Photograph: Courtesy Marconi Jose Gonzalez
The 21 best diners in NYC right now
Get a taste of New York history at the very best diners in NYC
Written by
Rachel Pelz &
Time Out contributors Thursday May 4 2023
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Diners are an iconic part of New York City’s history. Beloved by regulars and tourists alike, the very best diners in NYC are where old New York meets new culinary traditions. While NYC is known for some of the best
fine dining in the world, you just can’t beat a hot cup of
coffee poured into a white mug in a greasy spoon. These 21 diners are slinging
sandwiches,
burgers and egg creams that are more than just a meal; they’re a view into the past
and future of NYC.
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Hype Dish: From Lucie
Best diners in NYC
Photograph: Time Out/Ali Garber
1. Golden Diner
- 4 out of 5 stars
- Restaurants
- Diners
- Two Bridges
Samuel Yoo, a Momofuku veteran, brings Korean and Japanese flavors to the classic diner menu. Sure, there’s matzo ball soup and tuna melts, but there’s also a chicken katsu club sandwich, Korean fried chicken wings and a wedge salad spiced up with a generous dose of chili crisp. They don’t open until 10am, so you won’t necessarily see a diner’s coffee-drinking regulars, but they’re open until 10pm so you can grab a post-work cocktail.
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Photograph: Lizz Kuehl
2. Veselka
- Restaurants
- Contemporary European
- East Village
- price 1 of 4
This family-run spot has been holding it down for what's left of the East Village's Ukrainian past since 1954. Serving the neighborhood with the most bars in NYC, Veselka (Ukrainian for "rainbow") offers both solid American diner standards like eggs and pancakes as well as Eastern European fare like pierogi, cheese blintzes, borscht and potato pancakes.
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Photograph: Ali Garber
3. B&H Dairy
- Restaurants
- Diners
- East Village
- price 1 of 4
First opened in 1938, this kosher dairy lunch counter is now owned by married couple Ola and Fawzy Abdelwahed (a Polish Catholic and an Egyptian Muslim, respectively.) They’re still serving up some original menu items, including blintzes, matzo balls and challah, for the locals that crowd the counter for a taste of old New York.
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4. S&P Lunch
In the old home of the late, beloved Eisenberg’s Sandwich Shop, S&P Lunch stays true to luncheonette tradition. S&P—which was the name of the lunch counter
before it became Eisenberg’s—mixes the old (cracked stools, cherry lime rickeys) and the new (an updated menu, $19 sandwiches) to satisfying effect. With old-school specialties including matzo brei, kreplach and chopped liver on rye, you’d never know this spot has seen seven owners since 1928.
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Photograph: Courtesy Creative Commons/Flickr/Mark Garbowski
5. Waverly Restaurant
- Restaurants
- Diners
- West Village
- price 2 of 4
This all-hours establishment is a stubborn holdout if the old-school Village—after all, the West Village now ranks among NYC’s priciest ’hoods. Whether you’re up early before work or coming in after a night spent clubbing, the highlight of the menu remains the tried-and-true eggs, cooked to your liking and served right on the skillet.
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Photograph: Courtesy Marconi Jose Gonzalez
6. Old John’s
After seventy years on the UWS, Old John’s was forced to shutter its doors during the pandemic. Louis Skibar, a former employee with a penchant for reviving diners, has reopened its doors with an updated menu and most of the Old John’s team. They’re serving up the classics (burgers, meatloaf, chicken soup) and pairing them with a decidedly un-diner-like cocktail menu. Order a chicken club and an aquafaba gimlet for that high-low diner experience.
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Photograph: Laura Gallant
7. Tom’s
- Restaurants
- Diners
- Prospect Heights
- price 1 of 4
A Brooklyn institution since the 1930s, Tom’s staying power can be attributed to several factors, one of which is the free coffee and bites passed out to the long line of folks waiting to be seated. Flapjacks are served here in a sweet-corn-studded, whole-wheat variety as well as a lemon-ricotta version, which you can wash down with some of the best egg creams in town.
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Photograph: Sean Ellingson
8. Bel Aire Diner
- Restaurants
- Diners
- Astoria
- price 1 of 4
The king of Queens diners is this stainless-steel Art Deco beauty. Owned by the Dellaportas family—the patriarch, Archie, first acquired the diner after immigrating to New York in 1972—the restaurant is now a legend in the borough.
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Photograph: Courtesy Yelp/Jazz F.
9. White Mana
- Restaurants
- Diners
- New Jersey
- price 1 of 4
This burger-centric Jersey City icon and its sister Hackensack outpost, White Manna, were both opened by Louis Bridges, who bought the original diner at the 1939 New York World’s Fair. Mana’s distinctive octagonal building—with the cook in the middle of the room—was even named a local landmark. Now, seven decades later, the around-the-clock restaurants are still known for their griddle-seared patties cloaked in molten cheese and crowned with steamed onions.
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Photograph: Courtesy Creative Commons/Flickr/Tarnie
10. Kellogg's Diner
- Restaurants
- Diners
- Williamsburg
- price 1 of 4
For over 40 years, Williamsburg’s 24-hour standby has been known for a highly varied clientele, depending on the time of day and day of week. Not to miss on the veritable tome of a menu is a house burger—amped up with bacon, mushrooms, Swiss cheese and sautéed onions—and one of the house confections (cheesecake, tiramisu) displayed proudly in a rotating case. Kellogg's remains open through its
present tumult.
