Yale Street Grill

Quick, affordable, and easy going local diner spot. They don't try to do anything fancy , just traditional American breakfast and lunch and there's nothing wrong with that because they get it right. When we are deciding where to go for breakfast and we can't pick something, we always end up here because we know it's going to be good and easy on the wallet every time. Servers are lovely as well.

Cool pictures. Old timey feel. Burnt pork chops. Dry hashbrowns. Pancakes thick like bread pudding. Some kind of oil on the toast. Coffee okay. That cook don't give a damn on a Monday morning. Skip it. Not the same.

A long time Heights haunt stands up to favorable reviews. There are no strangers at this place. The vibe is low key comfortable. The food was good. The service was good. I am very happy. It reminded me a lot of the Bellalaire Coffee shop. If you want low key comfort breakfast food, give it a try.

My Dad took me here when I was a little kid. I'm glad it's still in business. I got the Monte Cristo . It was delicious with the powdered sugar.

I didn’t eat here today but I have in the past and the food is solid diner comfort food. This review is about the service and the antique shop. Such a cool selection and so nostalgic. I found a few trinkets and I had a lovely conversation with Frank. I will definitely be back for shopping and dining. Wish I was hungry today!

This place will transform you to the past. Excellent service, good food, clean place, and fair prices. Although they are still charging the additional $1.00 due to the egg rising cost. Not sure if that is still an issue. At the same time, this is cheaper than printing new menus with higher prices. I will go back.

Classic fare in a classic diner. Choose from the counter, booths or tables and enjoy simple, tasty and satisfying meals for 1970s prices. Enjoyed a CFS lunch special ($7.95) and BLT with o-rings ($6.95), plus a slice of punkin pie (meh, but they do make their own cakes), and a little nostalgia. Bet there’s still a neighborhood coffee group that gathers every morning to solve the world’s problems.

“Charming Atmosphere, Hit-or-Miss Food” Loved the old-timey vibe of the place definitely has a cool, nostalgic feel. The food was a bit of a mixed bag. Eggs and toast were solid, but some items seemed frozen. Hash browns were cold, and the chicken strips and fried steak missed the mark. Overall, it’s worth a visit for the atmosphere, but don’t expect gourmet.

Great, fast food with good prices. This is my go-to brunch place. I LOVE it! 5/5 -Ms. Linda

The owner should be ashamed for selling such uneatable meals. I went to the diner for the first time on Thursday, 6/20/24. Due to my skin tone, the clerk looked me up and down and followed me to the side " junk room"! I mean, I'm dressed in business attire and who wants to steal " junk"? I ignored her attitude, sat on the red bar stool excited to get my Philly sandwich. Wow!! Where in the heck did they get this recipe? No steak meat, dry bread. I need a refund for $12.94. This was definitely an embarrassment.

I loved the diner aesthetics of the restaurant and think it's worth visiting at least once assuming you've got a bit of time on your hands as they do take a while in taking your order and serving you everything. Our server was very friendly, however there was a lot of waiting between ordering our drinks, receiving drinks, ordering our food, etc, it felt like we were waiting 10-15 minutes between each step and I never received my orange juice that I ordered. The food was good, I got the pancake combo and ordered my eggs over medium but they were very much over easy at best. The hash browns were delicious and the bacon was very flavorful and cooked well. I love the idea of having an antique shop in the same building so that you can shop around after eating.

Love this place, been coming here since I was little, I'm 26 now, the food is always quick and yummy and the service is always kind :)

Just moved nearby and working my way through the menu for at home workdays. So far solid burgers and salads, great diner breakfast, an awesome lunch special. Great for the prices and the folks are just super nice. Awesome for the neighborhood, wish they were 24 hours. Also several homemade cakes by the slice to take home!

Friendly service and very local vibe. The interior of the restaurant looks like it hasn't been changed for decades, which gives it a very vintage feel. The food is good, not amazing. We got breakfast plates - sausages, hash browns and biscuit were really good but eggs were a bit over cooked and the grits had no flavor. My vanilla shake was very yummy. Prices are very cheap though, especially for the heights, so we'll be back to try more things.

