Silver Diner – Affordable & Family-Friendly Place to Dine Out

A week and a half ago I was invited to Silver Diner’s “Blogger Days” to experience their new menu and offerings. You may know the Silver Diner as a popular casual American cuisine diner chain here in the DC area. I remember first dining at the Fair Oaks location over 15 years ago when I was in high school. Today they still have classic diner entrees with other fresh, flavorful dishes created by Chef Ype. Plus, Silver Diner has partnered with local farms to bring fresh ingredients to the table in their campaign: “We buy fresh and local, You eat well!”

I got to sample the Tomato Mozzarella Sandwich ($9.99) made up of fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, pesto, balsamic drizzle. It’s hard to beat a fresh mozz sandwich the balsamic vinaigrette and it’s probably one of my favorite vegetarian options on their menu. Plus I got to try their classic Chicken Tender Platter ($12.99) which features antibiotic- and hormone-free chicken with honey mustard, crispy fries or choice of veggie, vegan slaw with cranberries – one of my favorites!

My daughter got Macaroni & Cheese with a side of strawberries ($4.99) – a tasty favorite dish of hers that was gobbled up quickly!
And of course, we couldn’t resist ending our meal with a classic shake. I ordered the delicious Oreo Cookie Shake ($5.99) and my daughter got the Chocolate Shake. The shakes are huge (a glass full plus extra in a ) I was also impressed to see they have 12 different milkshakes to choose from, even some that are gluten-free, Vegan, or healthier (under 600 calories).

The Silver Diner is a great family-friendly restaurant! If you have never visited or haven’t been lately, it has a classic diner feel, with fun features like your own table-side mini juke box (25-cents per song: Oldies plus some fun theme songs from shows like “The Mickey Mouse Club,” “Spiderman” and more). When you dine at the Silver Diner your kids each get a a cute cardboard Cadillac car and a menu/activity sheet with crayons. Plus most of the locations have special “Kid Nights” each Tuesday from 5pm-8pm which features a different theme & activity/craft.

Here at Beltway Bargain Mom, I like to share restaurants that provide a good bang for your buck, and truly believe Silver Diner fits that bill! You get great food at a reasonable price point. Since you know I love to share deals, here are my top tips to save money at the Silver Diner:

• Sign up for their Eat Well Do Well! Rewards Card – Free to join, this will earn you $5 every 5 visits within 3 calendar months. Plus you get a free entree & dessert on your birthday, and receive exclusive offers & discounts via email. You can also use your EWDW card to pre-load money, with a percentage donated to health & fitness programs at local schools (find a list of participating schools plus how you can enroll your school).
• Sign up your children for the Silver Diner Kid’s Club – Free to join, each child gets a cute Kid’s Club wristband, Free Kid’s Shake with dining in during Kids’ Night. Plus they’ll get a free Kids Entree & Shake Certificate for their birthday (sent in the mail).
• Like Silver Diner on Facebook – Find out about fun contests & exclusive offers by “liking” them on Facebook.
• Follow Silver Diner on Instagram – This spring they had a fun Instagram contest for IG users who took a photo at any Silver Diner, followed @Silver_Diner on IG and then posted their photo & tagged @Silver_Diner. The winner received a $500 gift card! So be on the lookout for fun contests in the future.
• Follow Silver Diner on Twitter – Follow Silver Diner’s tweets to be in the know about promotions, contests, coupons and other SD news.

The Silver Diner has locations in Maryland, Virginia & New Jersey:

• Annapolis, MD (Metro Diner Cafe)
• BWI Airport
• Greenbelt, MD
• Gaithersburg, MD (Lakeforest Mall)
• Laurel, MD
• Rockville, MD
• Clarendon, VA
• Fair Oaks, VA
• Innsbrook, VA
• Merrifield, VA
• Potomac Mills, VA
• Reston, VA
• Springfield, VA
• Tyson’s Corner, VA
• Cherry Hill, NJ

Besides catering to families with kid-friendly menu options, the restaurant is also known for having great Vegan, Vegetarian and Gluten Free options.
I want to hear from you: Have you dined at the Silver Diner lately? If so, give me the dish on your favorite dish.

Disclosure: Beltway Bargain Mom was invited to attend sample the Silver Diner menu during their Blogger Days event, but was not compensated to write this post. The opinions shared in this post are my own (not affected by a free meal, I promise!). I love to share local events, restaurant deals and family-friendly venues, plus fun giveaways for my readers! To read my formal disclosure policy, please click here.