We recently visited the Reading area for a weekend music festival and happened across the 5th Street Diner while out re-stocking our camp supplies. It was hot out and we were hungry, so we decided to give it a try and were pleasantly surprised. The food was of a high quality--better than we expected for a diner--and the portions were generous. The wait staff was friendly and the restaurant seemed nice and clean.
Review Source:DO NOT EAT HERE!!
On July 4 we stopped at 1:20 pm for lunch. We ordered a Cesar salad with chicken and a manderin chicken salad. By 3:30 we both had the major runs!!! Â I called the diner at 4:30 and asked for the manager. The lady that answered first wanted to know y I wanted the manager. She put me on hold twice to tell me the owner, Angie, had left. I explained the situation and she wanted to know if I was calling from the doctor. Â She then says she doesn't know what to tell me because she had a salad an hour ago and she was just fine. Â The audacity and plain old balls of this lady! Â So go here if you want food poisoning and insensitive customer service.
I have already informed family and friends not to eat here- this diner needs a health inspection as obviously there are issues when patrons get sick!
Classic diner, neon lights, and a huge selection. Â However, the food was only OK. Â I had the chicken parm which was good, but my wife had the chopped sirloin, and our friend had the pork chops. Â Both of their meals were very over cooked. Â We also decided the deserts looked wonderful, but they were better yesterday. Â Overall, I would say that this is just your average place and nothing to make a special trip for.
Review Source:It's a diner, which is popular around this area, if you're an out-of-towner, don't expect linen napkins and staff to call you sir and madam. Â It's a very laid back atmosphere, so if that's what you're looking for with pretty good food (for a diner.) Â Food is not waist-friendly, but that's the norm for diner food. Â The food most of the time is pretty good, I've had a variety through the years. Â Most of the waitresses are friendly and, again, laid back, like joking with you and leaning against the wall to take your order. Â I'm not saying that in a bad way...it's the atmosphere. Â If you want someone in a suit calling you sir, don't come here...lol Â
You have your occasional grumpy waitress or host/hostess, but generally, everyone's pretty cool and friendly. Â Restaurant and bathrooms are clean. Â Plenty of parking. Â Food's good no matter what time you go. Â Definitely get a rowdy crowd later in the night/early am like when the bars close. Â
I recommend their burgers (they used to be on kaiser rolls which I thought was better, but still good), creamed chipped beef (or SOS)....don't know what chipped beef or SOS is? Â LOL Â Sh** on a Shingle...welcome to Berks county! Â It's small pieces of smoked or dried beef in a white thick gravy type sauce over toast or home fries. Â (Think similar to biscuits and gravy in the south.) Â This is the best place for it! Â I get it all the time!
Friends and I would do up the 5th Street Diner after hockey games and almost every Friday night during high school. We've created so many funny memories here, and we're almost all still known as "frequents" to the place.
The Diner is recently under new management, and I haven't had enough time to gauge the new owners and how the place is being run now, but everything seems the same.
The menu is your typical diner menu, and straying away from the breakfast page is typically a bad idea unless you're ordering some of the appetizers or other sandwiches. Steaks, and other foods that you wouldn't expect to taste good at a diner, don't taste good.
It's definitely worth a stop to try for yourself.
If I could give this place the 5 stars because of all the wonderful memories I have being in the place, I would. The whole area of Reading is based around the "diner" lifestyle... so under 21 year olds venture to one of the many 24 hours diners around 11-midnightish while the 21 and over crowd will stumble in anytime after 2. 5th street Diner, though, had a plethera of all! Truckers, hipsters, punks, families, after prom, classy, white trashy, people of all walks of life. That's why I enjoy this place. On a few occasions I have eaten here when it wasn't past midnight and the things I recommend on the menu are:
Mozzarela Sticks
Lobster Bisque
Chicken Fingers
Crab Salad Pita
Coffee
Western Omelet
I mean, it is a diner so everything going to be the same, but these items are especially delicious. Watch out for the older hostess woman with the glasses and the hair made of straw, she's kind of moody. Late night waitresses are the most friendly and are willing to strike up a conversation, just don't go with a bunch of boys who recently turned 21.
There's not a smoking section anymore, so I really don't frequent anymore, because it use to be the palce I could go and smoke without my parents finding out, but it's still a nice place to hang out and get a good old fashioned diner meal. Also, the outside it bright chrome with neon red and blue lights, very old-skool.
One of those old fashioned chrome diners serving old fashioned good home cookin' and some other random food lilke gyro's. I've learned the hard way not to order "teriyaki" or stir fry, but if you are looking for potato filling with that nearly fluorescent yellow gravy, this could be the place for you.
Service can be a little slow. You will most likely be the youngest person there if you are under 65 most days. Lots of kinds of pie.
One odd thing - visited one time with friends and every dish had something else in it - the spaghetti had peas in it, sherbet had chocolate ice cream in it, potatoes had corn. Do they only have one spoon in their kitchen?? Not sure what is going on there.
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