Brooklyn Diner (NYC)

Brooklyn Diner (NYC)

I had high hopes for the Brooklyn Diner. I wanted to try a new diner while in NY, and the Brooklyn Diner seemed like a great start. They have two locations in Manhattan (43rd Street and 57th Street.) I went to the 43rd street diner. The Brooklyn Diner is a well-known restaurant in New York City.

Brooklyn Diner Atmosphere: C
The Brooklyn Diner on 44th Street is right in Times Square. The outside stands out, and it’s hard to miss it. It matches the atmosphere of Times Square: big, shiny, and over the top.

Inside, it’s very cramped, and you are sitting on top of people. I would have had a better experience if we sat in the back.

Brooklyn Diner Coffee: D
When the coffee came out, it was borderline ice cold. It was so bad that I requested to have had fresh coffee (something I’ve never asked in the 250+ diners I’ve been too).  I asked for whipped cream twice, but the waitress brought cream both times, and so I gave up. The second round of coffee was better.

Brooklyn Diner Food: B
We arrived at the Brooklyn Diner around 11:00 am, and they didn’t start serving lunch until 11:30. The Brooklyn Diner has everything from breakfast, lunch, and dinner, but I thought their much menu looked more appealing. It had hot pastrami sandwiches, hot dogs, chicken soup, chicken pot pie, chicken salad, and lots of white hickory chicken specials. I’ve noticed a few diners don’t start serving lunch until 11:30, which is disappointing. I wasn’t in the mood for breakfast but didn’t want to wait until 11:30 to order either.

I decided to order the hand-chopped smoked salmon, caramelized onions, and scrambled eggs. It came with crispy corn polenta, Pomodoro sauce, challah, rye, or whole-grain toast. The food itself was good. I’ve never had polenta before, so it was a good experience.

Brooklyn Diner Service: C
When we arrived at the Brooklyn Diner, we waited about 5 minutes to be seated. We then waited another 15 minutes for the waitress to come over.  It seemed as though she was not in the mood to deal with us.  The food itself came out quickly, which was nice.

Brooklyn Diner Cost: $$
The Brooklyn Diner is one of the most expensive diners I’ve been too (including in NY). For my breakfast and coffee, the cost was $24. The coffee alone was nearly $4.

Overall Thoughts/Would I come back to the Brooklyn Diner?
The Brooklyn Diner is not one of my favorite diners in the city, and I probably won’t be back. I would be most likely to go to the second location and order lunch if I do.

Atmosphere: C
Coffee: D
Food: B
Service: C
Cost: $15-25
Overall: C

You can see all diner reviews here.

Questions for you:
What time do you usually eat lunch?
Do you like smoked salmon?