The Executive Diner is much like its name: buttoned-down, efficient, competent, and experienced. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t a few colorful surprises on the longtime West Toledo eatery’s menu.

When we say “efficient” we mean fast and focused. Our order on our most-recent lunch visit was up in mere moments, despite a big crowd of diners. And even though the place isn’t that big and always seemed to be packed on our stops, it never felt overcrowded thanks to a simple, classic diner layout. The decor is simple, too, consisting mainly of wood-colored paneling in different shades of brown with sparse adornments.

The menu focuses on lunch and dinner – the restaurant closes at 2 p.m. most days – and the dishes we tried were competent and tasty, right in line with the solid American diner experience on offer. But, even then, there were some unexpected finds on the menu.

The Divorced Eggs ($10.49) – a traditional Mexican breakfast dish – is a popular order at the Executive, according to our server. To be honest, I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to eat it when it first arrived to the table. Over-medium eggs – one bathed in a red salsa, one in a green salsa – came covered in melted cheese and chorizo, with some crunchy home fries on the side. It looked like a lot to take on early in the morning, but it was so good I devoured it all. In fact, it wasn’t too greasy and was among our favorite dishes at the diner.

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Another standout was the Executive Burger ($10.99), which was a fried half-pound patty on a toasted bun with classic toppings: cheese, onions, pickles, and tomato. A good lunch spot should have a good burger, and Executive’s certainly qualities. In fact, the patty was cooked well, juicy, and delicious. It’s just a solid, classic burger with few frills, which seems right on brand for the restaurant as a whole.

We also tried one of the diner’s many lunch wraps – we went with the Chicken Bacon Club ($10.99) – and it was quite tasty and looked good on the plate, cut in half and skewered together so it stood upright next to a pile of fries. The chicken added a pleasant crunch to the salty, savory sandwich. Like most of the dishes we tried, it boasted a classic combination of flavors competently served.

We also stopped by for the traditional VIP breakfast ($9.49), which was good but not great. It’s a classic breakfast, of course: meat, eggs, and potatoes. But the eggs were a bit overcooked for our order, and on this stop, the home fries were noticeably less crispy and soggier than on our other visits. That’s not to say it was unpleasant, just not as consistently good as the rest of our meals.

As mentioned above, there always seemed to be a crowd at the diner, and the staff was friendly and patient despite being busy and on-point. (On one visit, a few diners were disappointed when the dining room closed early that day for cleaning and led us to hurry through the meal a bit.) But it was always clean and comfortable and not-too-harried for such a busy restaurant.

The Executive Diner has been around at Sylvania Avenue and Douglas for many years and has seen multiple visits from Bill of Fare in that time. We’ve always found it to be a solid neighborhood diner with good quality service and food. That certainly hasn’t changed. The restaurant is well-run establishment that focuses on its strengths and can feed a hungry crowd with practiced skill. It’s an easy recommend if you’re looking for a good-value breakfast or lunch in West Toledo.

First Published September 21, 2023, 4:00 a.m.