The phrase "a small diner" is correct and usable in written English.
You can use it to describe a modest-sized restaurant, typically one that serves simple meals and has a casual atmosphere.
Example: "After a long day of sightseeing, we decided to grab dinner at a small diner down the street that had great reviews."
Alternatives: "a cozy eatery" or "a little café".
There was nowhere to wait but a small diner nearby.
Sometimes on these nights I might go into a small diner or coffee shop.
I heard Institute Professor Robert M. Solow tell a relevant anecdote about a small diner on a remote country road.
Mrs. Acuña operates a small diner with a bare concrete floor where the mothers hold many of their meetings.
S. Truett Cathy, the founder, is an 89-year-old, Harley-riding Southern Baptist who opened a small diner near the Atlanta airport 1946.
By contrast, in Katonah, the Blue Dolphin Ristorante, a small diner with long waiting lines of return customers, also hosts celebrations, but the ambience is informal.
The fourth building that was once part of the market stretches the full block from Broome to Delancey Streets and stands vacant except for a street-front liquor store and small diner.
The books a President buys might be as influenced by political calculation as his "enjoyment" of lunch at a small town diner or a round of skeet shooting.
Then, in 2002, they made a big move: With $50,000 — most of their savings — they bought a small Greek diner in East Harlem in Manhattan, their first attempt at business ownership.
Later, Alberto explains to Marcus, as they sit outside a small dusty diner, how the land they are watching has changed hands many times over the years.
If you are still at the deli in Michael Sharp's puzzle from yesterday (you forgot to take a ticket, didn't you?), 1 Down is SLICEABLE, and I loved the clue "Small diner location?" for HIGH CHAIR.
