A Local Favorite On Par With Skyway Jack’s And Metro Diner
St. Petersburg, Florida USA
Cuisine Style: American, Diner
Average Price: $
Overall Rating: 1/5
Dined in: August 2018
By Sean Overpeck (CFE)
**A full article and index glossary of restaurants, wines, recipes and travel for
Wine Dine and Play are in the pages section above, or by following these links:
Trip’s Diner Zomato rating:
When you walk through the front door of Trip’s Diner in St Petersburg on a weekend expect to wait for a table. As you do, look around the walls and see vintage black-and-white photos of St Pete and other parts of Florida. Owner Gordon Stevenson named Trip’s after his triplets Libby, Will, and John, opening the Diner in 2012. Like his triplets, there are now three Trip’s locations with the others in Seminole and Tampa. Trip’s is a down to Earth diner serving classic American fare and comfort foods.
Menu:
- Breakfast Platters
- Omelets
- Breakfast Specialties
- Pancakes, French Toast, and Waffles
- Sides
- Appetizers
- Salads
- Soups
- Burgers and Chicken
- Specialty Sandwiches and Combos
- Meat and Fish
- Kids
- Desserts
From omelet specials to build your own classics, Benedict’s, sandwiches and more, they give an alternative to classic St. Petersburg Diners like Skyway Jack’s and the Florida chain restaurant Metro Diner. My wife had the BST sandwich with thick cuts of bacon, spinach, and fried green tomatoes which you can have on your choice of white, wheat, rye, or sourdough, finished with a spread of basil mayonnaise. The sandwich was neatly presented not with too much fan fair as some restaurants do, mentioning again that this a casual place, and not the Ritz. My wife also got a cup of tomato soup to go with the sandwich.
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| Trip's Diner / BST Sandwich |
There were many selections that I was torn between from the Mr. Crabs omelet, and don’t let the name deceive as for the spinach, asiago cheese and tomato pair great with the jumbo lump crab meat. The breakfast Cuban was a little twist on the traditional recipe with no mustard or pickles with the addition of some salami and then the normal pork, ham, Swiss cheese plus mayo and scrambled eggs pressed in the panini. In the end, I stayed old fashioned with a choice form their egg platters that included your choice of either Home fries, grits, cheese Grits, or fruit.
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| Trip's Diner / Egg Platter |
The server also recommends the pancakes saying they were the best and biggest in town. I will agree that they were big and rightly called the ‘hub cakes’ as they were the size of a hubcap, but honestly, I had better pancakes elsewhere. I will have to say that the grits were very tasty and they can give Skyway jacks a run for their money and a little grit cook-off in the future.
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| Trip's Diner / Hub Cakes |
If you're not in the mood for a breakfast, then like any other American diner there was a wide variety of lunch and dinner choices to select from with the shrimp and grits or the patty melt catching my eye.
Please see these guidelines for Tipping in Restaurants and on following proper etiquette, customs, cultures, and avoiding assumptions when you dine out.
Other noteworthy Diner articles and restaurants similar to Trip’s diner:
A diner is a small fast food restaurant that was created in 1872 in the Northeastern United States, and now has locations throughout the Midwest, as well as in other parts of the US, Canada, and parts of Western Europe. Diners offer a wide range of foods, mostly American cuisine, and have a casual atmosphere, a long counter with bar stools where patrons eat their meals, and late operating hours.
Mad Fish A casual Gourmet American Cuisine restaurant in a Retro-Style Diner in St Pete Beach, Florida
Metro Diner Local diner chain with classic American breakfast and Lunch; reviewed in St. Petersburg, Florida
Skyway Jacks Restaurant A local breakfast dive named after the Skyway Bridge in St. Petersburg, Florida
Stella’s Restaurant Southern-inspired comfort eats and diner in Gulfport, Florida
Waffle House A Southern 24/7 breakfast chain known for their hash browns, based in Atlanta, Georgia
See the whole list by visiting “The Wine Dine and Play Article Glossary”
Other St. Petersburg restaurants, and articles on Wine Dine and Play:
|
Modern Italian and Southern
St. Petersburg, Florida, USA
|
Family owned Italian with great pizza
St. Petersburg, Florida, USA
|
Laid-back dockside spot for global eats
St. Petersburg, Florida, USA
|
A few Florida restaurant favorites:
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Exploring the restaurant scene on this 7-mile long Gulf barrier island
Anna Maria Island Florida, USA
|
Casual curries of North & South with Buffet
Brandon, Florida USA
|
Contemporary Twist on American favorites
Palm Beach, Florida, USA
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See the whole list by visiting “The Wine Dine and Play Article Glossary by country”
Final notes, review basics, observations, and more pictures:
Most reviews are subjective, depending on the writer; but they should also be responsible, and respectfully written, upholding the truth, and accurately conveying the experience to the best of the writer's knowledge, even if it includes metaphors the restaurant may not like to read about. My ratings are by the stars I award (from 0 to 5). The rating is calculated on a point accumulation of six separate factors based on individual experience. They include wine and other beverage selections, plate presentation, customer service, restaurant or café ambiance, food quality, and wow factor. To see more details of this rating list, read this article:
Overall from this experience and the score factors outlined in the ‘about page’ section, based on my individual experience and rating, I give Trip’s diner a 1 out of 5 stars, meaning that they were an average dining experience like most restaurants.
