Suburban Diner – Paramus, NJ

On the way back from JFK Airport after our trip to Puerto Rico, we decided to stop for dinner at a diner on route 17 in Paramus, NJ.

The Suburban Diner resides at 172 Rt. 17 North, and was the the first diner we saw on our way.

Now, the menu there is massive. That day, the last thing I had eaten was a big plate of fried pork with arepas late in the morning in Puerto Rico, so, even though my earlier meal was substantial, a long time had passed, and the stress of travelling had gotten to me.

In other words, I went all out, NJ style!

To start, I ordered the NJ diner staple, disco fries.

The fries were crisp. The gravy was rich and thick. And the cheese was loaded on. It’s basically a heart attack on a plate, but it was so damn good!

And I didn’t stop there. I found the one burger on the menu that personifies NJ to the T.

The T.E.C. BURGER (with Taylor Ham, Egg over Medium & Melted American on a Brioche Roll – $11.50).

For good measure, I subbed the fries for onion rings. I had enough fries already, and it’s not a NJ diner experience without onion rings. The burger also came with cole slaw and a pickle. Yes, it was an obscene amount of food.

There was nothing really special about the burger patty, but everything else about the sandwich rocked. The egg and Taylor ham (which is a chopped spiced ham) made the whole thing feel like breakfast. The brioche roll added to this. As great as it was, I had to leave a few bites, because I was really full.

On the way out, we grabbed dessert to go, only because there were cases of baked goods that looked so amazing that it felt like a shame to not try something. I think I picked up a slice peanut butter cup cheesecake. It was breakfast the next day.

This place was definitely worth the pit stop from the road!