Garden State Diner

For airport food, this place is surprisingly decent. Garden State Cafe is not fancy, but very practical and comforting when you are tired from travel. Coffee is okay, better than expected. Food options are simple but reliable, sandwiches, breakfast items, nothing risky. Staff is fast and efficient, they know airport timing is everything. Seating area is casual, sometimes noisy, but that’s airport life. 出発前にさっと食べるには十分。 Not destination dining, but solid choice inside Newark Airport.

This chicken waffles is the best I ever had. The fried chicken is REAL chicken thigh (I was expecting frozen chicken tender/fingers, but it’s fresh). You can see the crispy skin (at the bottom, I did not photograph that), and it’s not greasy at all. It’s definitely house made. Waffle also tastes amazing and goes well with the chicken. If I had time I would like to personally greet the chef and tell them this chicken waffle is the best i ever had

Yes, it’s an airport restaurant and you have to take that in perspective. I looked at the google Raton and this seemed the best of the batch—I choose poorly… Ordered the cheesesteak with extra green peppers and onions. Welp there were virtually no onions or peppers. For that matter there was no steak. Maybe 3 ozs. And it was quite overcooked, sawdust texture from being over chopped and the bun was of a hotdog texture as well. Fries were cold and flavorless. Finally, I had an issue with my bill and I was informed there was not a manager on duty and there would will not be one tonight. I won’t be back under any circumstance.

The bagel with BEC was delicious!!! The Cuban with coleslaw also delicious!!! The fruit parfait I would skip and it’s way overpriced. The Nutella shake was good too. The service was below par, once they take your order you never see your waitress again:( They also add on a 3% employee retention to your tab not sure if it’s NJ thing or not. Overall I would eat again but get it to go.

I should have learned my lesson the first time. On a previous trip, I asked if a breakfast sandwich would take long; they promised 5 minutes, but after 20 minutes of waiting, I had to sprint to my gate empty-handed just to catch my flight. I didn't even have time to get a refund for the food I never got. Fast-forward to today. I’ve seen more peanut butter on a toddler’s high chair than on this bagel. If you look closely at the photo—past the sadness—you might see the 'hint' of PB they promised. Less of a spread, more of a watery translucent glaze. It’s like the bagel sneezed and this was the result. I fly through EWR regularly and will not return.