sauce. Very juicy! My lovely wife had the chicken salad and loved it. Greasy greens covered with chicken and goodies. I had a BLT Sandwich, that was delicious! Lots of crisp greens with lots of bacon. Real yummy! My niece had the Club and loved it! Mom had a Rueben Sandwich. Very yummy with juicy pieces of sliced corned beef. Everyone loved their meal the service was spot on and the ambiance is very inviting in a casual setting. We will be back the next time we are in the area!

I come here maybe about 5 times a year, rarely but frequently enough that's it's in my rotation of restaurants I visit as a go-to. I'm not sure what happened within the last year but when I say the customer service has went DOWN it is non existent. This year I've came twice in the mornings, I have gotten a check after literally 1 or two bites of food while I still have a full cup of HOT coffee ( not really a big deal) Today: Another server came by to ask me if I wanted a box for my food, "no thank you I'm still eating" He says ok. Comes back and picks up my plate and I repeated " I'm still eating. I don't need a box." He tosses a crumpled up Splenda wrapper onto my plate. "Oh ok. " (No " apologies " or " my mistake" or "I heard you incorrectly" nothing remotely close) I did not catch the fact that he tossed the Splenda wrapper onto my plate until I went in to take another bite of my omelet, found it and remembered him rolling it between his fingers when he came to to pick up my plate. I tell the service that is actually waiting my table about the Splenda wrapper and he says " I'm sure he didn't do it on purpose" I let him know maybe it was on accident. Again no apologies no nothing. They just drop your plate and run n bring your bill 5 min later and they're done. No problem there just don't take my plate or THROW GARBAGE IN MY FOOD???

Best chicken wings ever!!! (Salt and pepper wings). We get to go orders of the wings all the time. Bar staff is always very friendly

For a classic diner style breakfast, Lil' Jon is hard to beat. Eggs are fluffy and flavorful, hash browns are crisp perfection. Biscuits and gravy are dense and chock full of of flavor, and pancakes are large and fluffy. Even the coffee hits the spot. It's reliably consistent too - I've never had a bad breakfast meal here in 30+ years. Service seems to be faster without any decrease in the quality. Any misses? Maybe just the crowds - it can get backed up in the lobby though the counter turns over quickly. And you won't find any fancy dishes or esoteric gluten free stuff or alternative milk or fancy expresso. Just a good home style diner meal, at decent prices.

Food is always hot and good, Service is good, but aways busy. Love the small busy atmosphere. I have been there twice, and wood go back.

Used to come here for breakfasts all day. The service staff and food has really gone down hill. Maybe ownership change? Ordered a ham and cheese omelet and it came with very little ham and just a slice of American cheese melted on Top. Barely appetizing. Reuben was all grease and bread. Very disappointed

This restaurant is usually pretty solid, but today my husband found a very long black hair in his food. It was pretty disgusting how baked into the food it was which ruined the experience.

Fun little hole in the wall stop. Loved the bar area and the bartender Jeffrey made our time there a blast. We'll be back!!

Old school diner with comfort food. Son always gets the liver and onions and DIL the club sandwich. I got the grilled cod which was lightly breaded and pan fried. The meals come with small cup of soup of the day or salad (iceberg-meh), choice of potatoes, baked potato after 5pm. Price is reasonable and the portions are large. The kids meals look like adult sized! The servers are really nice and accommodating. Thumbs up!

We were looking for breakfast and boy did we find it. Amazing home cooked food with great service!

It's fine. - kids/teens like it.- big portions & inexpensive. Classic pancake place - nothing asides from oatmeal for those who try to stay away from processed food. Service was fine- was busy when we got there. Good energy & lots of people. Waited 10 min or so on a Friday around 10am of a holiday weekend.

We came in here on a Saturday afternoon because we were in town for our anniversary. We were seated right away and it wasn't super busy when we got there. Our server was friendly and the place had a very old diner vibe to it. We ordered the Mozzarella sticks and oh. my. god. They were the best mozzarella sticks that we have everrrr had. They were battered instead of the typical breadcrumbs and they were so warm and cheesy and delicious. I would come back solely just for the mozzarella sticks. We then ordered our mains and my boyfriend got the chicken fried steak that came with eggs and a pancake and I ordered the patty melt with bacon and tomato. We really appreciated that the steak came with a pancake since we had read reviews saying that they were very good. It lived up to the hype but the rest of the breakfast was pretty average. It was yummy and we enjoyed ir but it wasn't anything that stood out of any other average breakfast place. I also got charged like an extra $1.50 to add tomato and it the tomato wasn't very good. Overall the place was very quaint and I loved the old diner feel, they even had the old ticket rotator as well as an old milkshake machine, even though I don't recall seeing milkshakes on the menu. I saw a lot of older gentlemen there, presumably from the nearby dealership and there was even some merchandise on display at the front of the store. If I was local to this restaurant I would definitely stop by some more.