A perfect little old timey diner! Filled with lots of adorable old timers. Super cute dining room with nice booths and super cute old school counter with adorable little stools. Food is scratch made- soups especially are phenomenal! Portions are nice- not too big which I appreciate. Prices are dirt cheap - especially for this neighborhood. Special was eggs, bacon, and french toast for $5.95 today! And service is top notch, old school, friendly diner service. Part of this place is also an antique store. But we didn't venture over to that part. This place is a Houston gem.

Old school diner food! Great breakfast and comfort food, but still affordable! Our favorite breakfast place! Tables, booths, or sit at the bar and watch you eggs being cooked. It's yummy!

Great little old school diner. Good breakfast with all the classics- i like the flavored pancakes, but tend to go with the classic blueberry :) Love that i can walk to it and the waitresses are friendly.

Terrible service. No greeting, had to sit myself. Not busy at all as it was a Monday morning. coffee hadn't come out after 10 minutes. I decided to leave and go somewhere else.

Very disapointing and a real missed opportunity for the owners of this historic diner built in 1923. Im only writing this in the hopes that the owners know what the customer experienced & can save the place. Because on a busy Sunday in the Heights the place was about 25% capacity. First of all, it is so historic and great. If only the food and service matched. My server barely spoke English. When asked the history of the diner her reply was "I dont know". when asked her recommendations her reply was "I really dont know". She was quite young and her English was terrible. My nieces order arrived 15 minutes before mine and it was missing half of it. We asked over and over for water and coffee. It wasn't crowded and there was plenty of staff. My Nephews ordered arrived later then the rest of my nieces after that. Mine still didn't come. Finally it arrived, the eggs were cold and not cooked as I had ordered. The bacon is made way ahead of time and is not sizzling or hot. I spent most of the time waving down servers for help. The food is below average. There is absolutely no vibe, all of the staff are Hispanic immigrants, god bless them but have no connection to the diner or its history. There is no friendly host or hostess. There is no vintage music being played, no atmosphere to match the diner. Separated by a partition is a big dusty antique shop with collectibles and junk. Its creepy. A sad tribute to a historic Heights establishment.

Breakfast and lunch will be great here as this spot has been feeding folks in Houston (and those who visit it like me!) since 1923!!! You cannot go wrong eating here as there is something for everyone on their menu. We came in to have breakfast, and we left super full and satisfied with the food portions, how delicious our meal turned out, and how excellent the service was. We were immediately served ice water when we sat along with a menu of food selections. I ended up having a ham and cheese omelet, which was made-to-order and delicious. My bf ended up having a breakfast combo plate with bacon, ham, and pancakes that were super divine and buttery good! Coffee was delicious and plentiful as the servers kept our cups filled to the brim whenever they could come by to check in on us. I noticed a lot more locals frequent here, which is a great sign! You can tell that a lot of people make Yale Street Grill their one-stop shop for jumpstarting their day. Parking wasn't bad at all as some others have reviewed. We easily found parking on the side of the building, before the entrance, and around the back of the building. You may have to wait for the traffic from McDonald's to make their turn out of the driveway but the food and experience here is worth waiting for. After we ate we perused the other half of this spot with unique vintage gifts next door. I found some really cool vintage Beatles ties and even some great 1960s earrings. This spot is definitely worth a look through to walk off your gigantic breakfast or lunch you may have had. When we are in town again we want to come back and try their lunch sandwiches as I am reading they are a hit too!

A great neighborhood cafe for breakfast. In old-school cafe style, you enter and seat yourself. A server will bring you water & a menu quickly. I had coffee and an omelet. The food was good, coffee freshly brewed, and service was attentive. Only missed a star for me because the biscuits were hard and just not what you expect. Everything else was good so next time I'll get toast, cuz it's definitely worth coming again !

I went in there just have coffee. Coffee was less than five dollars. I didn't have any cash on me. So I tried to pay the credit card. They would not take my payment because it was less than five dollars. Therefore I was forced or really not giving a choice other than to buy something else to make five dollars for the charge.

