My goodness do I miss this place. I have a soft spot for diner food. Since I have been home for a little over a year now, I have had a lot of time to look back over my life. I found that diners remind me of going on road trips with my family. We used to drive up to New York and stop and eat along the way. We didn’t eat out a lot so I always relished in being able to stop in different cities and eat. Where I lived, there wasn’t a lot of diner places near me. Or at least I didn’t think so but my mother brought me to the Marietta Diner.

So a bit of background history. Marietta Diner is a family restaurant located on Cobb Parkway in Marietta, GA. It was founded in 1995 by Gus Tselios. Now Mr. Tselios owned a restaurant in West Chester, NY and figured that he could bring the same thing to the south. The Marietta Diner is open 24/7 and packed all the time. It was fun for me to learn that because it does have a very NY feel. It is just very warm and inviting family restaurant. My mother had been going to this place for years. I felt like she was hold out on me. I am not sure that I have forgiven her for enjoying this place without me early on. That changed. The Marietta Diner quickly became a place that my mother and I went at least 2 times a month maybe more. Our routine was going for breakfast or brunch on a day off. It became our favorite thing of ours to bring friends and family to the diner if they had never been. As you know, I enjoy places that have a lot of variety on their menu… and Marietta Diner fits the bill. The diner offers seafood, including shrimp, scallops, flounder, catfish and lobster tails. The diner also offers several dinner entrees; such as chicken, steak, turkey and meatloaf. Pasta and Burgers make an appearance. They have great soups. It is just awesome. Appetizers include Buffalo wings, chicken fingers, mozzarella sticks, onion rings, potato skins, fajitas and more. Breakfast is served all day and there is no downside to that for my mother. She is a very simple woman… and if you have read my previous posts, then you know she has a lot of allergies. That leads a person to make simple decisions with food. The great thing about the diner was that I could as adventurous as I wanted and she got to eat as well. Finding a place to eat that we both enjoy is usually hard…

I have yet to concur the whole menu. There is a page on the menu that changes consistently. There are different things that they highlight. The specials page… and it is AWESOME… I usually glance over that before looking for something new on the menu. I remember getting this really gnarly pastrami burger (The Godfather as they called it.) and it was like a heart attack on a plate which I thought was great. One of the many things that people who we bring there say is that the size portions are out of control. It is true. You won’t go hungry here. There is a lot that comes with what you order. Many of the entrees I have ordered usually come with a soup and salad… or a soup and vegetable. It is so great that I had to make a separate trip for dessert one time. Good times.

I wasn’t all that shocked that there are several other restaurants that Mr. Tselios owns. Makes it easier when the wait time is long to still get some excellent food. I have been going to the diner for many years. The place mats often display the other restaurants that were in the family and it was fun to watch grow over time. But I will say it comes as a surprise to realize that 1.) Guy Fieri shows up for Triple D. So Marietta Diner was featured on Diners, Drive Ins and Dives. Check out this clip (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IziCPeuvEX0) If you have Discovery Plus, the episode is Season 3, Episode 5 A World of Flavors. I have to say… it is odd to see a place you know on TV. 2.) Apparently, it is ranked on the 21 diners in the country you need to eat at before you die. That makes me laugh because it really is fantastic. To look at a list of places and say… I have been there is fun.

One of the things I love about this place is the free Spanakopita (Spinach Pie). On the episode with Guy, they talk about how it is made and how much they usually make daily. (Read as: HELLA). I usually get myself into trouble with the Spinach Pie. Since it is given out before your order is taken… and the fact that my other family members stay away from it… (Not because it is bad… but because it is very filling and with this place you need all of the space you can get.) I usually scarf down everyone’s. And while I usually end up taking my food home… I never miss out on the Spinach Pie. It is awesome… and it tastes the same every time I go. I regret nothing.

Because it is a diner, the prices are pretty reasonable. You and another person can eat for about $30. Of course, that is just for non alcoholic drinks and two entrees. There are a of course some expensive entrees and you can end up spending between $50- $100 per person if you order seafood or the red meat. But even with that knowledge you get more than enough food for what you order. I imagine that even if you got dessert, it could run two people about $45-$60. The funny thing is that my sister pointed out… That with the leftovers.. you could actually take 3 days to finish your food.

It is just such a great family place. As such, whenever family would come down to visit… we couldn’t wait to bring them to the Diner. The servers are pretty attentive. I remember my aunt and grandmother saying that it was a lot of food. Most people understand afterwards why we bring them. I had two coworkers that had never been there. They were blown away. I called a day later and my friend and her husband were still working on their dessert.

Speaking of desserts… This is definitely the place to come if you have a sweet tooth. My sister and I are really trying to work our ways through their different cheesecakes… and it does not disappoint. I remember particularly my sister and I, out with a group, and her ordering a butterfinger cheesecake and me ordering a snicker cheesecake. It was as awesome as you might imagine. I don’t usually get anything but plain cheesecake but I can now say I trust this place enough to up the ante.

There is a plethora of things to like with this place. In my neck of the woods… if you get a a feeling for food in the early mornings there is only two places you can go. (Waffle House, and IHOP) neither of which holds a candle to this place. We won’t talk about the service that you get in these places because…. it is nonexistent. There is something for everyone. I am not too into breakfast food… but my mother loves that it is served all day. In the end, for me, it is the yardstick with which all diners are measured. I say it is a 9.5/10. It is highly recommended for a reason.

That is all for now. If you have ever been to the Marietta Diner… let me know your thoughts.