B+ | Nice community diner that has much history and good calibre food. Outside seating wasnt available , even due to the pandemic and we could tell chicken was going to be a mission for the staff with an hour left before closing. The steak and eggs was great as a breakfast and the hotcakes (pancakes) were more on the fluffy side. Objectively this is a cool staple for this community and gives a decent experience.

The service was a little slow but they warned us. Times are tough, and finding good help is difficult so I get it. We ordered an appetizer to off set the prep time of our main meals. That came out quick and we were happy. When we finally got our food it was fantastic! Well worth the wait! Their menu has a lot of variety, the portions were huge and the flavor was on point. I dont know why I waited so long to try this place. They do it right!

Hope Valley Diner has recently remodeled. Its a nostalgic combination of old and new decor. The table, chairs and wall bench seat which stretches the left wall as you enter is a modern rendition of 1940s, 1950s and early 1960s style. They play some old music to match which is relaxing for the digestive system.I have observed people of all ages and walks of life dining in. This week I observed a grandmother along with an approximate 5 yr. old girl and a Great Pyrenees dog dining at a table outside the front of the restaurant enjoying the pleasant morning weather.I observed multiple groups of seniors dining in and I found it humorous that a group of six was dining at the corner of bench seat and wall and within 15 minutes after they left another group which entered separately over a course of about 5 minutes and numbering 5 in group used the same table.There is an old saying and I quote slow down and you will have a more harmonious outcome.At Hope Valley Diner, you have a more harmonious outcome, and one reason is that the cooks are able to not rush with preparing your food rendering better quality prepared food and flavor that should be.They can prepare the food quicker to go as I have observed Postal service employees coming in from the Post Office next door picking up their food to go.R. Markham

Food was great!! Had the patty melt.....very yummy!!

I had a breakfast meal, and I thought it was very good. The turkey sausage was very tasty. I just ate it with the eggs, instead of separately, and that made up for the lack of a salt shaker on the table.My friend had the quiche, and she was disappointed because it seemed to have been microwaved. She said the flavor was good but the texture left something to be desired.

Good food and service but breakfast portions dont seem super generous and prices are up a little.They serve Pepsi products for anyone interested. One improvement would be larger cups for drinks. They use tiny ones and have to refill constantly.

Best French Toast. Waitress wasnt the best or friendliness. I wouldnt want to sit in her section again.

The food is good, its basic diner fare. The service however is lack luster. The owner/host pulling his mask down to make jokes and relying on a minimal amount of servers to run the tables. We had to ask for our check 2 times after sitting for 90 min for a very basic breakfast. When we asked the host/owner the second time his reply was I didnt know you asked abd I dont know what you had not particularly kind or helpful.

Im from Maryland and I love crab cakes and this place has the best in NC .. PLEASE DONT CHANGE LEAVE THEM AS THEY ARE I LOVE THEM 😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍😍

Quality diner food! Nothing fancy, this place is solid at the basics. Great friendly service and outside seating too!

We had a 50th birthday party at the venue. Hope Valley Diner is a wonderful place to have events, formal or semi-formal or special gatherings. The food was excellent, the park was great and the staff was wonderful.

Nice, comfortable, & relaxing atmosphere. Great customer service & the food was great.

I went here today for the first time. The fries were good, turnip greens were good, and the teriyaki wings were good. My friend had carrot souffle and turnip greens with fried chicken. The food was fresh and hot. It was delivery so, the food was still hot after a 15 minute ride home. It was so good I will be back. The sweet tea was real good!

My breakfast was hot not warm. I had eggs turkey sausage, hashbrown and a large pancake I couldnt eat it all.

Had breakfast with family here in Mother’s Day. They never disappoint. Great food. ConsistentGood value

I would definitely go back our server was very beautiful with her short hair cut and her service was amazing!! We also loved the old fashioned southern food!!

The food here is amazing. There are so many sides to choose from. Everything is made with quality ingrediants. I have yet to have something i didnt like. Home cooked food similar to, or better than your mom made back when everything was made with a pinch of love. Dont miss out on this hidden gem.

I have used Hope Valleys catering services for several years now and I am NEVER disappointed! They are courteous, professional and their food is AMAZING! My favorite go-to is their baked potato & salad bar. You can add variety with sweet potatoes and/or soup. Its all fresh & delicious and the best part: their reasonable prices! Its comparable to fast food/chain restaurants yet made with fresh ingredients and much more healthy without the additives. Hope Valley is a must try if youre on the fence.

Hope Valley Diner is the perfect place to eat. Friendly staffamdma bunch of the best local friends. Dinner is always good. The menu is straight forward withnthembeat meals. You will love stopping in for a meal.

