No Frills Diner
449 W 12th St.
Ogden, UT 84404
nofrillsdiner.com
(801) 393-6090
Are you the kind of person that loves hole in the wall restaurants? If so, you will love No Frills Diner. If you’re the kind that likes to play it safe by only eating at national chains, I promise, this restaurant is worth a try.
This nondescript and aptly named No Frills Diner is located on 12th Street in Ogden just west of the WinCo grocery store. Owned by Ron Yeates, the restaurant came about when Ron found himself without a job despite his 27 year tenure at La-Z-Boy because they moved their manufacturing out of the country. Not knowing what else to do, Ron remembered he loved to cook when he was younger, so he decided to take his severance package and open his own restaurant.
No Frills Diner is not very fancy on the outside, but you will find a nostalgic blast from the past when you walk through its doors. Patterned after a 50s diner, it is full of fun old-fashioned memorabilia. All of the memorabilia has been given to Ron from customers and friends over the years. It is neat to see the old signs and pictures of Hollywood stars gone by.
The menu has an eclectic selection of food. The restaurant started as a breakfast only spot when they opened 11 years ago, but today it also has a full dinner menu on Thursday, Friday and Saturday when they are open until 9pm. Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday they are open for breakfast and lunch until 3pm.
Not knowing what to order, we asked the waiter what were the favorites. He pointed out that everything on the menu was made right there on location. The owner actually shops just down the way at the WinCo grocery store so he can pick out his own produce each day. He said they have a delicious chili verde, awesome prime rib, delicious hand-breaded pork loin, and people love the fish and chips. Melissa ordered the fish and chips and I ordered the hand-breaded pork loin. They also brought us a sample of the chili verde and I am definitely trying that next time. Yum! We knew we would be stealing off each other’s plates so we could try both dishes.
Everything is cooked to order, this isn’t fast food and it is worth the wait. The pork dish came with two sides and some white gravy. The garlic butter vegetables were great and I could tell they were fresh. The bacon avocado soup was amazing. One bite and I was wishing the bowl was bigger and started questioning my promise to share with Melissa. It is amazing. The pork was also delicious with seasoned breading and delicious homemade gravy. On Melissa’s plate were some wonderful fish and chips, which could quite honestly be the best I have ever tasted. They were tender and lightly breaded in a homemade concoction of blended herbs and the tartar sauce was incredible. It has just the right amount of flavor with a slight kick that went perfectly with the fish. Okay I was glad to be sharing again. Those fish were awesome.
We could tell that the staff were like family and when talking to Ron about his restaurant he echoed that. His employees are like family to him. We cannot wait to go back and try their other dishes. I for one am a breakfast man so I am excited to hit the No Frills Diner for my next breakfast out. If the breakfast is half as good as the dinner we had, I can’t wait to try it.
Give the No Frills Diner a try for your next meal out. Your taste buds will thank you.