Endless red vinyl, jukeboxes and supersized burgers that could feed the five thousand: who doesn’t love a New York diner?
A staple of the Big Apple’s dining scene, you'll find a classic fast food joint on every corner. Our advice? Ditch the Empire State Building and spend your time taste-testing your way around these fantastic NYC diners, instead.
1. Bel Aire Diner
Queens’ Bel Aire Diner might not have been around as long as New York’s oldest diners, but it’s still got a whole lot of history – along with insanely delicious Pulp Fiction cheeseburger sliders.
It first opened 40 years ago and was purchased in 1996 by current owner Argyris "Archie" Dellaportas, who’d racked up stints at some of New York’s best diners, including the legendary Westway Diner.
The Bel Aire is open 24 hours a day and the most popular items are the baked ones, all of which are made on-site. The team’s innovative approach helped keep the business afloat during lockdown – the diner is next to a large car park, and when restaurants were forced to close, the Bel Aire crew transformed it into a drive-in movie theatre for film fans who could order the diner’s food to their car.
2. Court Square Diner
This diner has been around since 1946. The current owners, who purchased it in 1991, gave it a spectacular makeover, complete with plenty of neon and vast expanses of glistening chrome. Like many New York diners, it’s open around the clock, and even the diner’s most die-hard regulars rarely eat the same dish twice, thanks to a menu which is constantly tweaked, with daily specials designed to encourage customers to try different dishes.
The best bit? The owners love to support local businesses, especially those with connections to the diner, which is in the heart of Queens. Previous beneficiaries include the LIC Arts Open arts festival. In 2011 – the festival’s inaugural year – the event’s committee received a huge donation from the diner, which is a popular hangout for many of the festival’s artists.
3. Square Diner
You’ll find this fabulous diner in Tribeca, at the corner of Varick and Leonard.
It’s everything a diner should be, with lots of vinyl, an overdose of wood panelling and an interior designed to resemble a vintage train carriage. It’s been the setting for numerous television series (including Gotham) and is currently run by husband-and-wife team Ted and Anna Karounos, whose research has dug up black and white photos suggesting there’s been a diner at this very spot for over 100 years.
The diner’s famous for its pancakes, but we’re also huge fans of the Monte Cristo – French toast topped with ham, roasted turkey, and melted Swiss cheese and drenched with butter and syrup. Blocked arteries never tasted so good.
READ MORE: America's best classic diners
4. Jackson Hole Burgers
When it comes to celebrity clientele, it’s hard to beat the roster of A-list fans who flock to Jackson Hole Burgers, a diner with branches in both the Upper East Side and Murray Hill neighbourhoods.
Denzel Washington, Ed Sheeran, Harvey Keitel, Wyclef Jean and Jennifer Aniston have all stopped by, although we’ll gloss over the fact President Trump was once seen chowing down at the diner.
The brand dates back to 1972 and the restaurants are everything diners should be – there’s an abundance of polished chrome, lots of leather and more retro signage than you can shake a French fry at. The enormous burgers are legendary; made with beef aged in-house, they’re cooked under a metal dome to seal in the flavour.
READ MORE: America's most historic burger joints
5. Lexington Candy Shop
There’s no candy on sale here and we’re at a loss to explain the name, but don’t let that deter you – this is one of New York’s best diners, and one which offers a nod to the days when luncheonettes and sofa fountains ruled supreme.
This Upper East Side diner was founded in 1925 and reminders of its rich history are everywhere, whether it’s the vintage mixers used to make the milkshakes, the beautiful coffee urns (the same ones used when the diner first opened) or the fact that it’s run by the original owner’s grandson, John Philis. Resist the malted milkshakes at your peril.
6. Tick Tock Diner
Head to the Tick Tock diner, in Midtown Manhattan, for delicious American comfort food, whether it’s the Triple Decker Club or the skyscraper-like pancake stacks.
