Great breakfasts are hard to find, which is strange when you consider that most people don’t set the bar very high for what they’re looking for in a breakfast. Most of us that go out for breakfast just want something hot that isn’t too greasy or soggy if it’s savory or something that isn’t too heavy or mushy if it’s sweet. Nonetheless, many classic-style diners suffer from the poor reputation and stigma placed on them by a few places that don’t seem to really care about quality.
That isn’t the case at Wayland Square Diner. I have never had a bad breakfast at this little place in Providence. The food isn’t overly flamboyant and they aren’t reinventing cuisine as we know it, but they do know how to make really great, standard, breakfast foods. I’ve tried a lot of their foods from pancakes to home-fries to omelets to the many wonderful specials they have. In fact, I trust this diner so much that I almost always order one of their specials just to try something new.
Atmosphere and Service:
Wayland Square Diner isn’t a big place and sometimes if you walk in a little later in the morning you might even have to wait a bit, but considering how good the food is here, I’m surprised that the majority of the time there is no real wait. The atmosphere is pretty basic. It… well… it looks like a diner. The only real difference is that it’s clean and bright, so rather than the dreary atmosphere associated with many diners, I always feel energized eating here. The service is usually pretty good, but every now and then it seems like the servers are backed up, so you should plan on a leisurely breakfast. Slow service doesn’t happen every time, but it can happen, so I don’t usually eat here if I’m in a rush to get somewhere. Regardless, the servers are always friendly and accommodating.
Food:
One of my favorite dishes to get from Wayland Square Diner is their Eggs Benedict special with Virginia Ham. This is absolutely horrible for you, but heaven for your taste buds. They serve the ham topped with a perfectly poached egg slathered in a rich, but not heavy Hollandaise sauce. All of that sits on top of a griddle-toasted English muffin half. The griddle toasting of the English muffin is a great choice because you get all of the charred toasty flavor without making the muffin too hard. The home fries are also really well done. They aren’t too big (which I hate), but they aren’t so small that they end up being just burned potato crumbs. In fact, they are cooked the way I love home fries – soft on the inside with some charred bits on the outside that shows they were pressed on a griddle. They’re also seasoned so that they’re just shy of spicy, which makes them great for adding some hot sauce. Most of the breakfast items at Wayland are affordable, filling, and most importantly delicious.
Overall Impression:
I would definitely recommend this little diner to anyone looking for a hearty, no-frills, traditional American breakfast. Great food, great prices, and a laid back atmosphere.
Rating: Almost four and a half minutes of a kid doing back flips throughout one year.
I love their blueberry pancakes!! So delicious. If you can decide to go with sweet in the chronic sweet vs. savory breakfast debate.
More importantly, how does it compare to Georgia’s?
is Georgia’s in CF? As someone who has never been to Georgia’s, I’m willing to put the up to a head to head competition. Brunch to Brunch.
There’s your first mistake. You eat at Georgia’s at like 5AM. Brunch is not what Georgia’s is there for (Although they are open until 1 or 2).