King's Diner Bar Deli BBQ

Critic's Review

There aren't a lot of diners in Delray beach, and this place doesn't really look like a diner. But the sign says King's Diner and its very visible from Linton Blvd. I couldn't find any info on this place; marketing isn't their game. But I'd skipped breakfast and it was lunch time so my choices where limited. They had some menus on the door, but it didn't say "Breakfast served all day". A server walked by and I asked if I could get breakfast. She said yes so I went inside.

The lighting in the place is a bit wonky; the big picture windows on a bright sunny day overpower the high, dim ceiling lights. It's almost hard to maintain your focus as you look around. It doesn't look much like a diner. Instead of a counter there's a big bar in the center. There are booths and tables. And enormous stuffed fish hanging. It's more like a lodge.

I got coffee and a menu quickly; I flirted with a few menu items but for comparisons sake I decided on my usual. I'm a creature of habit. One difference is that they offer either a bagel or bialy; I thought I'd try a bialy as I haven't seen that on many menu down here in Florida. I ordered the food and it come out to the table in a fairly short time; less than 10 minutes.

I was thinking that they gave me a whole bag of potatoes. The Bialy was pretty well toasted and maybe had a big of garlic in the depression; it was really more like a bagel with a softer crust than anything else. It was served with both butter and cream cheese on the side. I buttered half and put cream cheese on the other. A nice change from toast; although the butter was frozen solid and was a bit hard to work with initially.

The eggs were cooked in a small pan which irritates me but really makes little difference in the big picture. The sausages were re-heated but good; they're just like the sausages that they have at Le Bonne Crepe on Las Olas. The potatoes were more roasted than home fries; diced redskin potatoes with the skin on. They were fresher tasting than home fries are usually. I liked them. Needless to say I only ate about half of them.

Service is not the forte here. After checking with me immediately after receiving the food, she made no more visits to the table without having to flag her down. I waited quite a while for my check after I was ready to leave; given that the place is a single, open room there's really no excuse for her to not even look in my direction during 4 or 5 trips to other tables.

I'm giving 4 stars for food here not because it was anything special, but for $4.99 it's a very good value. Most places charge extra for a bagel as well.

With the bar and full liquor license I have a feeling it's a bit different in the evening. It's not clear that they have much of an identity; it certainly doesn't feel like a diner. But the food was good and the price was right, so that combination counts for something.