Park Diner - Waite Park, MN

A blast from the past . . . and kid catering as all get out . . . 

Park Diner is a nostalgia detour on the Road to Alexandria.  Just seeing the place as we pulled up brought a sparkle to the Lady, with the outside especially cool all shiny and bright at night

Crank up Adam Brown's "A1 50s Jukebox" playlist on Apple Music, and read along . . .

The Park Diner sits as a gleaming beacon between St. Cloud and St. Joseph, even, and maybe especially, in the gloomy grim grey slushy craptastic Tundra winter dregs. How DO they keep it so shiny?  

Inside, set your raygun to sparkle and your color pallate to The White Stripes . . .

They boast a "from scratch" menu that won't leave you hanging for the classics, and bulks up with Blue Plate Specials, Malts, Shakes, and baked goods

So how's the food? Before we get to that, let's get to that "kid catering" thing I mentioned

Word of warning . . . before y0u enter, put your kid's coat over their head, and rush through the vestibule like it's a burning building, as there's small gauntlet of coin machines to manuever past

Thankfully, the pain and suffering our child felt from not getting a claw machine duck first thing was soon pacified, if certainly not forgotten. Immediately upon seating, a glass of crayons and a truly impressive and delightful kids activity sheet were set down. Look at that thing! A cute cartoon picture find, crossword puzzle, word search, word challenge, maze, drawing game . . . THIS is an activity sheet that actually engages kids. Very impressive. Kudos

Follow that up with their bargain priced Little Go-Karts Kids Menu. Our kiddo loved when her Cheeseburger & Fries arrived in the paper car. And how smart and kind of them to offer the cars for purchase if a kid orders something off the menu that doesn't come in a car?

That picture right there has Happy Kid written all over it

And if all THAT isn't enough for your kid, slide a malt or shake in front of them, complete with whipped cream, cherry on top, and to the Lady's pleasure, little Swiss Miss-like Jet Puff Bits marshmallows. What a cool touch

And hey, psst, you don't need to tell the kid there's more malt in the shiny cup. What do they know?

Anywho, back to it. How was the food? Mixed bag

Necessary close-up

Starving from the road, I ordered their Battered Pickle Chips before the waitress could even ask about beverages. They were, just a bit strange. Almost like somebody tried to meld a pickle slice between two fried chips after the fact, instead of batter dipped. Whatevs, I didn't leave a trace of them

I went with Frank Sinatra's Cisco Melt, and it more than did the job. I ended up saving half for breakfast the next day. Nice thick patty, excellent toast on the sourdough, and a respectable shot at medium rare (though you can't tell from the pic). The coleslaw was typical over gloopy forgettable . . . especially after the amazing coleslaw at Charlie's Cafe a few days earlier

The Lady went with their Betty Boop Fish Sandwich. House beer battered cod, she enjoyed it. I didn't get a taste . . . which was a theme on this roadtrip. I need to remember to horn on in on a bite of her and the kid's food before it's a distant memory

One little note . . . Park isn't messing around when it comes to their tomatoes. Jeez. Calling them slices is misspeaking. They're a bit aggressive. Thickass wedges that could be used as veggie buns. The Lady found the sandwich impossible to eat with them on there

She also ordered a side of their Chicken Wild Rice soup of the day was overly sweet and cloying. Sad to say, again paled in comparison to the Creamy Chicken Wild Rice soup at Charlie's Cafe a few days previous. Thems the breaks

I find it hard to pass up a side order of hashbrowns. In the interest of science, and a more well rounded taste of Park Diner's menu, I gave theirs a go. Meh

Beyond the food and back to the decor . . . it's such a cool space to be in. Ya just feel special. And there's so much to look at and see . . .

We arrived at an off hour, about 4pm on the Tuesday before New Years, and buiness started to pick up by the time we left. Our waitress was on point throughout. Especially treating our kid like a real live human being. Asking HER what she'd like to drink, to eat, instead of talking over her head to the parents. That means something

Well, if you're still reading, you probably already know I'm gonna say forego you fast food chain and your Kwickiemart hotcase. Detour a bit off the 94. Hit up a locally owned independent place holding the torch for diners of yesteryear, and doing a pretty bang up job of it. Especially if you have kids. Dig?

Comments, Questions, Two Bit Opinions, and Whatnot are welcome:

tundrabites     @      yahoo.com

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Park Diner - 1531 Division St, Waite Park, MN 56387

320-252-0080

IG #park_diner

www.parkdinermn.com