Family friendly. Nice staff. Good food

Always a pleasure to eat here. Theyre really responsible with covid-19, but I still only do takeout. Great with that too! A true Durham institution.

So nice to be back after a year of COVID. I love this place.

The food is good but I can’t stand the blond haired lady with the short.She’s rude, and is always answering the phone as if she’s assisting 40 customers, she immediately places you on hold and comes back with a sense of urgency to get off the phone.

Hope Valley catered our daughters wedding on Saturday and it was wonderful. The food was just as we wanted, and all delicious. The staff was neat, courteous, pleasant to work with, helpful and accommodating to all our requests. They were punctual and very professional. Thank you for contributing to making our childrens wedding day a great celebration.

My boyfriend really liked his Ruben but my vegetable soup was really bland. Service was quick and waiter was friendly.

On this day 11/09/2020 ...in this entire huge sams club parking lot, your driver decides to park inches away from my vehicle and leave me with literally about 2 inches clearance to open my hatch and load my groceries. 👎🏾 Your driver needs to learn how to park.

Great service, a good variety of dishes and the quality was awesome. I had the grilled cheese - chili combo and it was so much good I took half the sandwich home. It made a good breakfast.

The spanish omlet is my favorite. The service is wonderful.

This was my first time at the diner as a friend had raved about how excellent the food was here. So today I decided to go. The woman taking orders for take out was RUDE with attitude as though I was a bother. I requested my hamburger steak very well extremely well done.My companion asked her what flavors were their cakes today she refused to answer another lady replied carrot, chocolate and something else. She would look past you when she was taking the order. We pay go outside to wait for order come back and she is going to ask whether or not we paid for REAL!!Finally get home and my hamburger steak is not even eatable unless I re-cook it myself. I cut into it and it was raw inside. Unbelievable...did not even cook to requested order. The vegetables were good but Customer Service means a lot and based on the other reviews its just not me having a bad day its the establishment front staff.

Picked up brunch from Rick’s, I mean Hope Valley Diner, today and it was soooooo delicious! They have really upped their game, even though it’s always been high quality. Great grab-n-go experience! Everyone in our diverse eater group got something they really enjoyed, and the staff was great!

The food is pretty good and the service is decent. They are incredibly fast for the quality of food which is always good. If you need a quick bite but want something slightly upscale this may be the place for you. Id lean towards three and a half stars over the three. While theres nothing about it that makes it really pop in my mind, including the food, theres something to be said for better than average food at better-than-average prices.

How was it? We wouldnt know. We asked for an outside table (there were several outside). We were told its too hot outside for us and theres a storm coming. Nevermind that we were the ones that would be sitting outside, it was 78 degrees outside, and the tables were covered. We went elsewhere, where we happily sat outside (apparently it wasnt too hot for their waitstaff) and got a few raindrops. I mean, ok fine in normal circumstances. But not all of us are okay eating inside at a restaurant where almost all the tables are full in the middle of a worldwide pandemic.

Had Hope Valley Diner for a luncheon today. It was absolutely DELICIOUS ! Cant wait to eat their food again !

1st time here. Great food! Mac and cheese was baked to perfection! I will be back! Thank you for the ice cream with my apples!

I found this restaurant in a search for catering and a banquet hall for my family reunion this past week. I live in a different state, so all of the arrangements were made by phone or email. Lynn, the manager was so helpful and patient with my ever changing needs based on budget. The catering for the cookout was efficient, delicious and well-serviced thanks to Lynn, Brad and Chef Andy. We were late due to a flat tire and Lynn even volunteered to pick us up. The burgers were especially a big hit. The banquet hall is a beautiful intimate room that has a separate entrance from the main restaurant. Again, Lynn was there to greet us and support our questions and needs. The waitresses Brittany, Kelly and Brad were pleasant at all times and helpful, especially with the elderly family members. The fried chicken was amazing as well as the mac and cheese. The desserts were fresh and delicious. I can only say great things about this restaurant. Thank you for making the 2019 Bishop Family Reunion a success!

Called to place an order to go, An extremely rude, unprofessional individual answered the phone. I asked a simple question about a side was told there are too many sides to be assisted. Placed on hold instantly. I honestly drove an additional 20 minutes to take my business else where. This has not been the first time with poor quality service and food. Do not recommend and will not return.

