Route 42 Diner & Dairy Bar

Reviews

• Jennifer F.

  star star star star star_border 2 June 2026

  The family and I were in the mood for diner food, so we went a little out of our way to give this place a try. 2 burgers and a chili cheese dog later, we were stuffed! The burgers are creative and huge. The footlong hot dog was everything I needed from a hot dog. All were served with a large pile of what I imagine are handcut fries (skin on, super fresh tasting).
  
  We originally went into this with the intention of indulging donuts or a sundae for dessert, but we were all way too full. Luckily they didn't bring us a dessert menu. My daughter still insisted on a scoop of ice cream on the way out, so we went over to the Dairy Bar section. It's part of the restaurant but also operates as a standalone shop.
  
  Good customer service in both the diner and the dairy bar. Cute atmosphere. Decent prices. Delicious food - not gourmet, but really good for a diner. We will return!

• Lauren H.

  star star star star star_border 30 May 2026

  Yesterday, my mom and I were coming back from a doctors appointment in Chatham, and we were ready to have lunch. She suggested Route 42, because not only is it a Windsor Staple, it's one of her favourite places to eat, so of course I said yes, and I haven't been here since I moved back to Windsor back in October, so we went in around noon, and we were greeted and seated within minutes.
  
  My mom knew what she wanted but I didn't, so I needed a few minutes to look at the menu. They have a wide selection of options for diner style food. I went with the Greek Chicken wrap with no olives and sweet potato fries instead of regular fries. Our waitress was friendly, and I was so hungry, but it took about 15 minutes and our food was hot, and out at our table.
  
  The music was playing tunes from the 1950's, the decor was nostalgic of that era as well, giving it an old classic diner feel, and our food was delicious. My mom commented on how she thinks they have one of the best burgers in town, and my wrap was delicious, the chicken wasn't dry at all and the veggies crunchy and my sweet potato fries were hot! The dipping sauce was really good, I wish I could've had more.
  
  So excited to be back in Windsor and be able to eat out at classic Windsor staples, like this one. This is one of those restaurants you come back to, to become a regular at. Next time I'll take my boyfriend and we can come for breakfast.

• Rupa S.

  star star star star star 30 May 2026

  I came in just for shakes and donuts for dine in.  Desserts get a five star. Fabulous service, so friendly. We were attended to right away on a busy Saturday night. Love the vibe, so retro. The decor is great with the patterned tiles. They had this retro Christmas music too- perfection!
  
  The shakes were sooooooo good (smores, creme brûlée) and the pink ladies float (cream soda and ice cream) was also great. They even gave us the can of cream soda so we could pour more.
  
  Great attentive service, and the waitresses were so accommodating and friendly. Highly recommend coming here for a nice dessert and shake!
  
  The waitress raved about the apple crumble- we will be back for that next!

• Jay M.

  star star_border star_border star_border star_border 28 May 2026

  The food at Route 42 used be decent. I went last week and everything has changed. Everything appeared to have come  out of a box of frozen crap. What happened? The waiter was pleasant  but the middle aged red head that was working the register decided to not say a word to us as we paid, instead she turned at one point and passed gas rather loudly. It was the perfect ending to a very sub par meal. The was the last time I will bring my family there.

• Alina B.

  star star star star_border star_border 15 May 2026

  Has nice atmosphere and great service, everyone is  super nice and food is on time :) Last time I got their classic burger and it was very nice and the bun had some garlic spread on it, I also got a classic strawberry milkshake and it was good but nothing special, just tasted like regular ice cream.
  
  Today I got the Buffalo Chicken with Mac n Cheese but I got extra cheese on it because originally it's very saucy and the extra cheese on top makes it a bit more sticky which is nice and I got the Chicken on the side because it was very hot and I didn't feel it would go with it.
  
  We also got the sweet potato fries which were amazing! 10/10 and the mini cinnamon donuts they were so airy and rich in flavour