The history of the place. Enjoy your breakfast. In the middle of the Heights. Walking area.

Love this old school diner. Exactly what I would expect and the prices match! Cool antique shop connected also.

Tables are always dirty and service sucks . I have waited 20 minutes to be acknowledged . My grandson likes it because his other grandma takes him there . Maybe because she is white but I have trouble getting service. Step into a 1950's cafe. Antiques and dust everywhere

If you want to travel back to 1923, then come here. This diner has been serving Houston since then, and for good reason. Places like these are becoming rarer by the day. The prices are reasonable and the food matches the price. The day that I dined here I overheard a regular tell a waitress that he has been coming here since he was a boy, the guest looked like he is in his early 70's. That in itself speaks volumes. I noticed that the whole staff is in sync when it comes to the customers dining experience. Servers take orders and make waffles, cooks make food and deliver food to table. Overall great experience for a Monday lunch rush.

I came here in a dress with heels. When I walked through the door, I received the saltiest greeting...actually no greeting just a cold glare. No one wanted to give me a menu. When I ordered, the waiter was weird. He looked at me weird, talked to me weird, and basically was a ghost...I never saw him. When he gave me my cappuccino, there was a soiled napkin, resting at the bottom of the mug. I kid you not!! A dirty napkin at the bottom on my cappuccino that I was drinking the whole time. I said nothing about it. I was shocked and felt sick afterwards. The Hispanic lady at the front was rude too. I have no clue as to why this place was so horrible towards me. The beef stew was ok. I could have made the same meal at home with more flavor. The entire restaurant smelled like feet and mildew.

Took forever for server to get our order. Hashbrowns were cold and no flavor , ordered over hard eggs and they still had some uncooked yoke, pancakes were ok . First and last time there .

Well... it's definitely old school dive. I went for lunch, 1pm on a Wednesday and got the special. Chop, cabbage, black eyed peas. Boring even with Choloes hot sauce. It was extremely reasonable on price. I noticed the clients were 70+ and most walked or came by bus. Or walker. Got some beautiful deserts in the case. Honestly, not my vibe. Food targets OWG's and lacking flavor. It is probably great for breakfast, but for me, pass. Got some interesting antiques a few feet away... but noticed inventory is not moving if the tag is so faded you can't read the price. Again, not my vibe. Cheers!

We didn't know the history of this place when we dropped in, but it's charm and warmth promised good, solid eats. We both had burgers (I had the egg burger) and they were as good as we hoped. The burgers tasted homemade, from the seasoned meat down to the toasted bread. The staff was friendly, despite there being only one waitress for the mid-morning rush. The manager delivered the food himself, and walked around periodically to check on the server and clients. We will most certainly come back to try something else on their menu.

Old school diner with an attached antique store with an extensive menu. You can see some of the antique items displayed on shelves (the store is literally on the other side of a half wall in the actual diner). The walls are covered with old photos of celebrities and considering the diner has been opened since 1923, it definitely gives you nostalgia vibes. The food and service is quite exceptional. The only down side is the cleanliness isn't the best, but it's what you'd expect from a super old building.

Thursday lunch special. Grilled Chicken over white rice, green beans, squash&zucchini, a dinner roll and tea or coffee for $7.95

Great food, pleasant staff, sit toward the Back! Once walking in the place smells like some left the restroom door open after a #2, it's gross! It's September 2022 and the last two times I've been here the same smell was present.

Favorite spot for breakfast tacos in this area. We always ask for homemade ranchero sauce even tho they charge extra for it . Great quick service !! If busy it will take a while but we usually go there knowing we will spend couple hours drinking coffee. For ice tea lovers it's great !

Food was really delicious, even though half of it was served cold, Only reason this is two stars and not one. After we sat down and ordered, we were told it would be a 15 minute wait for food. After tables around us had sat, eaten, and left, we still hadn't gotten our food. Our waitress told us our ticket had been lost, and they would make our food ASAP. It still took another 20-25 minutes after this for us to receive our food. There were just two of us, and we ordered very basic food. We were expecting them to be apologetic at least, but we felt very brushed off. They didn't offer anything for making us wait. Definitely willing to try again, but my experience could have been a lot more positive; I hope they take this into account in the future.