I just left there today they were short staff but you would have never known the gentleman and lady serving waiting on tables were amazing very professional and you could tell they were tired but still gave you excellent service never once did they complain and the people waited to be served we just as patient thats a good sign of a great place to work and eat . I tip my 🎩👒 to you 🥂🥂

I enjoy eating at the diner. I split an appetizer of their fried oysters with a friend, and the oysters tasted fresh and sweet. The batter was crunchy, which I liked. I hang an omelette for my main course, and it was okay...I like fluffier omelettes, but the filling was good as well as the biscuit. My friend had a steak and baked potato which she said was good, and it was a good-sized portion. The waiter made a fresh pot of coffee for me, and kept our beverages filled. They serve breakfast all day, and have a good selection of hot and cold sandwiches, plus the staples of diner food, like meatloaf, chicken and dumplings, Mac and cheese, and a kids menu. They often have a fruit cobbler on the dessert list, and those are homemade and are even better served warm with a scoop of ice cream. Its a wide menu, if you want some diner food. Lots of regulars are in there, so that says a lot about a place.

Excellent fresh home cooking and service.

If you are black they will ignore you. Literally got fussed out for asking why I was not being responded to. Wrong orders, no refills.

Coffee is strong. Grits are good. Blts are superb. Great all around, a hidden gem in durham

Food and service are a cut above typical diner. Vegetables are freshly prepared, it seems, good desserts, chalk board menu with daily specials.

Very yummy breakfast... Coffee was really good. Service was excellent.

Great food, great service. The crab cakes are the bomb. I just wish they offered those potatoes from the catering menu.

Food and service is soooooo good!

I went to the diner for brunch. Breakfast is served all day they told me. I wasnt in the mood for eggs. That was not an issue for them. I could order a variety of lunch items. I decided to keep it simple. I ordered a chicken salad sandwich on a croissant with homemade chips. It was delicious and I could hardly eat it all. The serving was substantial. I also recommend the crab cakes. Being from MD I was pleasantly surprised and impressed with their flavor and no filler.

Probably my 5th visit. Food has been very good every time.

The Waitresses here are as delicious as the food

Great food

Excellent food!

I would give the food 5 stars, but the service is so bad that Im only giving them 3 stars. The food is very good and its why I keep going back, but they seriously need to retrain the staff. They are not very friendly, so slow to bring out the food, and they dont listen to your requests. Every time. Today might have been the last straw for me. Im not sure if Im going back there again.

Great food in a casual setting.

Unfortunately, our experience was pretty bad. Ordered the bacon and cheddar quiche... 20 minutes later when our waitress delivered my husband’s food, she informed me that they were out of the bacon quiche, so I ordered the sausage instead. 20 minutes later-after my husband had waited for 10 minutes and then started to eat his own meal because it was getting cold, I get delivered a quiche that was obviously microwaved. The crazy part is that this meal was a slice of quiche, an already made muffin and fruit... the fact that I had to wait even 5 minutes for this meal is ridiculous, let alone 40 minutes! Never did we get asked if we wanted more coffee, or if we needed anything and she charged me for my meal. If the quiche tasted good, I may change my mind, but it did not. It was dry, burnt on the bottom, and not worth it at all. My husband’s omelet was good, but we will not be returning.

Tonight I got the chicken quarter with the wing (still attached to the breast). Didnt care for it!

Walked in, told to read the menu and sit wherever wed like. All the tables were dirty but we picked the least dirty and sat down. A few minutes later the waitress came over and said we are closing at 2pm (even though the door said 3pm) and that the kitchen was already mostly closed. We got up and left and then realized it was only 1:30 so she just didnt want to work any more. So much for trying to support small business during the pandemic.

Food is great. Value is great. Only true diner I could find in the area. Needs to clean up a bit. Change the plastic black table covers. Not good. But this is about food. So 5 stars.

I eat here often. A few nights ago my friend and I came in for dinner and had Katherine serve us. She was fantastic. So personable and fun. We really enjoyed our experience. Shes a great server and a cool lady.Now the hostess is another story. No clue how she is still employed. She must have something on the owner. Literally the rudest person Ive seen in an eating establishment.

Hubby and I came for lunch in the rush during the week. It was busy but the staff was really nice. The food was tasty. Southern Comfort at its finest.

Excellent food along with excellent service!

Nice family type of place with reasonable prices. Great big menu of home cooking. Simple, but very well done, with really friendly and attentive service. No, its not for a special event type of night, but its a great place for a middle of the week dinner, or a quick bite whenever.Good food joint. Period.

