The Ankeny Diner

Found the Ankeny Diner while on Yelp and this place was phenomenal. Located right next to our stellar Quality Inn hotel (not really), the Ankeny Diner is only a stone throw away. When we got there, it was a little misleading; the "Open" neon sign was off, the window blinds were all closed, and we thought we weren't getting dinner tonight. Pleasantly, the door was open, and you go down a long hallway. Hang a left, where there is a blue neon sign, that leads to another door. There's a giant gum-ball machine in front, near the register and a vintage Coke machine on the right. The place has a lot of character. In regards to their menu, they have a huge variety of foods, you would expect from a diner. They have of course breakfast items like french toast, pancakes, and waffles, to name a few, to sandwiches, pastas, salads, shakes/malts, and hamburgers. I got the grilled blackened chicken, which was a chicken breast patty, a small roll, and steam veggies. The chicken breast was topped with cheese and the order came with a side, which I picked fries. The chicken was cooked well, not too dry, and was seasoned really good. Overall, delicious. The fam loved their food too. My oldest got the grilled cheese burger, which were two grilled cheeses, sandwiching a meat patty, with thousand island sauce on the side. It was probably one of the best burger/sandwich I had. The bread was nice and buttery and the meat was cooked to a perfect "medium". Phenomenal. Waitstaff was great, especially considering that they seemed to be short-staffed, but everyone was patient and kind. A really great dining experience!

This place is amazing. I eat here almost every day since I discovered it. Every time I go I get something new off the menu, and every time I love it. I know I'm posting a picture of my grilled cheeseburger but I don't know what's in that jalapeno sauce they make for their chicken tenders that makes it soooooo goood but oh wow.

My daughter recommended this place, so we thought we’d give it a try. Our server Liz was very helpful and pleasant. The hot roast beef sandwich and potatoes was excellent. I just can’t figure out how some people could give this place a one or 2 stars. The cooks & help are bound to have a bad day every now and then, but not a one or two star. Will come back again. Oh and by the way their hot fudge malt was excellent!! Would have added a photo of the meal, but polished it off pretty fast.

Excellent service. They were having issues with one of their grills the day we were there, so several normal breakfast items were unavailable. The food was very good and prices were very reasonable. Would recommend.