No :-( Jennifer's review (Apr 30th 2006)

First off, Knight’s Diner is in Hillyard. Unless your spouse works at the community college, you live in Hillyard, or you’re in the mood to hijack a bus, the neighborhood probably isn’t on your daily commute. But eating at Knight’s, at least once, should be on every local’s to do list. Honestly, the food is far from great, but going to the landmark northside diner seems part of our civic duty. Knight’s Diner has probably done more to create a sense of community and continuity than any other restaurant in the neighborhood. And naturally, part of Knight’s charm resides in the converted 1906 Pullman Railcar housing the small diner.

Behind the narrow counter, running the entire length of the railcar, lies the rest of Knight’s charm. An aging waitress barks orders at the new blood. A dishwasher lifts trays way above his head as he squeezes by two cooks furiously scrambling eggs, frying hashbrowns, and flipping silver dollar pancakes. And a mysterious ascotted man moves from the cash register to the washing station to the gravy pot. In the ten minutes it takes to wait for a plate of old fashioned diner food, the denim-clad staff provides quite the show. There is an Paul Thomas Anderson movie just waiting to be written here.
This Project Spokane post is part of an ongoing series.

No :-( Remi's review (Apr 13th 2006)

Why a diner in a train car is called “Knight’s Diner” remains a mystery to my puny brain.

The one good thing about eating in an old train car—and I do not count claustrophobia as a good thing—is that it’s vaguely reminiscent of the dinner scene with Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint in North by Northwest. And that’s fun for about five seconds, after which the novelty wears off.

Ambiance, while a bonus when it works, does not make up for sub-par food, and that is Knight’s Diner’s downfall. The food just isn’t very good. I usually quite enjoy a standard greasy diner breakfast, which while not amazingly challenging, is usually high on flavors. At Knight’s Diner, however, there is a whole lot more grease than flavor, and you come out of with that queasy feeling excessive amounts of grease gives you. Food that makes you sick, I would contend, is not good. It wasn’t like I was eating anything outside of the ordinary either, just some eggs and bacon.

Come to think of it though, I can’t help but wonder if the food was only partially to blame for my negative experience and queasiness. We were seated facing the place were dishes are rinsed before they are washed, which is not a pretty scene. I might have been imagining this, but I’m pretty sure I could smell the combination of leftovers, soap, and stale coffee coming from that general direction. Not good, and it certainly detracts from ambiance of the train car.

There are many good breakfast places in town, and by reputation Knight’s Diner is considered one of the best. I can’t support that notion myself, unless you really really want to eat in a train car that’s stuck on the ground. In which case you’ll probably not care too much about the food anyway.

No :-( Dan's review (Feb 3rd 2007)

I was not impressed by Knight’s Diner. The food was mediocre at best and the dining area was cramped at best.

Yes :-) Emily's review (Jun 7th 2007)

I may be biased, since I was practically raised sitting at the counter at Knight’s, but I think they make some of the better hashbrowns around: thin and crispy, not basically raw potatoes sitting in grease. Even if the food is standard diner fare, it’s worth going for the experience. The waitress, who still knows recognizes my entire family although we’ve long since moved out of the neighborhood, is friendly and chatty and it’s a lot of fun to watch the food being cooked, and to observe the grizzled regulars who know to get there early to avoid long waits.

Yes :-) Denise Pauling's review (Jan 5th 2008)

When was the last time you went out for breakfast?
Did you go for the food??????? Did you go for frozen hash browns? Wake up and smell the the bacon. Knight’s has the best in town: Helooooo? The hash browns are made from scratch (steamed fresh everyday)....where have you been eating? Mc Donalds? You need to eat some real food! Enjoy Knight’s where real food is served daily!!!!!!!!!!

Yes :-) barman's review (Mar 10th 2008)

Sunday AM. Too much whiskey to face Rice Krispies. The solution: Breakfast.

