Mayberry Diner
333 N. 8253 Mayberry Square S, Sylvania | 2155 S. Byrne Rd. / 3606 Sylvania Ave., Toledo
Mon. to Sat. 6AM-3PM | Sun. 7AM-2PM
Mayberrydiners.com
When brunching with small children, two details are of utmost importance: length of the dining experience and kids menu options. Slow service with children translates to missed naps, tardy game arrivals and/or hangry children. Perhaps worse is stumbling upon a menu that doesn’t offer any options for the picky eaters.
And if you have one of those toddlers who eats everything, I urge you not to become overly confident. Both my kids ate everything from guacamole by the spoonful to grape leaves by the handful. Once they started preschool, they began to (I’m presuming) emulate the other kids and now live off of mac and cheese and chicken nuggets. That’s what I get for internally gloating about my worldly toddlers eating habits.
Ticking the boxes
Mayberry Diner checks the boxes for speed and kids menu options. We had less than one hour to eat lunch between soccer games at Pacesetter Park, and we rushed over to Mayberry Square at noon, crossing our fingers that we could eat in time for the next game despite it being the middle of the lunch hour.
Not only did we make it to the second game on time, but we ordered, ate and paid within 35 minutes of sitting down. In awe of the speedy service, my kids insisted it was “super fast” because their lunch lady was one of the servers. They had a valid point: If you can wrangle and serve dozens of elementary students in 20 minutes, then feeding a family of four in half an hour is a cakewalk.
We all chose breakfast items for lunch: my six-year-old ordered pancakes while my eight-year-old chose French toast sticks with bacon (and then helped with his sister’s bacon as well). I ordered the #2 — two eggs with hashbrowns and a biscuit — and my husband picked a breakfast sandwich with egg, cheese and bacon on an English muffin.
I love breakfast foods, and Mayberry Diner did not disappoint. The spindly hashbrowns brought me straight back to childhood memories of dining with my dad on the weekends at one diner or another. The eggs were cooked perfectly “over-medium” (a feat I still cannot successfully manage despite 30 years of trying) and the buttery biscuit melted in my mouth.
My husband, who does not dole out compliments easily, exclaimed, “I’d eat here again!” My kids gobbled up their food, and I had to remind my eight-year-old to slow down.
A mom and pop diner with three Toledo area locations
Despite Mayberry Diner serving delicious diner food for years, we had never visited — simply because it was a hike from where we live. There are now three locations: one in western Sylvania in Mayberry Square by Pacesetter Park, another in West Toledo off of Sylvania Ave. by Monroe St,, and a third in South Toledo off of Byrne Rd..
In the current stages of the global pandemic, with restaurants closing their doors and/or struggling to find staff, successfully maintaining three different locations says a lot about Mayberry Diners. Perhaps it’s the great prices, the reliable food and the speedy service that has allowed them to flourish. Whatever the secret, add Mayberry Diner to your list of places to take your clan.
Bottom Line:
Mayberry Diners now has three locations: Sylvania, West Toledo and South Toledo, all serving diner food at reasonable prices and with speed and efficiency. The variety of both breakfast and lunch options will satisfy every craving — and appease even the picky eaters. Breakfast is available any time, including several gluten-free and dairy-free options.
The short course:
- Outdoor dining: No.
- Online ordering: No.
- Carryout: Yes.
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- Delivery: No.
- Kids’ Menu: Yes.