Scores are detailed in the factor chart below:
Formula Factor Conclusions and Overall Ratings for Trip’s diner
|
Max Points Possible:
|
Total Points Awarded:
|
Total Points deducted:
|
Ambiance
|
11
|
10
|
1
|
Food quality
|
10
|
6
|
4
|
Plate presentation
|
11
|
6
|
5
|
Customer service
|
10
|
8
|
2
|
Alcohol and other beverages
|
0
|
0
|
0
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Total regular points awarded
|
42
|
30
|
12
|
Total percentage — less the Bonus
|
0.714285714285714
| ||
“Wow” factor BONUS
|
5
|
0
|
0
|
Total bonus percentage
|
0
| ||
Total percentage and bonus for a final star rating
|
0.714285714285714
| ||
Stars Awarded (see chart below)
|
0 - 5
|
1
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**A full break down and explanation of the observations and point disbursement is available in the linked article above. To receive a detailed copy of your score, feel free to contact me at any time and I will provide it to you.**
***
Overall Star Rating:
|
1 of 5 Stars:
71% Rating with a 0 point “wow” bonus
An Average Dining Experience
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Restaurant style:
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Casual dining
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Cuisine Style at Trip’s Diner:
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American
Allergen or dietary accommodations:
Low Carb Choices, Pescatarian, Vegetarian Options
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Reservations:
|
Not Required
Walk-Ins:
Accepted, but not guaranteed
|
Dress code:
|
Casual attire
It’s Florida, everybody wear’s flip-flops!
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Child policy:
|
The Restaurants reviewed on this site may have a kids menu or cater to them; however, for full enjoyment of food and wine, it is recommended that kids not to be in attendance, unless they have been trained in proper etiquette.
If not then:
Hire a Babysitter!
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Trip’s Diner Experiences:
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Hole-in-the-wall, Intimate, Tourist grabber, and a Neighborhood Gem.
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Payments:
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Cash, Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express
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Parking:
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Trip’s Diner has a private lot
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Wifi
|
The restaurants reviewed on this site may have Wi-Fi, but do not require you to go online, because the excitement of the food and wine alone will keep you too entertained instead of checking your social media and emails.
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Noise level:
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Medium
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Smoking:
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Trip’s Diner is a non-smoking restaurant
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Patio or terrace:
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No
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Food Prices
(excludes, alcohol, taxes & 20% gratuity’s)
$£€¥ - Under 50.00 (inexpensive)
$£€¥ x 2 - 51.00- 99.00 (moderate)
$£€¥ x 3 - Over 100.00 (pricey)
$£€¥ x 4 - Over 200.00 (expensive)
$£€¥ x 5 - Over 400.00 (very expensive)
**Currencies reflect the world’s major travelers, restaurant, or wine connoisseur’s**
Currency:
|
Price
|
United States Dollar (USD)
|
$
|
Great Britain Pound Sterling (GBP)
|
£
|
Canadian Dollar (CAN)
|
$$
|
Chinese Yuan (CNY)
|
¥¥¥
|
European Union (EUR)
|
€
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Trip’s Diner:
2339 Martin Luther King Jr St N.
St. Petersburg, FL 33704
Contact Information:
Restaurant website:
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Maître d or host:
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+1 727-498-8980
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Serving hours:
Eastern Standard Time
(GMT, Zulu, or UTC - 5:00)
|
Mon - Fri
6:00 am - 9:00 pm
Saturday
7:00 am - 9:00 pm
Sunday
7:00 am - 3:00 pm
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Social Media
And
Accolades for Trip’s Diner:
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****
The worlds best restaurants is a subjective list of who is writing it and changes on a regular basis. The Wine Dine and Play best experiences are based on my highest rated stared restaurants, meaning that the visit was an outstanding or extraordinary experience. From cafés, chains, mom + pops, hole in the walls, to fine dining including a few Michelin spots. Visit the Top 100 page to see the entire list.
A few to tease you with…
|
Rustic New American Fare
St. Petersburg, Florida, USA
|
Contemporary, African-French Tasting Journey
Franschhoek, South Africa
|
Haute Gastronomique French restaurant & bistro
Bordeaux, France
|
Other Trip’s Diner Pictures:
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| Breakfast at Trip's |
“Culinary perfection consists not in doing extraordinary things,
But in doing ordinary things extraordinarily well.”
-Angelique Arnauld (1591-1661)
Who is John Galt?
TTFN
