Diner

This place never disappoints.
While everyone is waiting on line at EGG for brunch last Sunday, I slipped in here and had a much tastier (and healthier) meal that tasted so fresh. Beets with eggs, made gluten free for my friend who ordered the same thing. Yummy.
I always take friends from out of town here.
The best combination of affordability and gourmet taste.

The best attraction in the neighborhood. With custom pen souvenirs, usually reserved for hotels, that write out in perfect script pyramids on the paper table cloth all relevant items.
* Most Amazing Staff Possible
* Trolly Car Cafè vibes
* all cocktails are what they should be
* staple menus is extremely satisfying
Also, next door is great for dinner, if so, order chicken via/​Marlow & Sons.

Went here for brunch and now I know why there are always people waiting outside to eat here.
Small space and you’ll have to wait but it’ll be worth it! Employees are nice and very helpful explaining all the items on the menu (which changes everyday I believe).
Please do yourself a favor and get the donuts if available.

Best spot in the neighborhood! Great place, service and food! You can’t go wrong with it. I like it better on weekends that weekdays though :)

Food is awesome! Atmosphere is old school diner-​like. Homemade donuts are insanely good.

The place is a dump but the food and service are great. Don’t be afraid by the outside. Enjoy!

Love this place. Menu varies daily, and it’s always good. The place is cute too. Just be prepared to wait a bit.

I really want to like this place, but my recent visit did not prove that either. Instead I became sure about my review. The intentions are good. The Diner-​style joint is really cozy, the food decent — but the service is just a pain. Really, really terrible. Not a smile, not even a small-​talk. The three waitresses did not say anything to me. Not welcome, not goodbye, nothing in between — Nothing. It is quite a talent actually. Big applause. They do not like their job. Fair enough, I suggest they find another one.
The food is important and their burger is decent. Do no get the hype though. I miss something to blow me away. The bun is a little worthless, while the beef and cheese is good. They do need some kind of sauce. Everything becomes bread-​meat which can be good if the meat is extraordinary — it just isn’t. The fries are good though, while I really love their homemade sauces like mayo and ketchup.
Dear Diner. I had hoped for a long relationship. I even gave you a second chance, yet you proved something else. I will not visit you again, so sorry.

It was pretty great. I was there for dinner on a sat night. I have to say from the menu being written down on our table paper to friendly waitress (and they were incredibly busy) to great wine to great food. It is somewhat packed in there with tables. So, you may do fam style seating which is okay, but I wouldn’t suggest if you are wanting to be somewhat private.
Food is pretty good. The fam style sharing of small plates is good. Order some of the great apps. a couple entrees to share. Definitely not gourmet, but on the side of comfort/​trendy/​organic creative dishes.
Décor is pretty simple and original. Diner turned into upscale, slightly hipster and low light romantic place. Easily could be a cool place found in east village, LES.
Looked to be great for a small group to go. Good date place.
The wait may be long, but can grab a drink and wait.
Enjoy !

