Where: DJ’s Diner (Best Western Windsor Inn), 12210 Biscayne Boulevard, Miami.
What $15 Gets You: A Mexican-style burger, fries, mozzarella sticks, and a drink.
DJ’s Diner at the Best Western Windsor Inn on 12210 Biscayne Boulevard is easy to overlook as most people are usually speeding by on that street. The space is clearly marked with a white and green sign, but the inn itself overshadows the small diner.
The place was empty when we walked in, but my friend theorized that we may have just missed the lunch crowd. It was a bit foreboding to be the only ones in the restaurant but the staff was friendly enough.
Looking at the menu I was surprised to see a fair amount of Chinese food mixed in with staple American foods like hamburgers. Since I desired a burger at the time, being further enticed by a sign that says Angus beef burgers on the window, I ordered a Mexican-style burger. It’s a cheeseburger with jalapenos but it sounded delicious. Now, I wasn’t expecting a fast food-sized burger but when the waitress brought out my plate I was salivating at the amount of beef on the bun. I could barely touch the fries after I finished with the burger, and there was a big heap of them as well on my plate. The burger was spicy, as I expected it to be, but it was so subtle that I only noticed it after I began drinking a lot more water.
I asked for my burger to be cooked well-done, and unlike in some other places where well done usually means to burn the beef into charcoal, the meat was juicy and tender. I also ordered some mozzarella sticks the waitress brought over while they were still piping hot.
I was surprised with the quick service; it took less than 30 minutes from the time we ordered to when we were stuffing our faces. That’s always a big plus for those who usually only have an hour to eat.
It feels as if the inn is intruding upon the diner – two arcade machines inhabit a corner of the place and a small TV hung right near the door. This doesn’t detract from the atmosphere but I can only imagine children going insane at the Mortal Kombat machine during the busy hours. In hind sight, I’m glad that we were the only ones in the restaurant.
Final Verdict: I recommend DJ’s Diner. The food is not only plentiful but quite good. The service is quick and friendly. My only qualm was that they were out of potato skins, but it’s a minor inconvenience that I’m willing to overlook. If you’re zooming by Biscayne and in the mood for a good burger you should stop by. -- Elvis Ramirez
