Let me start off by saying, unequivocally, that Starliner Diner in Hilliard has the worst web site on the planet.  It breaks every rule of modern and traditional design including incorporating floating dots that follow your cursor around the screen, using layers to place everything on the page, and forcing visitors to listen to sound effects and music on every page.  The only thing missing from this monstrosity is extensive use of animated clip art and blinking text.

That said, our trip to Starliner Diner earlier this month was more than worth the 3 seconds required to find the address from their offensively designed web presence.  Like their web site, the diner is decorated in a very distinctive style that is some combination of 50's vintage, Applebee's kitsch, and classic dinner. What you might not be able to tell by its appearance is the Cuban flare incorporated into their dishes.  While this was my first breakfast at Starliner Diner, I did eat dinner there several years back and remember being very satisfied with the Pizza Cubana.

We were seated fairly quickly when we arrived at 10:00am on a Saturday morning and were quickly offered menus and drinks.  While the coffee wasn't anything to rave about, it was better than your average diner coffee.  I'm a big fan of anything spicy, so I ordered the Mexican Chorizo omelet and a side of Cuban toast.  I've had many, many omelets with chorizo, but nothing like this.  Instead of the usual crumbled sausage that I expected, this omelet came filled with real shredded pork.  It was honestly the best chorizo omelet I've ever had.  The lone dim spot in the meal was the home fries.  The are the diced variety, and mine came up slightly burned, although not so much that a little extra ketchup and Franks Red Hot couldn't fix.

The omelet wasn't the only item that came looking other than expected; Cameron ordered the huevos rancheros and at first there was a little confusion about the tortillas that usually accompany the dish at other breakfast establishments.  Rather than served up in the expected build-your-own style, Starliner Diner's huevos rancheros are server with the tortillas at the bottom of the pile of ingredients, and you just dig right in.

Finally, the cuban toast: Cameron insisted that we get the cuban toast and with good reason.  Very thick, very crunch, and very delicious. I can't think of a reason I wouldn't get the Cuban toast again, and it went with the rest of the meal perfectly.

While Starliner Diner was a bit of a drive coming from Clintonville, breakfast more than worth the trip.  By the end of the meail everyone was full, the bill wasn't any higher than it should be, and the coffee refills continued until well past the time we finished eating and we were all ready to leave.  If you're in the Hilliard area and in need of a good Cuban breakfast, don't hesitate to stop in at the Starliner Diner.  Just make sure you get the Cuban toast.

Starliner Diner
5240 Cemetary Road
Hilliard, Ohio 43026
(614) 529-1198