Okay, first a little precedence.
As a vintage resident of the pre-​beard ‘hood, I’ve dined at Diner since they opened. When Caroline was around, the food was terrific. Some meals were transcendent in that farm to table way — the uncommon amazement on a produce-​barren winter eve. Don’t get me wrong, there were the occasional clunkers, particularly on the odd, over-​booked fashionista weekends. And, please don’t misunderstand, the place has never ever been considered «cheap». I chalked this up to all the «good, clean, fair» Petrini-​rhetoric about the virtues of local and sustainable (which, as someone who works in the biz, I’m totally down with). The food value seemed okay, back then. But this… THI$ is a new level of F’d-up…
My assistant and I were headed over the «bridge» on our way back from Manhattan. We debated lunch, «Pies n Thighs…($ 45 lunch for 2)?? Naw, we haven’t been to Diner in a long time…»
(Reference attached Diner check)
First off:
The name chilaquiles is derived from a Nahuatl word meaning «in a salsa of chiles.» It is sometimes nicknamed «a broken-​up old sombrero» because it contains broken pieces of old, dried tortillas. In short, it is a dish devised by poor folks to salvage food that would ordinarily be tossed to the pigs — poor folk food.
It’s curious how this po’ folk food comes to cost $ 16!
While the Diner chilaquiles were serviceable, they did lack soul in a way things usually do when they get reinvented. I failed to see how (or, if it is possible/​necessary for…) these stale tortillas could have been elevated to a point where they deserved a $ 16 price tag… $ 10…$ 12…sure…hell, even $ 14! But, FREEKIN’ $ 16…for a LUNCH chilaquiles?!?
…and, then:
There was the coffee. Seriously? $ 7.50(!) for two (!) plain ol’ cups of coffee?!?
…and, the pièce de résistance:
A SINGLE, $ 14 slice of chocolate cake!!! This slice of flourless chocolate cake was fine, but fer crissakes!!! I can only surmise that it was made with some of that «fancy» «single source» chocolate from those now-​defrocked (
) Billyburg dipsters who have been parading around in the King’s New Clothes, just down the road, for waaay too long. Why else would a $ 6 slice of cake show up on your tab as a $ 14(!!!) slice of cake???
Of course, all of this price rage might have been mitigated if you only had a heads-​up.
At the Diner, any discussion of menu prices is some how considered an affront to locavore mores. The menu is scribbled on a diner’s paper table covering (which at a vintage time, was actually considered quaint). This hen’s scratch, in addition to not being clear regarding menu items is even more cryptic regarding prices. Why else would a sane individual order $ 16 chilaquiles for lunch?!?
So…
Staring at our $ 90 (with a 20% tip) Williamsburg lunch tab (see attached photo), we couldn’t help but ruminate how nice the cloth tablecloth lunch might have been over in Manhattan… at Jean-​Georges. Jean-​Georges Vongerichten, one of only five Three Michelin-​starred chefs in New York, consistently awarded four stars by the New York Times and three Michelin stars:
JEAN-​GEORGES 1 CENTRAL PARK WEST
Lunch Prix Fixe $ 38
Choice of Appetizer, Entrée and Dessert
Appetizer
*Butternut Squash Soup, Black Trumpet Mushrooms, Chives
*Fried Calamari, Basil Salt, Citrus– Chili Dip
*Tuna Tartare, Avocado, Spicy Radish, Ginger Marinade
*Shrimp Salad, Avocado, Tomato, Champagne Vinegar Dressing
*Baby Beet Salad, Black Olive and Feta Cheese
Entrée
*Fresh Spaghetti with Basil Pesto, Roasted Brussels Sprouts
*Rigatoni with Meatballs and Smoked Pepper-​Tomato Ragu
*Sautéed Black Sea Bass, Caramelized Cauliflower and Poppy Seed-​Buttermilk Vinaigrette *Sesame Crusted Salmon with Sautéed Potatoes, Black Olives and Passion Fruit
*Roasted Hake, Black Beans, Avocado and Cilantro
*Roasted Organic Chicken with Artichokes, Shitakes and Parmesan Jus
*Veal Milanese with Parmesan, Escarole and Lemon
*Cheeseburger, Crispy Onions, Russian Dressing
Dessert
*Jean-​Georges Warm Chocolate Cake, Vanilla Bean Ice Cream Almond Cake, Green Apple Sorbet, Crème Fraîche
Alright, while it turns out Mr. Vongerichten does not have $ 16 chilaquiles on his lunch menu, he does have many other «decent» offerings and… guess what???
A Jean-​Georges lunch is THE SAME DAMN PRICE!!! And… three courses with NO DESSERT SHARING!
Gotta call a BIG FAT B$ on this one!
Sorry Andrew, sorry Mark, gunna haf’ta leave you boys to the Chinese tourists and the luxe-​condo, Ivy League «artists».
To quote the late Joey Ramone…¡Adiós Amigos!

Absolutely loved this place! I loved the atmosphere, dim lights, cool ass service. Loved that they write the menu on the table for you. We stumbled in by accident and I’m so glad we did. For our appetizer we had sardines in a lemon sauce and crusty bread it was my first time ever having sardines. So good I keep talking about it. My main dish was the Char over lentils and turnips. I didn’t leave not one lentil on my plate. My boyfriend had the grass fed burger with fries. Which was also very delicious. If you have a chance this is a must try if you’re in the neighborhood.

We love Diner and eat and drink here whenever we are in Williamsburg.
First, Diner is as cool as can be. The atmosphere is cozy and cool — always a great respite from the elements.
The food is always amazing, changing daily. I had the best tuna of my life one night, expertly prepared on some yogurt. My wife, a vegetarian, always loves the frittata. The grass-​fed burger is always great as well. They also have a great bar, great cocktails and great service from friendly staff.
Just go and experience a great restaurant in South Williamsburg, you will not be disappointed.

Peter Luger’s wasn’t taking any more people at Lunch, so I ventured here to satisfy my burger craving. Also got a glass of sparkling red.
It looks like an unassuming diner inside and out, but if you look behind the bar there’s lots of good choice booze. Yeah, yeah, I thought putting the menu on a receipt tape roll was overdoing it…
Anyway, the burger was good. It can be one of my backups when Lugers is too full.

When I saw the outside of this place I thought I was sadly mistaken. How the hell did I bookmark this place and how does this place have 400+ reviews and 4 stars? The outside looks like a gross, run down mobile home and the door is a piece of sh*t that’s hard to open. But the inside of this restaurant is what caught me by surprised. It’s small and does look like its namesake, a diner. The food was anything but generic, diner food.
They obviously did not put a lot of money in the ambiance of this joint. There are no menus, no tablecloths only candles. No sort of décor whatsoever. What they did put all their money into was the food. They’re menus change daily I’m assuming since the waitress had to hand write what they were serving on paper tablecloth in front of us.
For appetizers we ordered the beets with yogurt and the beef tartare. The beets were heavenly! I wish I knew what type of reduction was on those beets. It was so delicious and the yogurt complemented them perfectly. The beef tartare had a fried egg on top which always excites me. The toast it was served on unfortunately was burnt, hard and cold. I will probably not order it again. For the entrée my friend ordered the char (a fish I have never tried until Diner) with broccoli raab. I ordered the whole trout that was butterflied and deboned. The char was good. The broccoli raab was smokey and delish. But it was the trout that took the cake and gave this place 5 stars. It was to die for! It was served lentils with a spicy kick. For dessert we ordered the apple cheddar tartine. Perfectly sweet but I wish it was larger. I will return to Diner. They cook food perfectly and only focus on that.