Flaky and unprofessional. I tried to coorespond through email about setting up a tasting for my wedding. The process began back in April, we had very spotty response time, if any response at all, with emails. They asked for days that we could come in, we responded with availability, and then hear nothing back. After a couple email follow ups (all from our end, never theirs) and not hearing anything I almost gave up until I decided to reach back out ONE more time in September and actually got decent response back, even talked with someone on the phone within a couple days. We set up a date finally for our tasting for the end of October, even though it was a pain to find days that worked for both them and us. HOWEVER a day before our tasting we get an email from the manager requesting we cancel our appointment (after trying for at least five months)because the catering liaison is out sick and I guess not a single other person is capable of handling a consultation? we were trying to be understanding even though very disappointed, because people get sick and we were assured rescheduling would be put at top priority when the employee returned. That was three weeks ago and have not heard anything. We are giving up because honestly if this flaky coordination of wedding catering is how things are run, we do not want to take any chances of dealing with a company like this for our wedding and then end up with no food for our guests come the day of. We should have given up after the unprofessional ignoring of our first emails back in April and May instead of wasting more time. If you want someones business, dont ignore them or cancel on then and then not reach back out to correct it.

Breakfast, lunch or dinner- you never go wrong here. Well established, neighborhood-feeling cafe. Friendly service, consistently great food. Feels like home. Great prices and generous portions. Try a dessert!

Really comfortable place! Lots of locals Friendly staff, good food. Very broad menu with much to choose from. Good options for breakfast, lunch & also dinner.

Great place to eat

I enjoyed their breakfast. Very small and usually busy in the morning. To-go orders take a little longer than expected. But overall a quiet place to meet with someone to chat.

Crispy bacon and great service

This diner deserves ZERO star! This wasn’t my first visit to the diner but by far my worse and LAST VISIT. I came to the diner with a family from out of town and bragged on how good the diner was. But today was a horrible experience. Food was great but the service was really POOR! We ordered but when we got our food one order was completely wrong. And instead of the waitress apologizing she became very RUDE! Snatched the plate back and when she brought the correct order said you’re “Welcome” very rudely. And the manager Casey wasn’t any better when we made a complaint. No one came to refill our drinks or to come get the check and money. I had to walk up to find someone to pay for my food I will not be back!

The breakfast food is delicious. Havent tried their other food but will soon. Nice atmosphere. Wait staff is attentive. Highly recommend!

Well, the food is always good, but their customer service is a little off if you catch my drift. Some people get a lovely greeting and smiles, tables wiped. This lady wiped every table except ours. When they get busy they dont come around as much. Seems like the elderly get treated really well. I mean, not that the shouldnt, but how about everyone. I will continue to go because the southern food rocks. I wish they would upgrade the inside. The chairs are rickety andTtttttttT old. They are too close together for my liking.

Great place and great food. The owner, Debbie specializes in very good and quality food at a fair price. Everything that we had was excellent and well-prepared.I highly recommend the restaurant as well as the catering part of the business. I have used it several times and everything has always been wonderful. You will be pleased with your service and food.

I am a semi- regular at the diner for 5 years now, coming in usually about 6-7 times a year. Food was good. Waitress was very nice. However, hostess was awful and ruined the experience (not sure of her name but she was a middle aged African American woman). I walked in and she hollered from across the entire dining room for me to say “you’re going to sit here” without any kind of welcome or greeting. She proceeded to slam the menu on the table with attitude and never and quickly walk away. I got my good quick from my waitress and it was good. As I was halfway through eating, hostess shouted at the waiter “give him his check, I am trying to get him out of here to get the next party seated.” Hostess then proceeds to go get my bill before I was even close to eating and ask me for my payment and say “we have people waiting behind you so I need you to get up as soon as you can”. What happened to hospitality? I spend a total of about 10 minutes in the restaurant from the time I walked in, was rudely seated at my table, received my food, and then was rushed though eating and paying my bill by this horrible hostess. Meanwhile, there are plenty of other table that are open in the dining room and only about 3 people waiting to be seated. I can honestly say I have never been pushed out of a restaurant until now. It was unexpected, especiallyGiven that there were plenty of open tables. From the time I walked in I experienced the hostess’ attitude and she ruined the experience. If you ever want to attract repeat customers, get rid of the hostess ASAP because she ruins all the good stuff about the HV diner.

Perhaps my favorite place for a local breakfast meeting. Best guest? My daughter, Kathryn. We still call it Rickys Diner. Excellent food and Excellent service.

Not up to its usual standards. Fried oysters appetizer was delicious with a perfectly crunchy outside.Beet salad was also good. However the steak Diane sauce was bland. The pork chops, usually thick and outstanding, were thin and overcooked. Very disappointing to my companion. Hope this was just an off-night for the kitchen staff.

Delicious food! Our group had steak, salmon, meatloaf and spaghetti. All meals were prepared perfectly. We came in one half hour before closing and still got amazing service.