Really good place to eat, staff was friendly. Ordered a couple of burgers and they came out fresh and hot! The fries needed some additional salt but it's probably ok for some. I will come back to try some of the shakes for sure

Great food and ambience. Great diner menu items. Service is usually little slow. Love the old diner feel!

I went in with my husband and child on a Thursday morning and this is definitely the spot for older folks in the neighborhood....we walked in and the only word to describe this place is dirty...dirty plates stacked up on tables, dirty floor, furniture outdated...they only had one waitress I saw working and no host.,.We stood around wondering what to do because we couldn't sit anywhere because all the tables were stacked with dirty dishes...while I was waiting the kitchen is open and you had one cook...cook was making items and then stacking them under a heat lamp , food looked old and crusty...honestly this restaurant is probably one of the dirtiest I've ever seen...after standing around looking stupid we just left...I think this restaurant mostly caters to the elderly folks in the neighborhood who are attached to it...but I would avoid.

Great place for diner style breakfast and lunch. Have that 50s charm and the little shop next store Love this place.

I'd like to start with the only good thing here; our server. The girl with the bright red hair , never gave her name, who despite the poor atmosphere kept a positive attitude. 1. The roof was leaking inside and they had a water glass trying to catch it during the rain, however they quickly had to switch to a 5 gallon bucket when they realized it wasn't enough. No one seemed to care as this must happen frequently. 2. The smell. An overwhelming pungent musty smell. Likely from the rain and mold that must accumulating. After the first two items we almost got up and left but like I said service was fast and friendly so we pressed on... 3. It's diner coffee, but it's motor oil in disguise. All the cream in the heights couldn't turn it lighter. 4. Cold food, overcooked eggs, dirty silverware. Self explanatory here, kitchen doesn't care. It's a close tie for worst food in the area between Lola and this diner.

I have driven by this place so many times and always wanted to eat there until today my friend Johnston suggested we go and do brunch there. We loved it and the ambience was perfect. Reminds me of the drug store I grew up going to in Galveston. Good simple food and no crazy muss and fuss. Sometimes you just don't want goat cheese on your eggs. Just saying. The prices were nice and low and it was a great portion size.

You like milkshakes, right?! Riiiight?!!? Then transport yourself back to the good old days at Yale Grill and Gifts, where you can still get the kind of vanilla malts they made back in the day..... Great service, reasonable prices and hands down the best shakes in the city. Old fashioned diner cakes and pies, burgers and fries all done the way they were when you (or your parents) were kids. Cheeseburger, vanilla malt..get it! You gonna looooove.

Old school decor. This is a step back in time. Good milkshakes, but really good steel-grill breakfasts. The Migas are fresh made, including the chips. The ranchero sauce is homemade, daily accordingly to our waiter. It is one of the best that I have tasted. But, they charge a surcharge for the ranchero sauce. All the food is affordable. Burgers are very reasonable and come with fries or onion rings for no more money.

Went to have lunch with my daughter expecting to have a great experience and enjoy the food. The food was okay, but the service was terrible. Our waitress provided horrible service, she rushed us to order and without asking if that was all we wanted snatched the menu from my daughter and tried to take it from me. I told her I was not done ordering, and I wanted to place a to go order as well. She never came back to ask if we need anything else or even ask if we needed refills. When I brought it to the attention of the person behind the counter, she said" we are really busy, we had a large group come in". I told her the group came in about 15-20 min after we arrived. I told her that was not a valid excuse. A couple who was seated before we sat down had placed a to go order and was still waiting as we finished our meal and paid. Very disappointed.

Great historic restaurant Food and service was excellent. Very reasonable prices. There's also an attached antique store.

My mom and I were always curious about this restaurant and we finally went and tried there breakfast but sadly it was not very good. Cheese on eggs was no where near melted and I think the lack of cleanliness played into the not so great experience.

