NYC Diners: Which is your favorite?

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I like the Deluxe on Broadway and 114th up by Columbia. Thirties furniture, good bar and excellent grilled cheese.

Also the Court Square by PS1 in Queens. Greek run great baclava and other sticky pastries, kebabs and suchlike are good too.

― Ed (dali), Saturday, 23 November 2002 11:54 (twenty-three years ago)

There's one right off the subway on the N/R Broadway stop in Queens that I think is tops.

― Ally (mlescaut), Saturday, 23 November 2002 12:14 (twenty-three years ago)

grr! I want a chocolate malt.

― Ed (dali), Saturday, 23 November 2002 12:16 (twenty-three years ago)

Tom's Restaurant (the one on Washington Ave in Prospect Heights, not the stop on the New York City Sitcom Locations Tour). Old Greek-run place that was a pre-game favorite of Dodgers players in the day. Excellent food, particularly the french toast, first rate cherry-lime rickey. I like that they bring around bowls of quartered oranges and iced cookies while you wait for your food. Besides the fact that Gus won't open the place on Sunday, the only problem I have had with the place was the coffee served in glass mugs, but last time I went, my coffee came in a slightly more insulated stoneware cup.

A few years ago, there was a little counter on Lydig Avenue in the Bronx that made the greatest egg cream I've ever had. Seeing as the egg cream is so simple (selzer plus milk plus Fox's U Bet choco syrup) I'm not quite sure how one could be so good. Maybe it was the selzer. Unfortunately, that lunch counter closed, gone with nearly the entire Jewish population of Pelham Parkway.

― Benjamin, Saturday, 23 November 2002 14:30 (twenty-three years ago)

Ben isn't Tom's Restaurant "Tom's Diner" from the Suzanne Vega song? i too love that place. Saturdays find the line quite long, though like you said they make up for it with their unerring hospitality to those waiting... the atmosphere is unbeatable and they have great donuts

My favorite "regular" spot is Eisenberg's. I guess I love to get barked at by old Jewish men who refer to rye bread as "whiskey" and split pea soup as "bowl of pee". Watch your elbows, cause it's narrower than a boxcar in there. Hope in your heart that someday they clean the mirror behind the counter. They've got the only tuna melt you can depend on (= tuna thoroughly heated through to the very center; cheese actually melted on top).

There was a place on Coney Island just to the left of the B and D subway exit that served the most phenomenal egg creams for SIXTY CENTS EACH but the last time I went I couldn't find it?! Has the reconstruction madness that's enveloped the place swallowed this hallowed memory of mine?

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Saturday, 23 November 2002 16:31 (twenty-three years ago)

granted, i didn't see many but my favorite was veselka. stingy lulu's also ok, may have been influenced by number of cute waitresses

― ron (ron), Saturday, 23 November 2002 16:44 (twenty-three years ago)

Veselka is ace. I prefer Mike's, because it's around the corner.

― jm, Saturday, 23 November 2002 17:52 (twenty-three years ago)

Can someone suggest a malt additive I can get my hands on in the UK to go in a homemade chocolate malt.

― Ed (dali), Saturday, 23 November 2002 18:33 (twenty-three years ago)

horlicks?

― mark s (mark s), Saturday, 23 November 2002 18:34 (twenty-three years ago)

I liked Veselka so much I bought a Love Slav t-shirt.

There was this one other diner I went to, near Washington Square I think, where I was trying to enjoy my turkey burger...and then all of the staff started line-dancing and singing along with "Staying Alive" right in front of me. It was very, very creepy.

― Sean Carruthers (SeanC), Saturday, 23 November 2002 18:39 (twenty-three years ago)

I have been telling Ed this ALL AFTERNOON Mark, as I AM THE LAW when it comes to the malt/shake thing.

You need only a heaped spoonful of malt powder in a chocolate malt which makes buying jar of Horlicks a massive pain in the arse.

― suzy (suzy), Saturday, 23 November 2002 18:41 (twenty-three years ago)

veselka=best, because of the raspberry pancakes, full stop.

― amy (amy), Saturday, 23 November 2002 19:18 (twenty-three years ago)

But then you have malt powder for life.

That stuff doesn't go bad, except for maybe in a geological time sense.

― Benjamin, Saturday, 23 November 2002 19:48 (twenty-three years ago)

the greek one on broadway between 37th and 39th (roughly...i forget) that i ate at every weekend.

― jess (dubplatestyle), Saturday, 23 November 2002 19:53 (twenty-three years ago)

Is Chat n' Chew still open?

― Aaron A., Saturday, 23 November 2002 20:14 (twenty-three years ago)

I went to a very tastey whole in the wall near the Fort Hamilton Parkway stop on the N line.

― brg30 (brg30), Saturday, 23 November 2002 21:34 (twenty-three years ago)

Dear god, how badly did I misread that initially...

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Saturday, 23 November 2002 21:37 (twenty-three years ago)

The king of all New York City diners is and will always be the Neptune Diner in Astoria.

Props to Veselka and the Bendix as well.

― Jody Beth Rosen (Jody Beth Rosen), Saturday, 23 November 2002 21:41 (twenty-three years ago)

I also like the Odessa (on Ave. A) for their brunch specials.

― Jody Beth Rosen (Jody Beth Rosen), Saturday, 23 November 2002 21:44 (twenty-three years ago)

I used to love Kiev on 1st Ave., but I hear it's now closed.

For real diners, though, you need to get out of the city. The Scobee in Little Neck is great, and NJ is chock full of amazing diners.

