Diners

What is a Diner in New York?

• The Diner is a very particular type of restaurant in New York. These typical restaurants indeed bring back to life the 1950s, the golden age of America. You will make a fantastic leap into the past with a vintage decor combining neon lights and stainless steel elements. The dining room is usually organized around large comfortable booths, vinyl chairs, and counter stools. Sometimes a jukebox plays music from the era.
• In terms of cuisine, the menus of Diners feature the good old recipes of America, Caesar salad, burgers, pasta, cheesecakes, pancakes… All of this is obviously accompanied by a cola soda. The portions are always very generous. Be careful not to have eyes bigger than your stomach!
• Diners also have the peculiarity of having particularly extended opening hours. Some restaurants are even open 24/7. So you can have your breakfast there or come at any time to eat a little something. You will also meet all social classes there, from the taxi driver to the Wall Street trader. Diners are in any case an experience to live absolutely during your stay in New York!

The 7 Best Diners in New York

1. Remedy Diner

   Founded in 2007 on Houston Street, the Remedy Diner is an authentic American Diner and it quickly gained an excellent reputation. Several celebrities living in SoHo and in the Lower East Side are regulars here. The decor will perfectly immerse you in the atmosphere, with these old street lamps and Art Deco walls. The menu obviously highlights the classics. You will find french toasts served with eggs, pasta, fish, and more. For dessert, indulge in the traditional banana split, a strawberry ice cream scoop, a chocolate ice cream scoop, a vanilla ice cream scoop, a banana, whipped cream, and chocolate sauce.

   

   Address: 245 East Houston Street, at the corner of Norfolk Street.

   Neighborhood: Lower East Side.

   Metro: 2 Av.

2. Skylight Diner

   The Skylight Diner is located just a few steps from the New Yorker Hotel and Penn Station, in the Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood. The restaurant was founded by Teddy and George in 1996 and it quickly became the neighborhood’s hotspot. Today, Hell’s Kitchen is indeed the up-and-coming neighborhood in New York and the Skylight Diner is always bustling. Love the flashy decor, so 50s! The menu offers the classics of American cuisine: soup of the day, salads, pasta, omelets, sandwiches… Not to mention the essential Bacon Cheeseburger, the signature dish. For dessert, the pancakes and french toasts are obviously on the menu. The restaurant is open every day, 24/7!

   

   Address: 402 West 34th Street, at the corner of 9th Avenue.

   Neighborhood: Hell’s Kitchen.

   Metro: 34 St-Penn Station.

3. Lexington Candy Shop

   Don’t be misled by the name! Lexington Candy Shop is not a candy store but a restaurant! Founded in 1925, this address is an institution in the Upper East Side neighborhood. The decor hasn’t changed and you can browse the collection of photos that has accumulated on the walls. The restaurant defines itself as a luncheonette, a small Diner. The room is indeed small and the atmosphere intimate. Opt for the essential hamburgers and don’t forget the ketchup! And keep your eyes open: you might bump into a celebrity… Director Woody Allen is among the regulars, in all simplicity.

   

   Address: 1226 Lexington Avenue, between 82nd and 83rd Streets.

   Neighborhood: Upper East Side.

   Metro: 86 St.

4. Westway Diner

   The Westway Diner is a family restaurant established since 1988 in the Hells Kitchen neighborhood, just a few steps from Times Square. The decor is typical of Diners, with large booths and luminous frescoes on the theme of New York. The exhaustive 8-page menu features all American recipes, from burgers to ice cream, including pancakes for breakfast. Generous portions! When the weather is nice, you can enjoy the small terrace set up on 9th Avenue and follow the neighborhood’s animation. Open every day from 6am to 1am. You will notice that there are people at any time!

   

   Address: 614 9th Avenue, between 43rd Street and 44th Street.

   Neighborhood: Hell’s Kitchen.

   Metro: 42 St-Port Authority Bus Terminal

5. Hollywood Diner

   The Hollywood Diner is a restaurant open 24/7 for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The menu offers all the classics of the genre. For breakfast, order bagels, french toasts and pancakes. For lunch and dinner, you will have plenty of choices, from salads to burgers, including pasta. And of course, you can end on a sweet note with the famous New York cheesecake.

   

   Address: 574 6th Avenue/16th Street.

   Neighborhood: Flatiron District.

   Metro: 14 St.

6. Pearl Diner

   Pearl Diner is a picturesque diner located in the heart of the Financial District, just a few steps from Wall Street. Here time seems to have stopped while the glass towers have grown around the restaurant. A unique setting! Inside, the room takes you back to the 50s with posters and vintage counters. The menu is obviously American with omelets, homemade soups, salads, sandwiches, burgers, pancakes… A piece of advice: go there during the week when the financial district is active. You will meet businessmen and women skillfully eating their burgers before returning to the building floors.

   

   Address: 212 Pearl Street, at the corner of Fletcher Street.

   Neighborhood: Financial District.

   Metro: Wall Street.

7. Ellen’s Stardust Diner

   Ellen’s Stardust Diner opened its doors in 1987 on Times Square. The concept is unique in the world: the servers and waitresses sing in turn the tunes of the great Broadway musicals. Nothing is planned: everything depends on the inspiration of the moment. I must, however, tell you the truth: if this Diner is astonishing, it is also the most touristy in New York. There is often an endless queue at the entrance and you will not meet any New Yorkers. The dishes are correct without being exceptional. So you have to come for the experience and for the surprising side of the place, more than for the gastronomic experience.

   

   Address: 1650 Broadway, at the corner of 51st Street.

   Neighborhood: Theater District.

   Metro: 50 St.