Restaurant Review: Millie's Diner

The other day my sister, my cousin (who was visiting from Tampa), and I decided to go to Millie’s for lunch. We chose Millie’s because it’s down to earth, the food is really good, and though the cost for lunch is on the higher-end it’s definitely worth it. Plus, we had never taken our cousin to Millie’s. Millie’s is located close to Church Hill on Main Street. It’s a tiny restaurant that has a ton of charm. When you walk in you’re basically in the kitchen, the dining room, and the bar all in one. That’s right folks; the chef cooks the food in this tiny, tiny area by the front entrance next to the bar. Millie’s is big on waiting to seat you until your entire party has arrived. Fortunately, we were seated right away. And, as is the case in quite a few Richmond restaurants; the menu is on a chalk board above the bar.
The booths have little jukeboxes located on each table. Unfortunately, they don’t seem to work.

But, it’s fun to click the buttons and see what songs you could have played. I’m sure it would keep a 5 year old highly entertained. Millie’s does not take reservations…ever. The wait-staff is very knowledgeable of the food and also very attentive. They serve brunch (on the weekends), lunch, and dinner. Their menu ranges anywhere from omelets, to breakfast burritos, to hamburgers, to steak tartare to seared scallops. I’ve actually never been to Millie’s for dinner. So, I can’t offer an opinion on that but I’ve been to brunch/lunch and it’s always been excellent.

On this particular occasion, I ordered the BLT (minus the “T”)

and my cousin and sister split the Castro’s Mess.
My sister and cousin each splurged on a mimosa while I stuck with a good ol’ diet coke. I thought their mimosa’s were pretty pricy at $8 a pop.

Boy, was I glad I stuck with my diet coke at a measly $2. Perhaps the reason the mimosa’s are on the high-end is the orange juice tastes like it was freshly-squeezed? I tried the mimosa, and I agreed that it was really quite good. However, I don’t think it’s worth $8. Our entrees came out in relatively good time. My bacon and lettuce sandwich was excellent. The bread was toasted perfectly, and the bacon was nice and crisp (just the way I like it).
All of their sandwiches are served with fried new potatoes and a dash of sriracha. I think the new potatoes are okay. But, I’m not real big on that style of potatoes. The Castro's Mess was a big glop of Cuban pork, 3 scrambled eggs, black beans, tomatoes, tortilla strips, and cheddar cheese. Oh, and diced onion was thrown in as well. At a whopping $12 it’s best to split this dish. Plus, it is a lot of food. My sister and cousin really liked it a lot and were quite content they decided to share. All in all it was a satisfying meal. My only complaint about Millie’s is their prices are a bit on the high-end for lunch. But, at least the food and service are up to par!

Pros: Tasty food
Cons: Pricey

My rating: 4 ½ sporks out of 5
Location: 2603 E. Main Street
Website: www.milliesdiner.com
Cuisine: Diner
Pricing: $$$