Location: Bristol
Top Restaurants in Bristol
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Most Popular Diner food in Bristol, Tennessee, United States
Best Diner restaurants nearby. Discover the best Diner food in Bristol. View Menus, Photos and Reviews for Diner restaurants near you.. Bristol is a city in Sullivan County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 26,702 at the 2010 census. It is the twin city of Bristol, Virginia, which lies directly across the state line between Tennessee and Virginia. The boundary between the two cities is also the state line, which runs along State Street in their common downtown district. Bristol is a principal city of the Kingsport−Bristol−Bristol, TN-VA Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is a component of the Johnson City−Kingsport−Bristol, TN-VA Combined Statistical Area − commonly known as the "Tri-Cities" region.
Things to do in Bristol
1. Burger Bar
Overall Ratings
4 based on 301 reviews
Reviewed By Lucky1inVA
We were there for lunch during our visit to the "Birthplace of Country Music Museum" (which I thoroughly recommend). The atmosphere is nostalgic as you would imagine. There was a crowd with people waiting for seating to become available. The food was good enough to rate an above average rating. HOWEVER, what completely tainted the experience was the waitress' attempt to short change us. (If the owner or a manager reads this and care's enough to pursue it, our receipt number (which I still have) is JB3U, Table Booth 2, 12:21 pm). The restaurant has a policy to charge extra if you use a credit card, which is fine since it is stated upfront and I understand the economics of a merchant credit card discount fee charged by the credit card companies. I paid with a $100 bill. The waitress gave me an excessive amount of $1 bills in the change which normally would be okay but can be a "red flag". I counted my change. It was exactly $5 short. I can understand a mistake as everyone makes one occasionally. However, the waitress's behavior afterwards let us know it was no mistake. She saw I was counting the change and exhibited an "oh, crap" look on her face and quickly looked away. Then I tried to get her attention for several minutes while she completely ignored me even while turning towards the customers. I finally had to go up and tap her on the shoulder to get her to acknowledge me. I explained to her that she had shorted me $5. I then told her to just keep that as it was her gratuity. I am a fourth generation business owner and would not tolerate an employee attempting to pull that on one of my customers. I am not sure why the Burger Bar management does. Next time, we will try the lunch counter across the street at the "pawn shop" on State Street as it was highly recommended as well.
2. The Old Lighthouse Diner
Overall Ratings
4 based on 107 reviews
Reviewed By NEMO I
Ordered breakfast to go & haven't been back since - never will!! Over $20 for 2 breakfasts without beverages & one so filled with raw onions it was inedible! YUCK!!!When a customers request for raw onions is made, we make sure we give onions, if your complaint is onions then why didn't speak to me, Angelo, that way we can correct the issue on the spot, why wait and complain, what does that fix, it doesn't satisfy you nor me? Or when you saw the food at register, and looked, said all is well! :)I like to respond to those who feel, they had a bad experience after they leave and post something negative, why is that?, are you afraid of speaking to a server or me at that. We normally like to make it right. So which is it I should believe, your late posting, or telling us at the register, everything was great? Couldn't have been bad cause either you threw away the $20 for two to eat, or you just want me to beg you to come back to hustle me again. Your past contributions to trip adviser are not good enough for anyone, so your ratings as a contributor is 5 from tripadvisor. AngeloOh, almost forgot, in my area alone there is more than enough eateries to satisfy the hungry of hungriest! Good Luck, finding the perfect eatery to your expectations and ratings!!
Where to eat American food in Bristol: The Best Restaurants and Bars
3. Broad Street on State Retro Diner
Overall Ratings
4 based on 23 reviews
Locally owned Diner Since 2013. The Oldest Retro Diner in Downtown Bristol Since 1920 and is the ONLY Iconic F.W. Woolworth's Lunch Counter in the Tri-Cities! Specializing in Homemade Goodness with All American Favorites & Southern Home-Style Cooking -- H
Reviewed By daisyferret1
We noticed this little lunch counter pop up a couple years back inside the Uncle Sam's. It really looked interesting. However, we never seemed to pass through Bristol at the right time to be able to grab lunch here. This summer as we were traveling down I-81, we noticed that we would actually be passing through Bristol, TN around lunchtime. SO, we made it a point to grab lunch at this lunch countr restaurant. It is one of the original iconic 1950's F.W. Woolworth's Lunch Counter's that has re-opened as the Broad Street on State Retro Diner!!Inside we were greeted and told to grab a seat wherever we liked. In addition to the 45 foot long lunch counter, they do have 3 booths and a couple tables. They also had a few patio sets right out on the sidewalk on State Street. We chose to sit at one of the booths across from the lunch counter. Our waitress was around rather quickly to take our order. We chose a cheeseburger, a hot dog, a kid's cheeseburger meal and a kid's hot dog meal. We also ordered a chocolate milkshake. Kid's meals came with option of a small bag of chips or strawberry applesauce. We got one of each. Adult sandwiches I believe were served with chips, but for a small fee you could upgrade to fries, which I did. While we waited, we played checkers at the booth. There is a game board built into the table & a jar of checkers on the tabletop! This was great to keep the kids entertained.After about 15 minutes, our meals were coming out of the open-air kitchen (behind the lunch counter). Everything looked good. Burgers were juicy and very tasty. They were cooked perfectly. Hot dogs were enjoyed as well. Their hot dogs are 100% BEEF and Gluten-Free. Fries were just OK. They taste like frozen crinkle cut fries. I wish they made fresh cut fries here. Shakes were excellent & hand spun. We watched (and heard) our waitress make our shake at the ice cream counter. We enjoyed the chocolate shake so much that we ordered a strawberry shake to go! Overall, we had a good experience with Broad Street on State Retro Diner. Our food was pretty good. Service was fairly fast and friendly. Prices were decent. Atmosphere was casual and relaxed. It is a step back in time to the 1950's! It seemed clean. However, you could detect an odor inside this 1920's building. The air in here smelled a bit stale, as is common in many OLD buildings. There is a single restroom on location (inside the Uncle Sam's) for paying customers. Over all we had a good lunch here & enjoyed the experience of actually getting to dine inside one of the old fashioned lunch counters. Not sure how many of these remain, so we were glad we finally got have lunch here. Bottom Line: Good Burgers and dogs at a classic Lunch Counter! Would recommend. It is worth the experience.
4. Meme's Diner
Reviewed By marmorehouse
When you step through the door you will be pleasantly surprised. The decor is very clean and charming. We went for breakfast and were met with a menu filled with traditional offerings as well as local favorites.
5. Burgerim
Reviewed By judithb325
OMG! I am not. a burger person! But Burgerim has changed that! Big time! Their veggie burger is exquisite! Never had a better one! Never! I have tried many! Each burger comes with fries and a drink. There are many varieties of burger. Many beef types, veggie, turkey, chicken, salmon & more. I like my veggie, California style! So good! My hubby likes turkey burgers & he enjoyed it! BUT, he liked the lamb burger even more! The fries,chip slice, are fresh & great,no salt on them, but you can choose seasonings or toppings! We love them plain. The restaurant is a chain, so check it out in other areas, we will! New to our area! We visited it twice within 3 days & are looking forward to taking our son when he visits from Tampa for Thanksgiving! Any superlatives seem pale! I, now, enjoy a burger! Thank you, Burgerim!!!
