Matchbox Diner & Drinks | Eastown
| Address: | 1345 Lake Dr SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49506, USA |
| Phone: | +1 616-774-8641 |
| Site: | matchboxdiner.com |
| Rating: | 4.2 |
| Working: | 8AM–9PM 8AM–9PM 8AM–9PM 8AM–9PM 7:30AM–9PM 7:30AM–9PM 7:30AM–2PM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 6
HE
He Fed, She Fed
I’m not quite sure what to make of the small restaurant and the somewhat gaudy purple paint, but inside it has a fun “arty” feel to it, with Caribbean murals and black-and-white photos on the wall. There are plenty of tables to be had, so we pick a booth, as the sign at the entrance bids us “please seat yourself”. Despite it being nigh ten o’clock, the dining room is only about 30% capacity. Where is everyone? Sure, church has yet to let out but if we were over to Wolfgang’s, it would be much busier. A prompt, friendly waitress greets us with menus and water, asking what we’d like to drink. Both of us get cups of standard, non-descript diner coffee—made only slightly better with cream—and I spring for a small glass of tart grapefruit juice. I do make note of the thick plastic glasses that remind me of every classic diner we’ve ever visited. We also order a cinnamon “knot” in the hopes it is their version of a cinnamon roll, so we can compare to our current favorite at San Chez Cafe. It arrives, sprinkled with cinnamon powder (not a fan of that method), and indeed it is some kind of doughy knot with a sugary glob of near-tasteless icing on top. I can tell after the first bite that it’ll sit in the pit of my stomach for a couple hours afterward. Disheartened slightly, I delve into the comprehensive menu options for my main course. After much consideration, I choose the Smoked Chicken & Black Bean Hash. It’s a bed of thick-cut potato and sweet potato chunks, tossed with black beans and a slightly spicy sauce, commingled with slices of boneless chicken, roasted red peppers, and topped with two poached eggs. I order rye toast and get marble rye that’s too dry and too toasted. Although I like the general concept of the dish, and the eggs are poached perfectly, the potatoes are cut too large; the chicken is dry and overcooked; and the whole thing just doesn’t quite come together. I’m left with a greasy taste in my mouth that is not pleasant and lasts well beyond the meal’s end. We pay the bill, then prepare to head back out into the chill. A gaggle of hungry diners has converged in the entry, attempting to enter and be seated. (During our stay, they may have turned the sign around so newcomers couldn’t choose their own table.) As we shimmy our way past, I hope they are aware that Brandywine intends to provide home-cooked food with a diner feel and I hope they have a better experience than I. Our servers were nice. Food, for the most part, was standard fare that left me flat and disappointed, but it also made me pine for Juliet’s superior cooking instead.
A
A Private User
First, I will start with the positives. The food is good and reasonably priced. The restaurant is pretty nice inside and is somewhat clean. However, after coming to this location multiple times, I will not be back - the service is horrible. This past weekend, I waited at the front for five minutes before I decided to seat myself. Servers would look at me, but never came over or mentioned "go ahead and seat yourself." With 3 of our 5 person party there, we sat at a booth since it was the only available seat. After finding out we could not move over a chair to make room for 5 people (not a big deal, I understand fire codes), I asked if we could move to the next available table. After the server never returned and a table was being cleared off, I asked again and was told "we do not allow people to change tables," even though we only had our waters on the table. To top it off, 10 minutes later another party came in and sat down, served drinks, and then decided to change tables. When they asked their waittress, they were told "no problem, feel free to move wherever you want." The first time I went to Brandwine East, I had a similar situation. Needless to say, I will not be back here and would not recommend this to anyone.
A
A Private User
We visited the East Beltline location for my daughters birthday lunch, because it was close by her school. We had an indifferent waitress, flat tastless soda, ordered Creamy Basil soup, that I would bet my last dime was Campbells with too much basil, it was very bitter. My spoon that came with the soup still had the last person who used it, food attached to it. I briefly pondered just putting my mouth to the bowl and sipping it. But decided against it. By the time the waitress drifted past, and with much effort, brought me a different spoon, my soup had cooled off. At this time my daughter asked if she had brought her cherry Coke, because it did not taste like it all. She switched to rootbeer to be safe. Later, our food arrived, my daughter ordered the chicken strips, and they were so over cooked that she just managed to eat the middle of them. I had ordered the french dip which was actually good, with the exception of the onion peel that I pulled out of it. They also served me potato chips with it. I am not a potato chip person. So basically we spent $25.00 and were treated poorly. I think I can live with never going there again..... "Caveat emptor"
JE
Jeremy Johnson
Brandywine serves greasy spoon fare that aspires to something greater. I’m not quite sure what to make of the small restaurant and the somewhat gaudy purple paint, but inside it has a fun “arty” feel to it, with Caribbean murals and black-and-white photos on the wall. Standard, non-descript diner coffee—made only slightly better with cream. Cinnamon “knot” is some kind of doughy knot with a sugary glob of near-tasteless icing on top. Smoked Chicken & Black Bean Hash is a bed of thick-cut potato and sweet potato chunks, tossed with black beans and a slightly spicy sauce, commingled with slices of boneless chicken, roasted red peppers, and topped with two poached eggs. I order rye toast and get marble rye that’s too dry and too toasted. Although I like the general concept of the dish, and the eggs are poached perfectly, the potatoes are cut too large; the chicken is dry and overcooked; and the whole thing just doesn’t quite come together. I’m left with a greasy taste in my mouth that is not pleasant and lasts well beyond the meal’s end.
CO
Cody Wininger
I have never felt so disrespected in my life...My girlfriend and I love Wolfgangs, but passed on it due to the long line. We were driving by Brandywines so we parked. We read the Google reviews and they were hit or miss, but we decided to give it a try. We walked into a very claustrophobic entry way to see that all of the tables were taken. No problem we thought, so we waited a minute, expecting a hostess or waitress to greet us. As we stood there, the waitress not only didnt greet us, but rudely asked us to move so she could stack a chair, then proceeded to walk away. ARE YOU SERIOUS!? We glanced at a table and honestly, the food looked disgusting. After being treated like crap, we left and went to Dennys and got OUTSTANDING service like always. Its sad a chain restaurant treats you way better than a small local restaurant. I will never step foot in Brandywines again! Word of mouth travels fast and I will tell my friends and family to keep eating at Wolfgangs!
D
D J MichaelAngelo
No ones coming here for the service, trust me. The food here is fantastic (Id tried the Sesame Hoisin Stir Fry w/ chicken at the East Beltline Brandywine a few times and if you ask for it extra hot/spicy its absolutely to die for!) but the prissy waiter taking our order last night just wasnt very friendly. It was a weeknight at around 5:30pm and although the place was 3/4 filled, there didnt appear to be any other servers working - just him and the kitchen people - so at least Jonathan (I think was his name?) was extremely efficient. He pretty much had to be! My advice to Brandywine? Add a dessert menu other than just the one item they have now (cinamon twist - which was heavenly delicious) and send the ice queen to charm school, maybe he can learn how to smile.