― mike a (mike a), Sunday, 24 November 2002 03:47 (twenty-three years ago)

Neptunes! Good god! One time I was there and there was these Russian guys who kind of grabbed me and made me sit with them. Then my friends from the Bronx were leaving so I walked out, and the busboy walked me out to help me from the Russians - and the busboy grabbed me and kissed me! I still haven't lived down that night.

― Ally (mlescaut), Sunday, 24 November 2002 04:10 (twenty-three years ago)

I always liked that newsstand on Avenue A that serves egg creams. True story: I ordered some jars of Fox's U-Bet as a Hanukkah present for my wife last year, so we could have egg creams here out West.

― mike a (mike a), Sunday, 24 November 2002 04:16 (twenty-three years ago)

For egg creams I like Gem Spa on St. Mark's.

― Jody Beth Rosen (Jody Beth Rosen), Sunday, 24 November 2002 04:20 (twenty-three years ago)

chocolate eggo cream drinking, "how i am doing?!?!"

― ron (ron), Sunday, 24 November 2002 04:26 (twenty-three years ago)

I always liked that newsstand on Avenue A that serves egg creams.

Better than Gem Spa. For a buck and a quarter you can get a HUGE egg cream that will make you wet yourself on the way back to the train. It's kitty-corner accross from Niagra and three doors down from Odessa...

― jm, Sunday, 24 November 2002 05:12 (twenty-three years ago)

sweet! i love peeing on myself

― ron (ron), Sunday, 24 November 2002 05:29 (twenty-three years ago)

I love Empire Diner on 10 Av/22nd St to death. Live piano by a guy who precedes his sets with an intensely brooded-over espresso--he sits at a table for like a half-hour burning his eyes through through his cup. Cycling through standards riffs or chilling with Cheever's ghost...hard to say which.

― Andy, Monday, 25 November 2002 06:23 (twenty-three years ago)

twelve years pass...

Had never set foot in the Market Diner on 11th Ave (around since '62, a fave of Sinatra and the Westies) until last night; had a decent chicken souvlaki platter. Today is its last day.

http://vanishingnewyork.blogspot.com/2015/10/last-days-of-market-diner.html

http://www.nyc-architecture.com/MID/140-400xMarket-Diner-1976-Oil.jpg

Are there any diners worth mentioning in Manhattan anymore?

― skateboards are the new combover (Dr Morbius), Sunday, 1 November 2015 15:33 (ten years ago)

The Waverly on 6th Ave is the closest I've ever come to real Diner food outside of New Jersey. Hence my favorite in NYC.

― Acid Hose (Capitaine Jay Vee), Sunday, 1 November 2015 17:46 (ten years ago)

waverly was my wife's high school hangout, suffers from GV prices at this point imo.

had lunch at the good stuff diner, 14th and 6th ave, on friday. vibe was right, food was decent but again the price killed it (grilled cheese, fries, coffee = $12 cmon)

not in manhattan but "manhattan three decker" in greenpoint gets basically everything right up to and including anti-yankees pro-mets stance

― adam, Sunday, 1 November 2015 17:57 (ten years ago)

You're going to pay "GV prices" at most diners here in NJ nowadays as well. A tuna melt deluxe and coffee will run you $11-12 at the best places.

― Acid Hose (Capitaine Jay Vee), Sunday, 1 November 2015 18:10 (ten years ago)

i miss diners :(

― Benson and the Jets (ENBB), Monday, 2 November 2015 01:43 (ten years ago)

B&H. I got scared that they would close forever after the untimely demise of that building on 2nd and 7th.

Other good ones: the one on Broadway btw 101st and 102nd, Joe Jr. on 3rd Ave., Alpha Donut in Queens.

― VC, Monday, 2 November 2015 04:17 (ten years ago)

The old coffee shop on Lex and 79 feels pretty authentic

― calstars, Monday, 2 November 2015 10:55 (ten years ago)

Square diner in TriBeCa

― chinavision!, Monday, 2 November 2015 12:00 (ten years ago)

Comfort Diner on 45th is good. I have a bunch around me in queens I have yet to try.

― on entre O.K. on sort K.O. (man alive), Monday, 2 November 2015 12:37 (ten years ago)

the one I go to most, when i have to go to a Lincoln Center film immed after work, is at 72nd and Broadway -- the Utopia.

― skateboards are the new combover (Dr Morbius), Monday, 2 November 2015 13:11 (ten years ago)

stop inn in woodside is my favorite queens diner, don't think it's been mentioned yet.

― iatee, Monday, 2 November 2015 13:39 (ten years ago)

Very sad to hear about the market diner. I went there with my dad just a few months ago.

― Treeship, Monday, 2 November 2015 13:39 (ten years ago)

one year passes...

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/23/nyregion/diners-new-york-city.html

― VC, Monday, 28 November 2016 15:34 (nine years ago)

can confirm that as of yesterday B&H is still top-tier

― adam, Monday, 28 November 2016 22:13 (nine years ago)

can also confirm Astoria has it really good w/Bel Aire and Neptune. Michael's not as good, but it's closest to us, so we go there more.

― Dominique, Monday, 28 November 2016 22:16 (nine years ago)

astoria indeed has it real good

― who is extremely unqualified to review this pop album (BradNelson), Monday, 28 November 2016 22:18 (nine years ago)

Can confirm as of to-day B&H is still top-tier

― ein Sexmonster (Jimmy The Mod Awaits The Return Of His Beloved), Monday, 28 November 2016 22:19 (nine years ago)

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