- Photos:
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- Address:
- 285 Boston Post Road, Orange, CT, 06477
- Phone:
- 203-298-4100
- Overall User Rating:
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(21 ratings)
- Hours:
- Mon.-Thu., 6 a.m.-1 a.m. Fri.-Sat., 6 a.m.-3 a.m. Sun., 6 a.m.-midnight
The Equinox Diner serves traditional diner fare with flair. With funky twists on staples—like the special Hawaiian French Toast or the warm bacon-wrapped meatloaf sandwich—and a clean, bright atmosphere, this new diner on the Boston Post Road in Orange is a nice change from your run-of-the-mill casual joint.
Don’t let the diner's franchise-like appearance turn you away. Just because it's housed in the old Red River Steak House building doesn’t mean this restaurant is a chain. So far the Orange diner is the restaurant's only location, although the manager said a second is due to open in Mystic in a few months.
Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, the Equinox Diner also keeps late night hours for hungry insomniacs. Since I judge all diners by how well they pull off breakfast, I took a late Saturday morning trip to Equinox. As the place crowded up, the service never faltered. Our upbeat waitress quickly served our orders, big portions that filled 11-inch square plates.
Hormone- and antibiotic-free eggs and chicken and a full bar draw people to the diner, which is a touch more “sit-down restaurant” than other diners.
The look: Lightheartedly retro, with bright blues, yellows and greens splashed on booths, chairs and walls. The sharp lines of contrasting wallpaper, in addition to the bold geometric shapes of booths, light fixtures and plates, mirror the linear astronomy behind the diner’s name: The equinox is the semi-annual phenomenon when the sun is situated directly above the equator.
With chrome-lined tables and doors, the place is retro enough to be called a diner. But with clean, cherry hardwood floors and splashes of interesting decoration—like vases filled with fresh lemons and white flowers fit for a Georgia O’Keefe painting—the restaurant exudes the warmth of your grandmother’s sun-filled kitchen at the same time.
The eats: The breakfast menu boasts a good mix of options—with several omelet, pancake and French toast entrées. Try the Malibu omelet with artichokes, avocado, tomatoes and jack cheese for an interesting texture and flavor—creamy and wholesome without much spice.
Or, if you have a sweet tooth, try the house specialty: Hawaiian French toast. Equinox Diner's spin on the breakfast staple is made with homemade pineapple bread dipped in eggs and topped with coconut shavings, banana slices and Macadamia nuts.
For something a little more fruity, try the light and fluffy German apple pancakes, made with golden delicious apples and drizzled with chunky raspberry sauce. If the sweet fruits aren’t enough, both options come with thick whipping cream.
Don’t worry, the breakfast menu also offers up the regulars, including bacon, eggs, sausage and home fries. Just make sure you’re prepared for big servings—the sausage is an inch thick, the home fries fill any empty spot on the plate and the omelets are made with three eggs. Even the toast is made of thick bread.
Of course, there are plenty of other options for lunch and dinner, ranging from burgers and New York-style sandwiches—including a yellow tuna-salad sandwich, corned beef and pastrami, and a club—to paninis and wraps. For dinner, there’s a decent sized seafood selection— with tuna, tilapia, salmon, sea scallops, shrimp and crabmeat—as well as steak, chicken and pasta entrées.
The booze: For breakfast, try the $6 Mimosa or Bloody Mary. The bar serves beer, wines, mixed drinks and daiquiris as well.
The vibe: This place is a casual and friendly restaurant, not a roll-out-of-bed-in-your-pajamas type of diner. The meals are served with pride—garnished with twisted oranges and strawberries and placed on funky rounded-square plates. It’s not pretentious though. The wait staff wears T-shirts and the atmosphere is relaxed. Wear your jeans and make sure you come hungry.
The damage: Breakfast plates run from $5 to $10. That includes “The Survivor,” a meal sized to sustain your daily adventures. Omelets are $7 to $9. For lunch, burgers are priced between $6 and $9, and sandwiches and wraps run $6 to $14 (for the Angus Steak sandwich). Dinner is a little pricier, running from $11 to $18 for “Blue Plate Specials” like chicken varieties, four-cheese macaroni and cheese and penne vodka. Seafood and steaks cost upwards of $17 a plate. While most come with a vegetable, there are additional sides for another $2 to $4.
The bottom line: The food is a bit more expensive than at most hole-in-the-wall diners, but the prices are decent for the big portions, which will surely leave you taking leftovers home. There is definitely something on the menu for everyone and the change of pace from your average chain restaurant is worth a trip down the Post Road.
And, the fact that you can get the food pretty much any time of the day—or night—is probably the best part.
Equinox Diner
285 Boston Post Road, Orange
203-298-4100
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