Van Dam Diner

the first time I ate here was after a job interview a few months back. I was running on empty and proceeded to demolish a really good Southwest grilled chicken sandwich and a boatload of fries. «well, the dining options around here are certainly better than they are in freakin’ Westchester» I said to myself after consuming my meal with a fierceness usually reserved for competitive eating.
fast forward — I got that job and am now able to routinely hit up Van Dam Diner for lunch. I aim for once a week, but it really depends on my schedule. I’ve even gotten up early to have breakfast here a few times and it’s great. hey, «diner breakfast» is one of my favorite food groups.
everything I’ve had here is consistently great quality, affordable prices, and made FAST. plus you get that genuine diner experience when the staff yells orders into the microphone. portions are great, and I’m sure I could easily save half of my lunch to take home for dinner if I wasn’t such a glutton.

I’m a student at LaGuardia College and I get hungry a lot. Thankfully Van Dam Diner has been a lifesaver for me.
It’s definitely a old school looking diner, no doubt about it. But it’s super clean and has a lot of space, so you don’t have to worry about it being full.
I would of gave it 5 stars but the old man that’s supposedly the waiter, can be very moody and grumpy lol I guess not all old people are friendly!

Very generous portions.
Got the chicken breast and bacon club sandwich. Lasted two meals.
This place is above average for diner foods.

First timer at VDD. Arrived early in the morning for meetings at LaGuardia CC — and so stopped in for breakfast. Friendly staff, rapid refills of my coffee. A perfectly executed order of sunny-​side up eggs with CB hash and well done home-​fries. Sure it was canned CB and so it might have been a 4-​star or 5 if it was homemade, but well executed for what it was. Maybe next time I’ll try the house special chicken and waffles!

Great food, great atmosphere, love the staff everyone is very friendly, I would recommend the traditional Greek dish Mousaka, it is out of this world!!!

I ordered a grilled chicken greek wrap with a side salad and also mozzarella sticks from here. Delivery was pretty fast and the food was good. Mozz sticks were a little cold but nothing 30 seconds in the microwave couldn’t fix. The wrap was very filling so I had leftovers for my lunch the next day.
I will definitely be ordering from them again and am willing to try something different next time. It looks like they have a lot of great options.

The waitress called out «two eggs and grits — cheese on the grits». That was not my order but that’s the first thing I heard when I walked in.
Here the staff don’t got no fancy machines or over priced lattes. You order, waitress screams it out to the chef, soon after you got a mouth watering plate. This place is old school and I like it! This is how a diner should be.
I ordered the waffle with fried chicken for breakfast. Yes for breakfast! Lol with a cup of coffee and a complimentary cup of juice. The juice cup is mad small but expected as it’s free. The chicken was delicious and mad crispy just the way I like it. The waffle was good and had a firm crunch with a moist middle. I live my waffles like that. I hate a soggy waffle which a lot of places serve thinking it’s acceptable but not here.
The price was good too. 11.95 bucks for plate with coffee. They had cheaper options too. I pay more for a latte with a muffin at a café.
If your tired of the hipster crowd and want a ol school NY diner to enjoy than this is your place.
Service and food was good. I’m coming back again.

They are one of the few places that call you if they need to make changes to your order! I love it. Most places will swap items m without notifying you. The food is good and fast delivery! What more can you want!

This was my first time here. 7 of us for lunch and they served us quickly. The food was fresh and perfectly done. I recommend this place. They are very friendly.

The service here is wonderful. This lady is super fast. I go to the college across the street and they treat you very nice. I ordered the mandarin crispy salad. And it’s delicious. I honestly love Greek diners. I will continue to come here. It’s very clean and they are fast. I wasn’t sitting for more than 5 min before my food came out.

I walked in today because I wanted to try takeout from them. The woman sitting at the front was texting on her phone and literally did not look up for five minutes I said excuse me twice and still didn’t woke up she was so engrossed in her phone so I walked out.

Not much to say except one of the few diners in NYC that has been able to withstand the test of time. They have a menu that offers a variety of options and their service is really great. The owner/​manager is usually around too, which is a good sign!