Food was absolutely fantastic.
And the service got better as the evening progressed. However, when we called in advance, they told us they didn’t accept reservations but that if we showed up after 9pm that they’d seat us «very quickly.» We ended up waiting an hour, and the only empty seat in the joint was being held for a buddy of the bartender. :-/​Obnoxious.
A simple apology would have gone a long way in that situation.
However, décor, excellent wine, and fantastic won the night in the end.

Skip dinner come for the desserts.
Very cool, authentic and pretentious. Everything you would expect from Brooklyn’s best diner by Peter Luger. But considering you need a exceptional memory to decide what to eat and the servings are small and over priced I wouldn’t be back.

I’ve been to Diner a few times now and each time it lives up to it’s hype.
It’s cool, in a very Williamsburg almost-​too-​cool-​for-​you kind of way. The play on a diner with edge, if you will.
The food is fantastic. Nothing you order will disappoint.
Most recently, I was there and had the BEST CAKE OF MY LIFE. Notice the caps, take it in, because I take cake seriously. This Olive Oil cake rocked my world and did things for me that I didn’t know cake could do.
John from Diner was so sweet and gave me his email to get this recipe! Alas, maybe I typed it in wrong, but the email bounced. John, if you are at all paying attention to Unilocal reviews, please let me know how I can recreate this magic cake!

This was an experience unlike any other I’ve had before. The food was exceptional, yes, but I say this because of the staff, not the food. When you interact with any member of the staff you are immediately more chipper because of it. They are friendly to the point that you think you’re actually friends and not just customers.
We weren’t exactly given menus when we sat down. Well, we were but when the waitress came over she took it away from us, sat down at our table with us, and began writing on the table cover. She wrote out the entire menu for the day from memory and told us in detail what each one was.
The food was so simple and yet totally unique and incredibly delicious. They took basic dishes and transformed them into top notch items. Hints of flavors in every bite that I would have never expected to find or enjoy in combination with one another were pleasantly surprising me at every turn.
The ambiance here is a cleaned up dirty. It’s an old restaurant with ceilings that are a little low, a floor that’s a little crooked, a door that’s really rusty, and a crowd that’s a little loud. But it was a comfortable and sanitary environment in a neighborhood that fits its vibe.

Had an outstanding meal. Can’t believe it took me so long to get to this place… thankfully, citibike has made that easier. Mackeral was fantastic, as was the corn. Our neighbors suggested ordering both and they were right. The entrees were good, particuarly the accompaniments with them. I particuarly liked what came on the pork chop, which were some nice roasted peppes and polenta.
One complaint: I pleaded with the server for them to cook the pork chop medium rare, and said I was happy to order something else if that wasn’t possible. She assured me it was fine, but there was nothing MR about it. It was more like Medium to Medium Well. It was fatty, so it was ok, but that’s the difference between 4 and 5 stars for me.

This restaurant is small and hip, clean and loud. I loved my experience.
The scone was our ‘appetizer’, fresh whipped cream, almost perfect. The Butter beans with a poached egg were perfectly cooked, served in a salty broth. The bacon was fantastic. The coffee is strong, but doesn’t need milk.
There was a short wait, about 35 minutes, but it was totally worth it. The menu changes all the time and nothing is boring.

Ce Diner, c’est un mélange d’élégant et d’authentique à la fois.
Le personnel vient à notre table pour nous expliquer le menu du jour, qu’ils écrivent sur notre set de table en papier (attention, il faut malgré tout bien écouter les explications car il faut savoir décoder ce qui est écrit).
Et puis vient le moment de la dégustation. J’y suis venu un dimanche pour le brunch et j’y ai dégusté les meilleurs pancakes que j’ai jamais goûtés. La personnes qui m’accompagnait à quant à elle prit un burger absolument fabuleux.

Quelle bonne surprise!
Cette adresse est un concentré de la branchitude située juste en dessous du pont de Williamsburg à Brooklyn.
Très tendance, les serveuses stylées dans un pur style Bentford St. vous présentent le menu par oral qui semble changer tous les jours.
On y mange très bien et ce n’est pas très cher (10 – 15 dollars). Idéal pour un Brunch tardif un dimanche après midi.
L’atmosphère et le décors valent aussi le détour et on né penserait pas trouver un restaurant pareil dans un tel endroit.

Im Diner gibt es extrem leckere Burger und internationale Bierspezialitäten (z.B. Gaffel Kölsch). Allerdings sollte man das nötige Kleingeld dabei haben, denn das Diner ist nicht gerade billig. But it’s worth every cent!
Das freundliche Personal erklärt gerne ausgiebig die aktuellen Specials, das Menu wird direkt auf die Papier-​Tischdecke geschrieben und dazu die diversen Extras erklärt.