Try the western omelette

Seems like theres not enough servers because it takes too long on drink refills and getting the check to the table. Servers have a tendency to hang out in the kitchen. The food is good. Breakfast is the best. Supper is a meat and three-type fare.

I’ve been here often. The food is great, service is good depending on the waiter you get. The only problem I have is that every time I come I have to ask for utensils! Why is that!! Then the host doesn’t apologize and acts as if I’ve done something wrong.

Love the food at this eatery. A first time experience wasnt good for one of our guest when the order was warm and not prepared as requested. It was busy, and the manager replaced her meal with something else. Im a regular and will continue to eat here.

Soo good. Southern breakfast, lunch, and dinner cuisine! Fried chicken made to order. Salisbury steak! Amazing sides like broccoli &rice casserole & the best macaroni & cheese! Most importantly the prices are great!

Had the big breakfast. It ws very good and lots of food. Great staff.

They have a great menu with a wide selection of food to choose from. They also serve alcohol and cake. Cant go wrong with alcohol and cake...

It was great to find some home cooking and not another chain restaurant. Our waitress told us that everything is homemade. I enjoyed the fried flounder that I ordered. I was excited to see they had fried green tomatoes as a side dish! They reminded me of the ones my Grandma used to make. I also had broccoli salad as a side, and it was delicious. It is the first time I had chopped tomatoes in it. It was so good that the next time I make it at home, I will include the tomatoes too!

Love these people!

Classic diner mixed with a deli. Super friendly staff that really knew how to talk to our daughter. She basically loved our waitress.Everyone really liked their food, which was impressive since I had country ham while my wife had grilled scallops. They have a large array of kids options, and my daughter went with pan-fried shrimp. Well definitely be going back here, weve been spreading the word among our friends.

Just had wonderful breakfast omelets sitting outside on a lovely day. We both got the Greek Omelet and they were more than happy to accommodate dietary restrictions (whites only) and other additions/changes. The omelets and hash browns were delicious. The fruit side was a standard mix, but very fresh and sweet. Overall, a good find for a Saturday exploring Durham.

Really great place to get really great comfort food whether youre in the mood for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. They also have some of the best friend banana peppers I have ever had. It is a smaller restaurant, so keep in mind you will be waiting a little during peak times, but it is worth it

This was my first time to eating at this Diner. I had one of the best Spanish omelettes I have ever had. It had flavor which tells me they season the egg before they cooked it and they even saute the onions and chillies and green peppers before they put it in the omelet. So good I ate it all I never finish a whole omelet, and the Belgian waffle was so light but crunchy youre just going to have to try it. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I will be back cuz theres so many other things I want to try, yall just going to have to take my word for it yummy!!

Great experience. Food was really,good and waitress was helpful and polite. Good price and quality price.

Ive been coming here regularly for the better part of 5 years now. My service has always been excellent and my food has always tasted great. I would highly recommend this establishment to anyone looking for a good meal. Whatever your tastes, you will find something to love.

Food is home made.. Very good and good variety. Staff is very friendly 😊 and helpful.

Great steak breakfast

This was our third visit for breakfast and the food has been great every time, and I highly recommend the home fries (think they may be among the best I have ever had). Also the was exceptional today, Lisa took great care of us.

Rude, unprofessional manager. Server was a darling. Breakfast was good. Due to the manager wont ever return there!

Food was Great. But, the service is very slow. If you are in a hurry or only have a short lunch time, you should not come here. Everyone is always friendly and Great Food.

Its Mothers Day- breakfast was ordered. It smells and looks good. But no syrup for pancakes and waffles. Cashier asked about cutlery only. Very disappointed.

Quiet spot with a wide breadth or breakfast and lunch options. My biscuits and gravy came out cold but I plan on giving them another chance.Update: second experience was better on customer services. Food is just not well prepared or served at a made-to-order temp.

I love this place and its food. Curbside pickup worked well.

A wonderful place to eat ran by great people. I work nearby and we always go to Ricks for a quick lunch to bring back to the office. The are accommodating with our large order and NEVER forget anything. They even remember extra condiments! Great food at a great price. Their grilled cheese is to die for.

I have been coming here for over 20 years. The only reason I go back at all is the food. Service is abysmal. Walked out last night after sitting 15 minutes after hostess seated us with no acknowledgement whatsoever. I have had many similar service experiences here. Debbie, if you are going to have a restaurant, you need to provide service, otherwise just close the doors and focus on the catering. The service is shameful.

Great little diner....That has delicious food and nice and friendly wait staff! This is a little place off the beaten path, with good prices and a nice selection of comfort/country cooking options. They also have large cakes to choose from if you have got a hankering for your sweet tooth :)