Dundee Diner

1166 Queen Street
New Dundee, Ontario
519-696-3645

*As of January 19, 2014 this little gem closed forever...a very sad day in the foodie world!

In her opinion:
So it's a new year... that means, new restaurants! We wanted to try something new and therefore turned to our favourite source for restaurant reviews...Urbanspoon! After going through the list of area restaurants, I decided that Dundee Diner in the heart of New Dundee needed a visit from Tips are Included!

This is a diner in its truest sense...old advertisements on the walls, red booths and regulars (including George who we met today! This really is a little gem! After we took our seat we were quickly greeted by Maggie - the owner's daughter and the restaurants only waitress!

She took our drink orders right and proceeded to fill them quickly. After looking over the menu, I decided that I wanted to try their "Michigan Hot Dog". It's described on the menu as "two hot dogs covered with meat sauce. Served with coleslaw and French fries". I also ordered a side of gravy to go with it.

This is pure comfort food. I love hot dogs as my darling husband pointed out to me today. I have never had a "Michigan" hot dog! It was two delicious hot dogs with soft buns like I like them covered in a delicious well seasoned meat sauce. It was served with really good fries. I need to send a special shout out to the gravy. It was really really good. These are huge portions. I didn't quite finish the whole thing but I certainly tried. 

Now, our super picky son - yeah, the one born to foodie parents that hates food was with us today. He kept staring at the dessert case. 

He finally spoke up. He said, "I want the white cake with the cherries on top". I thought it was a white cake so I asked Maggie what it was. She informed me that it wasn't cake but instead it was their "Skor Montreal Style Cheesecake". So we ordered a slice for Ethan thinking that he wouldn't like it and we would end up having to finish it.

Well, Mr. Ethan started eating and he kept eating. He actually ate a fair portion of this absolutely delicious cheesecake. Keep in mind that this was a huge piece. When he was done, he said, "That was fantastic!". I don't think you could get anymore praise then that...this is a kid that does not like food! When I had a chance to eat some...it was outstanding. Smooth, sweet and delectable. So yummy!

Overall, I really liked this place. It is a good natured type of place where you will be made to feel welcome, the portions are huge and the food is really really good.  We will definitely be back...especially for that fantastic cheesecake. Check them out on Facebook.

In his opinion:
The small town diner where the decor is circa 1950's, the customers are the daily regulars and the food is homemade style can be found in almost every small to medium size town in North America. Some of them are worth the visit and others fall a tad short on the delivery.

This gem in New Dundee is the perfect example of the ones that are worth a visit. Family owned and run, it is very welcoming with a bright familiar atmosphere that keeps you returning and usually staying a while.

This restaurant is only 12 minute drive from our house and shines as the place to visit in the small town of New Dundee. It is easy to find on Queen Street and has a constant flow of town regulars and some people from the neighbouring cities as well, it seems like a "where everybody knows your name" establishment.

The sign outside boldly states that they have the "Best Hamburgers and Ribs in Southwestern Ontario". That's a confident statement to say the least and one to be argued by the purists. Regardless of the self-accolades, I decided to see for myself about the level of the food and approve or disprove the claims.

We were greeted by our waitress, Maggie (the owner's daughter) and put in our drink orders while browsing the menu. Lots of familiar homestyle dishes, some Greek selections to honour the owners heritage and also some items with names that seemed creatively selected.

I decided to stick with the basics and try their Louisiana Burger off the "Traditional Favourites" section of the menu. I had seen it briefly mentioned online and it seemed like an easy way towards verifying the banner claims of "the best". 

As we sat there waiting for our food we witnessed the owners interacting with all the customers, most of them seeming to be locals and regulars to the restaurant. We also found out that it is a place where folks in town gather to watch sport events, from football games to Wrestlemania events, the ladder advertised on a small sign by the bar.

The food was served and the first observation is the portion sizes are crafted for hungry bellies. My hamburger was served with coleslaw, excellent tasting gravy on the home cut french fries. The hamburger itself is a bacon cheeseburger smothered in their famous BBQ sauce and usually topped with fried onions, which I declined due to my cooked onion phobia.

The bacon was extra, extra crispy but the soft, juicy patty smothered in BBQ 
is surely the main attraction of the burger. It tasted very good but the fries were way to large for my stomach. Always a sign of a good meal when you can't finish it due to size.

I also need to highlight the desserts. In our sights and practically calling our our names throughout the meal, there are a selection of desserts behind glass. A variety of homemade cheesecakes and pies and they all looked amazing. While eating, we ordered a slice for our son who had noticed the cheesecakes even before we did. He had his portion of it as we finished our meals and we helped him finish it. Well...almost helped him finished, but we couldn't due to the enormous size of the slice. All in all, it was amazing and single-handedly worth the drive to New Dundee for it.

The Good: Great atmosphere, engaging staff and tasty, huge food portions await everyone that walks in. 
The Bad: We didn't get a chance to try any Greek dishes, or the famous ribs but there is always the next time.
The Verdict: Well worth the drive to New Dundee unless you are already in New Dundee, but in both cases, the owner staff, the food and the amazing desserts are plenty to make you go try this restaurant. Can't agree or disagree with the "best burgers" claim in the banner but it was indeed a very tasty burger.

I give it 3 olives out of 5 as rating