Cindy’s Diner

I had heard so much about this place I just had to try it. I will never go back. It is obvious that unless you are a regular you get ignored. The staff is too busy talking, the service was terrible. The worst part was the staff handling food with their hands, handling cash, eating and drinking while making your order!

The atmosphere is very nice, it’s kinda cramped, but it’s a diner so that’s to be expected. The food was awesome, I had the Bacon Cheeseburger and it was delicious, the fries were good too. I’m going to come back soon, that’s for sure!

Cindy’s has been physically relocated several times since 1952. The latest incarnations offers good solid diner food at reasonable prices. Service is prompt.
I had the cheeseburger, fries, coleslaw and a bottomless cup of coffee. It was very good.
Seating is limited to 15 side by side seats at the counter. You are cozy with your neighbor, however nobody seems to mind. In fact this is, for me, part of the attraction. The ritual enjoyment of «breaking bread» in close proximity of friends, family or just plain good folk all works just right at Cindy’s.

The diner atmosphere is the bright spot here. It is a fun place to visit for a historical diner experience. The menu is pretty standard old school. My daughter and I ordered the trash, a mixture of potato, egg, ham with a side of toast. It was basically a mooshed together clump of everything in a mashed potato-​like pile. No distinction between the ingredients and the ham pieces barely visible. Was okay, Nothing exceptional. My hubby ordered the corned beef hash. Understand, my hubby is a person who is not picky at all. He will eat just about anything! He was also extremely hungry at the time. The corned beef he received was absolutely inedible! It was clearly straight out of a can, spread out over the flattop grill, and left there to burn… black! I am surprised that the waitress would even set it down in front of him. It was a slab of black served next to the two eggs on his plate. He said that, besides being severely burned, it was inedible salty. He left it on his plate. He is not a complainer, so he just ate his eggs and didn’t say anything. The waitress took his plate away without even questioning. Now that we have had the diner experience and seen the décor, I see no reason to return here again.

We were looking for a good breakfast place while passing through Fort Wayne and happened upon this little gem. It’s a cute, very small diner seating 15 people. The staff is very friendly. Their donuts are amazing! Had their french toast which is delicious.

I don’t normally write reviews, I went to the diner after finding out it was close to my hotel. I liked the diner and the waitress inside was very nice. However, the person who was cooking the food, did not wear gloves, not a big deal, but handled the food after, wiping her hands on her pants, drinking her coffee, texting on her phone, and doing who knows what else and I never saw her wash them once when I was there. Previously working in the food industry this just bothered me quite a bit.

This was our first visit as new residents of Fort Wayne. We will definitely be back. The food was good, but it was the old style diner atmosphere that won us over. It felt like eating with family with all of the regulars chatting with staff. It gave the place a very homey feel.

Amazing nostalgia in this place. Any local business doing it right this like this is great to see. Food honestly is average. But the feel you have in there is amazing.

So. I do have to say this off the bat: if you’re a person on the larger side (and I am), Cindy’s Diner is not comfy. The stools are über close to the counter and also close together so wedging in can be a little awkward + uncomfortable once you are seated.
The food was pretty okay, though not so good that I would return in spite of what I just said about the comfort. They burn the bacon (I cannot abide burnt bacon so that was a bummer). Everything else is fairly standard diner fare.
If you’re into quirky eateries, and you don’t mind being crowded into a tiny place, you will love Cindy’s.

Haven’t been in a while so I thought I might take the family there for breakfast this morning. It used to be that when people showed up, if there was an empty seat beside you, you moved down to make room. You sit, you talk, you eat, then when you’re done you go so others could fit in. Not now. While a family of three waited outside, two women sat there next to the empty corner seat talking with empty coffee cups and a check in front of them for the whole time we were there. Same with other seats. All it would have taken was for someone to move down. We had to wait for like 15 minutes because of the same thing.
Then on top of that, we sat there waiting for our order, got part of it, then waited for another 15 minutes for the rest. The short haired girl who took over cooking when the older guy (John, I think?) retired told me «Well I have to get these people next» and when I mentioned they came in after we did she snapped at me «Well that ticket is first so it gets cooked first.»
We left and drove through Burger King on the way home. I used to love going to that place. For a while we went every Saturday morning. It became a family thing. I think I’ll pass now…

Went here on a recommendation from a friend. Ended up getting the morning special i believe it was called. Price is very fair, was about 6 $ for 2 pieces of french toast, an egg and 2 sausage patties. Food was very good tasting as well. Not too many seats available but its a small diner, what can you expect! Ill come back when I am back in town.

Fast friendly service, fresh coffee, and an excellent family based staff. Best breakfast spot in town.

There are 4 «historic eateries» in the Fort: Coney Island hot dogs, The Oyster Bar, Power Burgers and Cindi’s diner. Garbage is what everybody orders. The rest is a little above average diner items but the atmosphere is fantastic! it’s tiny so sometimes its hard to find a spot. Super cool!

This place is great! I went Sunday and actually got a seat inside. I felt pretty special because it only fits 15 people so I got lucky. There are a few tables outside where you can eat but you still need to go inside to order. I played some music on the personal jukebox in front of where I sat. That was fun!

First restaurant I ate at when I moved to Fort Wayne and will probably be my last. Wonderful midwest hospitality (far different from southern). I recommend their famous «garbage» for breakfast. Now I’m not a breakfast person at all and I absolutely love their «garbage» which is pretty much a ton of cheese, onions, bacon (mmmmmhmmm bacon), and eggs probably more stuff.

This was the first breakfast place I tried in Fort Wayne. It was very tiny and cramped. The typical diner counter experience. I ordered the corned beef hash and eggs with toast. It was really greasy, but that’s how corned beef hash is LOL…
I would like to try other places around town, as I just don’t care bumping elbows LITERALLY with people while I eat. Nevermind the fact that I’m a lefty so I go against the elbow-​bumping grain.
if it were bigger, and if the menu were more expansive, I would probably try it again.

Great food. Great service. Cool diner in general. The food is fixed in the grill right in front of you. John does some amazing work in a 3 ft space. The doughnuts are awesome as well. They can serve the whole world, 15 seats at a time.

I love Cindy’s Diner! Ryan, Angie, and John are always friendly and even seem to remember what I like to eat even though I’m only in once a month or so. The atmosphere is every bit as good as the food (I’ve never had one bad meal here). The only con is that the nostalgic cozy atmosphere is a double edged sword — it only seats about 15 people so sometimes there’s a (cold) wait outside. Try the «Garbage» for breakfast