With room for 280 people, this is one of New York’s largest diners, as well as one of the most colourful, thanks to bright orange leather booths, sunshine-yellow tables and walls covered with beautiful vintage advertisements.
A word of warning if you’re prone to indecisiveness: the menu is a whopping 24 pages long.
7. Westway Diner
Rumour has it that Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David first discussed plans for the Seinfeld series in Hell’s Kitchen’s Westway Diner, a 24-hour, family-owned restaurant with an encyclopaedia-like menu featuring over 100 items, ranging from spaghetti to quesadillas.
The colour scheme is typically diner, with mustard-yellow, wood-backed booths beneath circular lampshades which wouldn’t look out of place in Palm Springs. The French toast is delicious – order the version topped with blueberries, strawberries and bananas and convince yourself it counts as one of your five-a-day.
8. Trailer Park Lounge
There’s more kitschiness crammed into the Trailer Park Lounge, which is part bar, part diner, than any other venue we’ve come across. Some of the items on display – like the full-size toilet which doubles as an ashtray, complete with a note about butts – are somewhat random, but for the most part this Chelsea hotspot is a wonderful ode to all things American, with vintage gas pumps, retro signs plastered across the walls and Tiki girl lamps.
The menu’s all about American comfort food – think burgers, nachos and chilli – and there’s a brilliantly named Tacky Tiki Bar, too.
9. Old John’s Diner
Old John’s Diner, on West 67th Street, is owned by Louis Skibar, a former employee of Old John’s who immigrated to the US from Bolivia in the 1980s.
Skibar started out as a line cook but eventually left to start his own restaurant group, and in a happy twist of fate was able to take over the lease at Old John’s Diner when the pandemic forced it to close.
Skibar prides himself in remembering the favourite dishes of his customers (which include numerous actors and actresses, due to the diner’s close proximity to the Juilliard School), and he overhauled the menu when he took over the lease, roping in legendary New York pastry chef Tanya Ngangan and Grayson Schmitz, a chef who’s appeared on America’s Top Chef show.
READ MORE: Vintage images of America's diners
10. Waverly Diner
It’s a common misconception that the first diners were all about Formica and chrome. Although the earliest ones definitely had plenty of vinyl-padded booths, booths were typically surrounded by dark-wood panelling, and had a small counter lined with the backless stools which are a staple of diners everywhere.
You’ll find all of these characteristics at the Waverly Diner, along with plenty of eye-wateringly bright neon and a menu stuffed with everything from supersized pies to seafood (one of the most popular dishes is the crabmeat-stuffed lobster tail).
In short, it’s got everything a diner should have: quick service, wallet-friendly prices and, most importantly, bottomless coffee.
11. Ellen’s Stardust Diner
It’s all about the 1950s at Broadway’s Ellen’s Stardust Diner, where the weird and wonderful memorabilia on display includes a 1956 Predicta television and framed photos of former Miss Subways (yes, there really was such a thing).
The diner, which opened in 1987, is famous for its singing waitresses (one of whom went onto compete on American Idol) and it also appeared in the movie New Year’s Eve – Sarah Jessica Parker visits the restaurant after the New Year’s Eve ball drop.
We suggest ordering the Broadway-worthy Joseph and the Technicolour Bagel – a rainbow-coloured bagel served with cream cheese and Tater Tots.
Ellen's Stardust Diner/Facebook
12. Tom’s Restaurant
This family-owned diner, which opened in 1936, has been feeding hungry New Yorkers for decades, and it’s been owned and run by the same Greek American family since it first opened its doors.
The Broadway diner has several claims to fame, and appeared in multiple episodes of Seinfeld (Jerry and his friends would regularly congregate here).
Sadly, it’s a myth that Suzanne Vega’s hit, Tom’s Diner, was written about the restaurant, although the singer’s a huge fan, and a signed photo hangs on the wall.
The menu is enormous and the diner often gets crowded, although waiting in line is half the fun – staff hand out free cookies and coffee to those in the queue.
Main image: ValeStock/Shutterstock