V J’s Diner Restaurant

Breakfast was very reasonably priced with typical diner style preparation. Corned Beef Hash was probably canned. The professional service brought my rating up.

Visiting the area in our RV, staying for a couple of weeks at the Lebanon Reservoir Campground and had to do our laundry next door. We had to wait for machines, so we randomly went to the place next door.
It’s actually a little confusing because the sign mounted on a pole, roadside calls the place Magro’s and on the building it’s VJ’s Diner.
I asked the waitress and she explained the Owners last name is Magro and the purchased a banquet hall in town with the same name. The restaurant cooks are the same, so the owner wants the brand to be the same. Makes sence, but take down the VJs off the building please.
Ok, once inside we were promptly seated by a hostess and promptly greater at our table by our waitress — the only one working.
Drinks came quickly followed by a discussion of the menu and lunch specials.
Food was all cooked to order. Portions were huge and very tasty.
Is this a 5 Star Dining experience compared to some of the fancy places in the region. No. It’s a diner that serves good food with pretty incredible service that was also helpful to a pair of out of town visitors and very friendly. For what it is, it is a 5 star diner that you should check out… just come hungry!

Ate here twice. For lunch the food was all good. Chicken wings good. Only bad thing service was super slow and it wasn’t that busy. The same night we came back. It was super busy, had a great waitress. Very attentive. Ordered desserts and they were awesome. Would go back!

Don’t bother. We ate here 2 times while in Hamilton
For a family reunion. With lots of open tables, our group of. 8 were seated
Inches from the salad bar. (That immediately told me that
we were dealing with ametuers.) we moved our table
a few inches…
Most items were frozen/​fried but the eggplant parm
though undercooked wasn’t bad. (though our server never put my order in do it came
When everyone else was finishing)
salad bar was ice berg lettuce, some creamy sides
and not much else. (again, this is upstate NY, but come
on, its a college town, cant we do better ?’)
On a second visit we came for breakfast. The place
was busy and we were seated in a downstIrs alcove
for our large party of 12. I had poached eggs which
were fine (its pretty difficult to screw up poached eggs–
But it has been done) Service, well barely existent was slooow
To start. ANd once served our waitress never reappeared.
When i took it upon myself to find our server to get a second cup of coffee ‚
She informed me. «its not gonna happen for a while, some folks
Havent gotten their first.»
Rumor was that SEVERAL servers called in sick.
However, i did notice that their coffee maker was a SINGLE POT
Brewing!!! This is a restaurant, nor someones house!
So if you are from. «outside,» and know what good food tadtes like (never mind
Good service), i would strongly urge you to skip it.
Unfortunately, there arent really many alternTives in
Hamilton. And the college (colgate) was recently voted, «most scenic campus in America!»

Went here recently. They’ve changed their name — its no longer VJ’s and it is primarily Italian fare. The service was really ‘diner’-esque, gruff staff that will get you your order «when they get around to it» so I suspect it matters a lot who waits on you as to what your dining experience is going to be like. It probably also matters when you go and who is cooking. We waited about 1 hour for our food, which I thought was quite a long time, and wait staff never apologized for a wait nor gave us an ETA on when it would be ready. The place was mostly empty except for a large (10 person or so) party in the back room, which must have gotten all of the attention, because we didn’t get it. Other diners looked pissed and were looking around for wait staff, which should have been our first clue to walk out… we didn’t. We ordered, which did not seem to be a complex order by any stretch of the imagination. Refills on drinks we had to pester for, and apparently when you’re ignored don’t have the fortitude to ask other servers for help because they will not wait on you at all. The food itself was not bad, I would say it compares to the Olive Garden, so it is more like non authentic Italian. My main problem with this place other than the service was that when we got home, all of us had terrible stomachaches from the food. We did not get food poisoning, but we are all sick with stomach ailments. So your mileage may vary, but we won’t be back. Not worth the lackluster service and time in the bathroom, indeed.
PS– it may have been that it took an hour to get our food because what looked like the whole of the staff were out back smoking and relaxing. I understand people get breaks but it looked like darn near everyone and there were diners inside/​they were open. Where’s the owner in all of this?

VJ’s is an interesting diner — menu is mostly italian food and a long list of hot and cold sandwiches. I go here pretty regularly with my family and it’s a running joke that you should order something you want to eat twice — the portions are huge.
I have enjoyed everything I’ve tried so far, the pizza is good, calzones are delicious and huge (and you get to choose the fillings, I hate when you can’t select your own), eggplant parm is delicous, the reuben sandwich wasn’t anything to rave about, but good.
We always have good service here, and it’s pretty quick too, prices are reasonable and well worth the portions.