Angel’s Diner

Review by: Michael Stern

If you like diners, you must visit Angel’s, which boasts that it is Florida’s first, established in 1932. I came for breakfast, so I did not get to try the hand-pattied hamburgers and freshly made (not frozen) onion rings, which are house specialties, the burgers ranging up to one-pound (“for real men only,” says the menu). Next time, it will be for burgers, o-rings, and skin-on French fries.

Breakfast was OK, but nothing special. The waitress assured me that the biscuits were freshly made, and the one I got was indeed warm. But from scratch? Not likely. Pancakes were fine, as was the bacon – cooked crisp, as requested. The highlight of my brief encounter was the mysteriously named house drink, a Pusalow, which is chocolate milk, vanilla syrup, and crushed ice.

It’s the place itself that is most attractive. Retaining its cramped interior with a few tight booths and counter with a view of the grill, it seems scarcely to have changed in its decades of service. Fellow breakfasters when I stopped by early in the morning included a table full of law officers and several singles – some starting their day, others finishing a long night.

What To Eat

Pusalow

DISH
Biscuit

DISH
Bacon & Egg

DISH
Cheeseburger

DISH

Angel’s Diner Recipes

Discuss

What do you think of Angel’s Diner?

2 Responses to “Angel’s Diner”

Keith Bailey

December 3rd, 2023

A Fun Throwback

Angel’s is the very model of an old dining car. The menu is true drive-in, even though I couldn’t see any drive-in service. This dining cars flies of the track here and there, but generally delivers…to your table instead of your car.

Inside was a great, long counter and a few tables, but the AC was cranked so high that we opted for outside under cover. The wife had a nice salad with grilled chicken and I had the 1/4# hamburger platter. The fries and onion rings were good and the burger was delicious. We shared a chocolate shake to go.

The place fails a bit when it comes to service and appearance. Two servers were kept very busy, even having to make the milkshakes themselves. And a little more time and attention could be given to overall cleanliness and repair. To really be and old dining car, everything should gleam and be in good repair.

In any case, it was a fun lunch stop on our way through Palatka.

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William Titus

June 1st, 2013

It’s a diner and, as far as diners go, not a bad one. I enjoyed the handmade burger, and the onion rings were excellent. The cheeseburger platter came with a beverage, fries, and two large onion rings, all of which were quite good.

Certainly the best thing about this place is its character. The train car in which it resides is really showing its age and the walls and ceiling have considerable bows to them, but the place is still standing. The kitchen is an accessory structure off to the side of the train car as there’d be no room at all in the place if it wasn’t.

They had some pretty good-looking milk shakes that I wasn’t hungry enough to try, but will next time. The menu includes burgers, hot dogs, fried chicken, catfish, white fish, gizzards, and chicken livers. They serve breakfast all day long and are open 24 hours. Seating very limited and pretty tight. They have outdoor, covered seating at picnic tables, though, and even advertise curb service; just blow the horn. I found Angel’s reasonably priced, with fairly good fare, and it’s a memorable experience. I’d certainly recommend it.

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