What took me so long! What a great diner breakfast! One of the best cinnamon rolls I've tasted. And 5 of us shared one. Delicious! I had the #1 breakfast - one egg, 2 bacon, hashbrowns, wheat toast, and everything was really cooked perfectly. Others had the taco omelet, pancake breakfast, and different versions of what I had. Everyone was very happy with their meals. Can't wait to go back!

We have been going here for 20 years. The service has gone downhill over the last 2 years. The prices are higher which I don't mind paying IF SERVICE is good. However, they are OVER PACKING the restaurant in these times of covid. The long time servers are gone and in there place, servers who do not listen or double check they heard the orders correctly. They do not offer refills on coffee or drinks. The coffee is not usually hot or fresh. So very sad. The last time we were there employees were sitting eating lunch during lunch rush. The decor and seating has never been updated some of the benches are broken and need replacing.

This seemed like a great classic diner but the food is incredibly expensive with zero flavor. The server disappeared and never brought our check after sitting for a long time. Not a place I'll be back to unfortunately.

The food was great but the service was a little slow with having someone actually wait on us to take the order. The place is nice and it's not a bad spot.

Always good food and great service! Their weekday dinner specials are always good especially their Friday night special of prime rib.

The thursday night special reminds me of my friend Eddie Spaghetti. One of the culinary highlights of Eastgate. LJ's Coke fountain is well maintained and the soda is always sweet. The table service provided by Kenneth is even better, courteous without being artifically sweetened, Lil' Jon is a dependable and pleasant mainstay for the community.

Wow, what a surprise. This place has been a staple for years and I have eaten here before and thought it was pretty good. But tonight was a huge disappointment. I'll start with the good, as I like to do. No wait at 5:30pm on a Friday night but it did start to fill up later. Near as I could tell there was never really a wait. The server we had was very nice and friendly. She seemed to have a lot of tables but got back to us as much as you would expect and was very helpful and nice each time. Also, the gentlemen coming around refilling drinks and taking plates was also very nice and attentive. The menu is great. Lots of great diner items and comfort food that my 88y/o midwest dad loved. I also love that they have breakfast all day and was looking forward to this the most. The full bar is also nice as my dad enjoyed a nice glass of wine, which not all diners have. However, this is kind of where it ends. Like everywhere, the prices have gone up so over $100 for three with tip was even more than I expected. As others have pointed out, just a basic facelift or some cosmetic improvements would help. Ultimately though, you go to a restaurant for the food, and this is where the two stars really comes from. I had a Taco Omellete and while it was good sized, it wasn't good. The eggs were ok but plain, the taco meat was not done well (pretty weak version of "taco"), and very little cheese. Just not much flavor. I had to drench it with salsa and the sour cream to give it much taste. The hashbrowns (which admittedly most don't do very well), were clearly thrown on too hot of grill, so the top started to burn before getting crisp so they had to take them off before the inside was at all cooked. Very soggy and just not done well at all. Best part of mine was the sourdough toast and one piece of that was burned. My wife had a "french dip", that was a plain tasting roast beef on a roll. Didn't seem seasoned, no cheese, just super plain, with a side of au jus. The salad she and my dad had were just some poorly chopped iceberg lettuce with some croutons. Nothing else. The best part seemed to be the hot roast beef sandwich with mashed potatoes which my dad had. But honestly, he loves any food out these days so not sure how good it was. Anyway, I was very much looking forward to going here for our Friday dinner, but won't be back anytime soon. Especially with much better options right down the road in Renton (Whistle Stop) or Issaquah (Issaquah Cafe or 12th Ave Cafe) Hope it was just a bad night.

In town for All-Star game and staying close by. Looks like a 50's dinner from outside. When we walked in we were seated to the left and the gentlemen that sat us seamed upset that I asked to be moved because there were about 100 gnats flying around and all over the walls. I asked another employee to move and said just move anywhere!! After we moved our new Seaver just started to throw everything on the table. From menus to the plates of food. When he brought my sandwich out as he threw my plate down the side of ranch flew all over the plate. Great food terrible service.

Classic diner feel and traditional breakfast fare. Im a huge brunch guy and this place hits the spot! Im not a huge fan of modern American when it comes to breakfast, sometimes I think the vibe of worn down seats, older clientele, a disinterested and over worked server carrying a pot of coffee in one hand, and your classic country fried chicken with a side of hash in the other is better than most things you can find before noon in Bellevue. And this place has just that! Its pretty crowded both times I went, and the family friendly vibe usually brings a loud atmosphere. The food comes quick and needs hot sauce, the service is highly variable, and the coffee is hot and not too strong. Just how I like it haha. I cant wait to come back to the past of some classic american breakfast next time I go.

Disappointed. The place has two sections: one with large windows and has a comfortable temperature and another, a darker room with no windows and cooler temperature. My adult daughter and I were seated in the darker section and felt seriously cold and isolated from other guests when there was plenty of room in the other area. I am not sure why. I did not feel welcomed. Cost was about $70 including tip for two people with water only for drinks.