You Should Eat at Crossroads Diner

Posted on March 3rd, 2011 11:17am by Tim Rogers
Filed under Breakfast, Openings/Closings, Restaurant 101, Restaurant News

Nearly every morning on the way to work, I drive past Crossroads Diner, which I’ve been meaning to visit ever since I read Nancy’s review of the place. This morning, I finally stopped in. And I’m glad I did.

What you see here is a three-egg frittata made with roasted red peppers, goat cheese, and chorizo ($8.95). On the left, that’s hash browns. On the right, if you look closely, you’ll see whole wheat toast. In the near distance, just beyond the whole wheat toast, you can probably make out a cup of coffee ($2.75). All of the forgoing went into my mouth and, from there, into my belly. About that experience I have this to say: I will do it again.

The frittata was fluffy. The eggs were perfectly cooked — firm without being rubbery. The rich, creamy goat cheese worked well with the savory chorizo, which sat in big, satisfying chunks rather tiny rabbit-dropping-size pellets. It’s hard to screw up hash browns; they didn’t.

I have three complaints. First, the service was too attentive. Shortly after my meal alighted on my table, no fewer than three servers asked if my food was to my liking. Once would suffice.

Second, the only spicy condiment they carry is Tabasco sauce. This is Dallas. I’d like a selection. Cholula, please. I’m a fan of Sriracha, too.

Finally, a sign above the door says the maximum occupancy is 231. There were but a dozen diners in Crossroads at 8:30 this morning. It’s a big, airy, comfortable space lit by skylights high above. It begs to be filled with hubbub — conversation about yesterday’s Supreme Court decision, the clinking of cream-stirring spoons against porcelain. The place needs people.

That’s you, friend.

36 comments

  1. Ate there yesterday. Best pancakes I’ve ever had, and I don’t even like pancakes.

    @ 12:17 pm on March 3, 2011

  2. I keep saying I’m going to try the Chicken Piccata, but never get off the breakfast menu page. Delicious.

    @ 12:24 pm on March 3, 2011

  3. The place definitely doesn’t need people on Sundays. Showed up at 10:30 Sunday morning and there was a 45 minute wait.

    @ 12:28 pm on March 3, 2011

  4. Their pulled pork hash is awesome.

    @ 1:01 pm on March 3, 2011

  5. @Sarah Eveans: That is good to hear, indeed. Thanks.

    @ 1:07 pm on March 3, 2011

  6. We are regulars on Sunday – I highly recommend the breakfast skillet with actual house made tortillas, the french toast is awesome, and the breakfast sausage!

    @ 1:15 pm on March 3, 2011

  7. Looks like you cut off the pic of your Shirley Temple.

    @ 1:29 pm on March 3, 2011

  8. I def recommend sticking the breakfast only and the sandwhiches are not too bad. I went there for lunch the other day and ordered the French Onion soup, it had to be straight out of a can and no cheese insight…the salad was pretty blah as well

    @ 1:56 pm on March 3, 2011

  9. Oh and Im guessing they might have a few staffing issues (during the week anyway) we got there at 11.45am, there was a 15-20min wait with plenty of empty tables and the wait was about 25minutes or so and we sat at one of the empty tables we had been staring at for the past 25minutes

    @ 1:59 pm on March 3, 2011

  10. It’d be awesome if you included an address.

    @ 2:03 pm on March 3, 2011

  11. This place is amazing and is in no need of people on any weekend. Both times I have been there they are packed and the food tells you why. The skillet is fantastic!

    @ 2:06 pm on March 3, 2011

  12. We went once, and won’t be back. An hour to get seated, despite plenty of open tables the entire time. Poor service; my coffee was never refilled at all, and we could barely get the attention of the wait staff for anything. The one thing we did finally grab a waitress for was to send back my wife’s disgustingly undercooked eggs. The cinnamon roll was good, but the rest of the experience was awful. We’ll stick to The Mecca.

    @ 2:07 pm on March 3, 2011

  13. [...] to vote for them to be included in our “Best of Big D” issue in August. When I ate at Crossroads Diner this morning, the bill came with a reminder card urging me to vote. But a check-signing [...]

    @ 2:35 pm on March 3, 2011

  14. Lunch is as good as the breakfasts. Great burger and blt. re service – it’s a big space with lots of tables, they will need time to calibrate staffing with demand.

    @ 2:52 pm on March 3, 2011

  15. Love Crossroads for breakfast. I usually order their (best in class) corned beef hash, poached eggs and wheat toast. And serving Illy (brand) coffee is a huge plus!