Love it and great prices! The breakfast and especially pancakes are excellent. Staff is on top of it

First visit to what appears to be a nice little diner ended in walking out because the waitresses were far more interested in serving the regulars and walking around eating pudding (literally, I wish I had taken a picture). I let the cashier know I was unhappy with watching four other tables get service, two of which received their food, while we had closed up menus laying on the end of the booth table. She acted like that was normal. I then asked for a manager and she just shook her head no. What a waste.

I'm not usually out & about this early on a Saturday & decided to stop by Yale Street Grill & Gifts! This place feels like a warm & inviting mom & pop establishment. I was able to walk-in & seat myself & didn't sit too long before being welcomed & given a menu. Pictured is my veggie omelette after I doused it in Cholula Hot Sauce, easy to win me over when you have my fave hot sauce in the building! They give you options such as adding eggs, bacon, sausage, etc to anything for a very reasonable amount. I was also able to order a biscuit as a side but was presented with toast options as well. Menu has a variety of omelet options, migas, regular bacon & eggs breakfast, breakfast tacos, pancakes, waffles, chicken fried steak, & steak & eggs to name a few! They also have lunch options available but I came for breakfast! They honestly do have breakfast covered, anyone of any age can find something on the menu that they'll like. Service was great & they have patrons that seem to frequent here because the servers knew a few people around me, like they were catching up- so cool!

This is our go-to place for breakfast...especially the MIGAS! Their Migas are hands down the best i have ever eaten. The line cook takes fresh tortillas and cuts them up into chip triangles and sauté's them. Eggs are added and it is my favorite dish. Ok, the building is from the 1920's so nostalgia reeks in a good way. It's not fancy, but super clean and a step back into time. The kids love a homemade old fashioned milk shake served up at the sofa fountain (and I do too)!

We've been wanting to try this place and finally got the chance. We are glad we did, and we will be back. This place has been here since 1923 and it's like stepping back in time. Remember, back in the day when you got great service and affordable food? This is it. Emma is an amazing server, but it's like a well oiled machine here. So much teamwork! Everyone is focused and hopping. The food is no frills, but great. I ordered the chicken and waffles. The chicken tenders seem to be pre-made and frozen, but tasty. My family orders various omelets and they looked good. The only not great things is the men's room smells a little like sewage, but it's tolerable. I guess it happens in such an old building.

Yale Street Grill saved us last February during the freeze. We had no electricity for four days but the Yale Street was open and we could eat breakfast in a warm place. The second day was take out, we ate in the car, warm, and charged the phones. I go for breakfast on Tuesdays. The service has gone down a bit. The regular waitresses are gone for some reason.

This is typical diner food. I ordered a western omelet. It was just as I expected it to be. A huge portion, tasty, and served with a side of hashbrowns. My boyfriend ordered the country breakfast with eggs over medium. The eggs were a little underdone, but not terrible. Overall, a cute place to stop for diner food. Nothing out of this world, but consistent.

Old style dinner as soon as you walk in. Love the blast from the past feel. I ordered a chocolate malt and my Son's ordered chocolate shakes. All were great! I ordered the pimento cheese sandwich on toasted wheat and I've NEVER seen them hand mix it before! It was delish! If you enjoy pimento cheese, you've got to try this one! Definitely a place to grub when you're in the mood for comfort diner food.

Service was lacking, new waitress Hash browns served unable to eat No refill offered on coffee

This is jail cafeteria food. Frozen food, nothing home made about this grill, eggs burnt every time, the omelettes come out brown. Do not expect it to be cooked well. Hash browns unevenly cooked. Some food on the plate hot, some cold. Always understaffed and the waiters can't do enough.

Food was awesome, service was awesome, atmosphere was awesome. it felt like i wasn't even in the city, but in some small one horse town. if you go you've got to check out the gift shop too! 10/10. will be back. (:

Great place with great service. CLASSIC diners are hard to find and this one had it all without being gimmicky or over priced. The food was exactly what I wanted and expect from a good dinner spot. Will be coming back everytime I'm in Houston now