Lily’s Diner, named after the owner’s daughter, can be found on the ever-expanding south side of town, at the corner of Veterans Memorial and Concord road. They offer an expansive menu that features all day breakfast, lunch, dinner, and a daily rotation of specials. The customer service is OUTSTANDING, and the ladies gave detailed descriptions of nearly the entire menu! There are two cooks in total, one being an owner, so the food is consistently delicious. The other owner was at the front to greet every guest. It gives a really pleasant and warm feel to the place. You can stop in or order out tacos on Tuesdays, and there is a long list of customized options to create your version of the perfect taco.
The daily special did feature a keto option, but since Jo is also vegetarian she opted for the chilaquiles. I was seated next to her so I had a front row seat for that experience. It looked and smelled delicious, and this genius topped it with the fresh Guac too! She really loved it, and the chilaquiles was just spicy enough to call it perfection!
Kay went for the chorizo omelette. It includes your choice of hashbrowns, house fries, or grits and your choice of toast. She swapped the toast for a home made biscuit. She claimed perfection on that choice. In between bites, she was able to inform us that whatever they did to the chorizo, it’s delicious. Really, truly delicious. I believe her, I think maybe I saw the glimmer of a tear in her eye. We shared a bowl of fresh made guacamole, it was to die for, and house made chips that were also cause for celebration.
Naturally, Linda went with the seafood special. The catfish looked AMAZING and the green beans, tater tots as her choice of potato, bread and side salad made for a feast fit for a king! The catfish was perfectly cooked, and the green beans were excellent! It was a “good hearty meal” that will stick with her for hours to come.
Weirdly Ken and I didn’t even have to fist fight for our orders this time. He ordered the corned beef hash skillet with over easy eggs, hashbrowns and toast. I wasn’t jealous at all until I saw the yolk dripping over the contents of the skillet. He confirmed my suspicions, and said it was wonderful. He’s usually a bit nervous that the corned beef is too salty, but this was perfect! The vegetables were perfect, the hash browns were cooked to order, and everything was just really really good! He couldn’t finish it, but that was simply because he was just too full! Yum.
While he usually goes pretty hard, the amount of food Jerry got was wild even for him! The roast beef manhattan alone could feed a family, and then they served a heaping, steaming bowl of vegetable beef soup along with it. He faced a very robust, and hearty meal. It was heavy on the potatoes and rich gravy (along with everything else). He couldn’t handle the platter of food after the entire bowl of soup, so he’s taking home roughly enough beef manhattan to feed an army.
I do not possess the ability to make a decision, and lucky for all of us, I didn’t have to. The 2x2x2 satisfied my ever-present need for pancakes, but since apparently protein is all the rage these days, I rounded it out with eggs and bacon. I am the poster child for health and wellness. At the suggestion of one of our servers, I added chocolate chips to my pancakes. Who am I to question her authority?
Let me just start by saying that nobody is going hungry in this establishment. The portions are huge, and that doesn’t even do them justice. Our server, Amber, was right about the pancakes and I suspect I would now follow her any direction she would lead me. If I’m being honest, I didn’t even have space for the eggs or bacon, but I sampled them for the plot and of course they were also a home run. At a certain point, it feels like they’re just showing off!
Lily’s Diner really has the trifecta going on with the prices, portion sizes, and most importantly, the taste. But then they really drive it on home with the level of customer service. Pack up your friends and family and head on out to see for yourself!
Dining Diva Whitney is dishing out this review for the DDD squad.