    @ 3:43 pm on March 3, 2011

  16. “It’s hard to screw up hash browns;”

    Wish that was the truth, Tim. The only place that serves edible hash browns around Lower Greenville is IHOP.

    @ 3:44 pm on March 3, 2011

  17. adkim i thought the same thing. most hash browns are not good

    @ 3:58 pm on March 3, 2011

  18. @overlooked: if you position your cursor over that first blue link above that says “Crossroads Diner”, and click your mouse, it will take you to much more information, including the address, which is

    8121 Walnut Hill Ln. Dallas, TX 75231

    @ 4:01 pm on March 3, 2011

  19. $12 plus tip for breakfast? And it doesn’t even look like a “big” breakfast? Do I just eat at cheap dives or is Crossroads Diner a little pricey for breakfast?

    @ 4:06 pm on March 3, 2011

  20. I’ve found the very best hash browns are at Original House of Pancakes on Eastbound Lemmon Avenue.
    They’re the best I’ve had in Dallas.

    @ 4:44 pm on March 3, 2011

  21. is it really Illy coffee?

    @ 5:55 pm on March 3, 2011

  22. Yes Luniz,they serve Illy.

    @ 6:10 pm on March 3, 2011

  23. Oh ya, It’s Illy for sure.

    @ 7:35 pm on March 3, 2011

  24. if you want real hashbrowns try Petes Cafe on the Addison/Farmers Branch city line. They even ask if you want them with onions.
    And another crazy thing…..they use real potatoes!!! I mean they were a actual potatoe the day you ordered them. A whole new potatoe made into a hash brown potatoe that day. It boggles the mind how many places use frozen potatoes.

    @ 8:02 pm on March 3, 2011

  25. [...] to vote for them to be included in our “Best of Big D” issue in August. When I ate at Crossroads Diner this morning, the bill came with a reminder card urging me to vote. But a check-signing [...]

    @ 8:11 pm on March 3, 2011

  26. I’m there on the reg, once a week for lunch. The soups are the best, and I’m not really into soups. But the corned beef sandwich is amazing, had it yesterday.

    P.s. They need to open upstairs and staff up

    @ 12:27 am on March 4, 2011

  27. Like the hash browns at barbecs near WR Lake.

    @ 1:29 am on March 4, 2011

  28. Is Dan Quayle posing as “Bob” these days?

    @ 7:20 am on March 4, 2011

  29. real hashbrowns!!! winning!!!

    @ 8:04 am on March 4, 2011

  30. JS–Crossroads is pretty cheap for breakfast ($8 or so for entrees). This is almost half the price of Breadwinners, and food is just as good.

    Food at this place is wonderful. However, there service is as bad as the food is good.

    @ 11:04 am on March 4, 2011

  31. Maybe I missed something. We tried it for brunch 2 weeks ago and I wasn’t impressed. The food was average (the cinnamon roll was outstanding). The atmosphere was no better than IHOP and the service was really bad — very slow and our waiter messed up our order. It was definitely priced well but we were underwhelmed.

    @ 6:11 pm on March 4, 2011

  32. I find the service not as bad as it is, indifferent and robotic. But, the food’s the real star here.

    @ 7:14 pm on March 4, 2011

  33. I can’t believe you think that glob on your plate qualifies as hash browns. The hash browns were one of the most disappointing things about my Crossroads Diner experience. We also had inattentive service – maybe they’ve cracked the whip. Everything is fancy/gourmet/tricked up, so it’s interesting that the simplest item on the menu – the cinnamon roll – is universally the most popular. Overall, it’s a bit pricey. It’s good for what it is, a yuppie breakfast place. Prefer more of a greasy spoon, but that’s just me.

    @ 9:05 pm on March 4, 2011

  34. I guess I prefer my spoon with less grease on it. But, that’s just me.

    @ 10:07 pm on March 5, 2011

  35. I went after I read the review on D by Nancy. And, I was completely disappointed and will not be back. The cinnamon roll was good, except for the dry edges without any sauce. The grits looked and tasted like over-cooked watered rice. The biscuits were dry and inedible. The eggs were ok, but not worth the wait. The chicken fried chicken was served with different items than mentioned on the menu. And, the veggies they sent out with them were undercooked and bland. I went in with great expectations after the review in D, and couldn’t get over the fact that I seemed to have the opposite experience.

    @ 12:19 pm on March 7, 2011

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    @ 4:16 am on March 9, 2011