As soon as i walked in… i sat down at the boots and I was asked to get up and go sit on the other side where the tables were. I think that was totally uncalled for and then there was an older gentleman just waving his hand and just appointed to a row that I can seat myself… I waited a few minutes for my menu and he just brought the glass of water and left on the table no greetings or anything. while I smiled and asked himnhow he was doing… yet, I commend him for getting up and working at this age. The food was okay I’ve had better its the only thing that’s close by in this area. Do I recommended? I don’t know…

OMG here we go again with the grumpy old man… The guy is super rude, and not amicable at all. Apart from this, the food is good-​diner-​food. It’s not excellent, and it’s not disgusting either. I think they are still in business because this is the only diner near by… Would I recommend it? If you are starving, yes. If u can hold on till u get home or somewhere else… No.

I’m not a diner person. But just like small cars, somehow I always find myself in em. This one doesn’t disappoint as much as some of the others.

Just your run-​of-​the-​mill diner, except probably a little less than average. We got the chicken-​salad avocado salad and the club sandwich. I’d have been surprised if the salad was any less prepared as it came with giant chunks of vegetables someone neatly arranged. The waiter wasn’t much better. We saw a picture that piqued our interest, and asked what it was. His response? «It’s just a sandwich. Like all the other ones on the menu.» Dead looking area; only came here because of the sports complex nearby. Probably would pack my own food the next time I come over to that area.

I only give one star because the Cesar salad is good /​the owner the white guy chubby, is racist he doesn’t like Hispanics eating I. The booths and doesn’t even look at you when you order. That’s is so disrespectful, for his info. Only Hispanics work for him and that’s how his business is still going. I always think twice in coming here

One of the very sparse food options on this side of LIC. They have been here for many years and the service and quality of food is very very consistent. Delivery takes mere minutes so it’s still hot when you get it.
Their menu is quite extensive as well (like you would expect at any diner), it really is the best thing to eat anywhere around this neighborhood, that alone warrants the 4 star rating, why not 5 stars you ask? Well it’s not exactly a «cheap lunch», you will spend a minimum of $ 10 for a burger deluxe and a drink, now you would not think that it’s much, but this is Queens people… not Manhattan.

From delivery to food so many diners get the simplest things wrong, but Van Dam has somehow managed to do everything right. Consistent, quality food at affordable prices, with a can-​do attitude and timely delivery make this operation as smooth as they come. There were little to no expectations when I first dined here, but I’ve managed to become a loyal customer.
Vam Dam Diner is undeniably old school but in the best way. The interior is what one would expect of any old diner — minimal décor, antiquated aura, older staff, and perhaps at prices that may never change. Is it the perfect diner? Depending on who you’re asking, perhaps the answer is yes.
From the occasional burger to the always tuna melt, VDD excels in a number of items. Breakfast seems to be their greatest feat. Eggs are cooked perfectly, as is the corn beefed hash, and they even offer mutl-​grain bread with no extra charge. Even the home fries are solid … and I typically hate home fries.
The one knock on VDD is that they close a little early, but I suppose that’s the price of quality. Happy gem seeking LIC’ers will most certainly find one in Van Dam Diner.

Like a Diner atmosphere? Welp, this small local diner on the corner of Van Dam Street is right across from Laguardia College. It’s exterior, like it’s interior is nothing fancy but definitely a diner feel and lives up to the quality, yes. The seating is right next to the window for an okay view. Seating is mainly booths and at the counter stools. There is a television in the back. Basically when you walk in, it’s a straight aisle of seating on the left and the counter on the right.
Their burgers are pretty good. Normal order includes fries and soup.
Recent order:
Reuben Sandwich: Grilled Corned Beef or Pastrami Topped with Melted Swiss Cheese and Sauerkraut on Rye Bread w. Potato Salad. $ 8.25
Fresh Homemade Onion Rings: $ 3.45
The order isn’t huge like a Katz’s Deli or a 2^nd Avenue sandwich but this place is not skimping out on ingredients. You get a good sized portion of Pastrami. The bread itself is a light Rye bread toasted golden brown and looks buttered, a flawless example of beautiful looking and soft but not crisp pieces of toast. The bread has a spread of sauerkraut on each side. The pastrami sandwiches are served in four pieces, two halves split open, each quarter has melted Swiss Cheese on top so when you put one half of the sandwich together, you get two layers of melted cheese in the middle and a couple of inches of Pastrami (or Corned Beef). In the middle of the platter is a mound of tasty potato salad with bits of greens. Comes with a pickle.
Those onion rings are not tiny, they are the size of donuts trimmed down on the edge a bit. Crisp and thick. These are very filling and tasty.
One star for each of the following for the category it’s in: Clean, Good Service, Comfort/​Feel, Food Quality.