Tucked away on a residential street near Grandview Heights you’ll find the DK Diner. After re-reading some older reviews from Breakfast with Nick and CMH Gourmand, I was excited to check it out and see what the buzz was all about.
The DK in DK Diner stands for Donut Kitchen, which was all that was served before the owners decided to start offering a more robust breakfast and lunch menu. These fried pastry rings are still the main attraction, but the breakfast menu also offers omelets, flapjacks, french toast, breakfast sandwiches and specialty platters. Beverages are self-served, and some come with free refills.
The Glazed Donuts (90 cents each) are offered in a case at the register along with an assortment of other specialties including chocolate donuts, cinnamon-sugar donuts, cream sticks, cinnamon rolls and apple fritters. These donuts are quite dense, slightly chewy, and very yeasty. In other words, they are pretty much perfect. They had a heft to them that was more like a cake donut, but the flavor managed to remain light and airy. The more I ate, the more I loved them, which is a dangerous combination. Quite impressed with the donuts here.
The Hen House ($6.50) is a fairly traditional American breakfast platter, which includes three scrambled eggs, three strips of bacon and serving of home fries. Portions are all pretty ample for the price, and I found little to complain about. The bacon is cooked crispy all-over and has a great smoked flavor. The eggs were a bit flat, and not quite as scrambled or fluffy as I like, but still pretty decent. I really liked the home fries though, as they were cooked to a slight crisp without being completely hardened. All in all a very solid meal. The Hen House also comes with a choice of toast, muffin or a biscuit and I was able to swap that out for another glazed donut. Yum.
The Donut Sandwich ($5) is a bacon (or sausage), egg and cheese sandwich served up on a grilled glazed donut. The strange combination might sound like something you’re more likely to be served at the Ohio State Fair, but I thought that the flavors worked well together. The grilling of the donut provides it with a bit of a toast-like crunch, and the sweetness is a nice contrast to the saltiness of the bacon, egg and cheese. My one complaint is that it is a bit messy to pick up with all 10 fingers and eat, so grab a few extra napkins or be prepared to wash your hands after. There’s also a hamburger version on the lunch menu for $4 if you’re looking for something even more savory.
Overall, the donuts are definitely the star of the show at the DK Diner. Otherwise, the breakfast items are pretty standard all-American fare. Not the most inventive menu, but everything I tried was well prepared. It’s also worth noting that the most expensive item on the breakfast menu clocks in at $7, so you won’t go broke eating at DK either. It’s worth a visit if you’ve never been, and definitely worth stopping for a dozen donuts to go if you’ve got people to impress with a great breakfast treat.
DK Diner is located at 1715 West Third Avenue, adjacent to Grandview Heights. Hours, menus and more information can be found online at www.thedkdiner.com.