Knights. Cramped? Yes, you may note you’re in a railcar. My companion has an a la carte moment: “I want eggs, over medium, not runny, potatoes, not too brown, with little hotcakes and huckleberries, not blueberries, bigger than silver dollar, but not real big….toast, well maybe one piece, and a ….” My former frycook head is about to explode.

Our server? Cool, calm, charming, without being cloying. My coffee is not great, but it is hot, and my cup cannot get half empty before the old-school china gets refilled. I give a succinct account of my desire: links and eggs, etc.

Breakfast arrives: my companions’ Dow Jones 500, and my straight order, done right, (Frank: Onions are fried, not steamed…get it?) coffee hot, eggs perfect, links, that most-oft ruined breakfast meat, is perfect.

The place: clean and well ordered. The staff: great, though some say a bit too much singing for some tastes. The railcar historic pictures and things are charming.

If Hillyard bothers you, Applebees is still on 29th. For the rest of us, Knights is a champ.

A good neighborhood bar, only its a diner. Perfect.

No :-( Old Ned's review (Mar 21st 2008)

Where do i begin:

1.) They have counter seating only and seriously cramped, unless you like to play kneezys with a perfect stranger. If you don’t enjoy the smell of chemicals from the dishwasher at the far end of the counter you can wait to catch a stool close to the entrance… better leave your coat on though!

2.) Service comes with an attitude, probably cause they are just as cramped as you are. There is no on/off switch for the off key singing and bad slap stick.

3.) Food is so ordinary it really doesn’t deserve mention… except maybe the gravy. its instant and incredibly bad.

Bottomline: There are many, many better places in Spokane you can go for a great breakfast, don’t waste your time or your money!

No :-( liz's review (Sep 29th 2008)

ok, i have been going to knights since i was a bump, and then had to be held while my parents did their version of chow hounding at knights when it was on division. The food was great, so not now… we went over the weekend and the browns are greasy and not brown, they are black and just plain nasty.

The onions i had on mine were NOT fried, they were steamed and while our waitstaff was truly on the ball, there is only so much that you can do with shoddy product.

The gravy, once the best thing to ever some out of knights, has sadly been thinned down and is truly the most disgusting thing i have ever put in my mouth.

I am going to hazard a guess and say that the regular staff that has been there forever has left. The owner is not the easiest person to work for, she has a habit of “barking” orders to her staff and that they finally got tired of it all and walked. The day that i was there, there was a younger crew there that was looking rather harried and fed up.

Mary the cook is no longer there and the inexperienced cook seemed out of his depth.

in closing, save your cash, go somewhere else.

Yes :-) Shar's review (Sep 4th 2008)

It’s interesting how people seem to refer to “Hillyard” as a negative thing. For one thing, Knights Diner is not in Hillyard, Hillyard is approximately 2 or 3 miles north on Market. Plus I went there, and it ain’t so negative…it’s full of antique stores.

Back to Knights – Knights is more near Illinois and closer to the Gonzaga district. The original Knights Diner WAS in the Gonzaga District on Division, and was frequented by many Gonzaga students of old. Of which some of our friends parents were such students. I am new to Spokane. I am from out of state. And yes, I live near Knights. No its not Laddy-Da land of South Hill, but I do believe…being from out of state, that where Knights is located is a “freaking gold mine” area…pardon the Austin Powers-ish quote.

Now to get to the restaurant itself…. if I wasn’t so dang busy, I’d have been at Knights every weekend since I got here in July! Knights is a fantastic place, the owner Vickie is a joy to have present, and Mary the cook is another joy to meet. There was no singing, nor as another reviewer said “attitude”. What attitude? Knights owner & workers seem to me to be FAMILY. Even if they’re not related, this is a true family atmosphere. As for the food, the Hash is divine! And although the breakfast choices are few, they are also wonderful – and the coffee is free flowing, and the comradarie is wonderful. Although I moved 2000 miles to get to Spokane, I felt I found family comforts when I first came to Knights…and every chance me and my husband get, we will return.