Rego Park Cafe

Best diner in the Rego Park/​Forest Hills area. They know what they’re doing. Traditional diner food, served fast and hot (and always needing salt, but that’s every diner!). Good soups too, but we stick to the eggs or burger or melts options, b/​c — it’s a diner! If I wanted chicken marsala, I’d go to a good Italian restaurant. This is Queens, we have LOADS.
Love the old-​school atmosphere, which is real and not put on. It’s kind of shabby but in one of those great, neighborhood ways.
Go-​to place, when hungover.
And it’s a diner — not a fine dining establishment. If you want fresh veggies, go to a real restaurant.

I have no clue why this place isn’t 5 stars. The food is amazing. Great prices. And delivery is fast.
I’m embarrassed that the delivery guy in the AM knows my name at this point though :-/

This place is absolutely atrocious. Surprisingly they have a good flow of customers. I’m gonna go out on a limb and say that these people are probably locals who are experiencing a lazy Saturday morning. Because no one should be willing to go out of their way to come and dine here.
The tables are bussed only as they are needed. At one point the entire left half of the restaurant was littered with crumbs and used dishes.
Service is mediocre. I expect a minimal wait time when your menu is honestly a combination of eggs, toast and some kind of morning meat. There is absolutely no justification for having a customer wait 45 minutes to receive their order of eggs over well.
The only reason they’re getting two stars, as opposed to one, is because they managed to not completely mess up my order. Then again it’s pretty incredible if you mess up eggs.
I typically judge a restaurant on three things: quality of food, service, and décor of the restaurant. Considering that this place lacks in all three areas I’m genuinely surprised that they haven’t shuttered yet.
Gotta love locals who are experiencing a lazy Saturday morning.

Absolutely love this place!!! Fast delivery the food is always fresh and they are always to great over the phone. My Saturday morning order spot.

Food was terrible…
1) chicken Marsala had canned mushrooms, no Marsala sauce and the chicken wasn’t great. (There is a really cheap vegetable stand across the street)
2) for $ 6 we got 4 wings. That’s expensive for «diner» wings. Quality and hot sauce was non existent. No blue cheese, celery or carrots.
3) Fries weren’t great and not enough for a complete order
4) Quesadilla was sloppy. Everything fell apart. Barely any cheese. A few slices of peppers and chunks of chicken which didn’t taste great
I will give this place two stars, instead of one, for their fast delivery.

1÷1÷2016 UPDATE
Having been a regular customer in the area for years, I experienced an incident that I thought wouldn’t happen here.
After New Year’s Eve, I came here for some coffee and my bf ordered a set of breakfast. I, on the other hand, wasn’t hungry so I just had coffee.
An hour or so passes and I wanted my refill of coffee but the waiter refused as we’ve «Taken too long so refills on coffee were not allowed. We also need the table» To be frank, we were appalled because it was not like the ONLY thing we ordered was coffee AND there were still VACANT tables around the diner. We also had food and I just didn’t want to force myself to eat on THIS particular day. My usual is the tuna salad.
We left him a 300% tip but needless to say, we will never be visiting this diner again. I would much rather walk a little further or take the train for a restaurant that actually treat their regular customers with some courtesy.
Do yourself a favor and get much better service down the road at Shalimar’s Diner.

On a night when I felt too tired to even light the stove, I placed an order with Rego Park Café. The menu lists standard diner fare but I was craving a burger and was happy to see a vegetarian option. Having online ordering available makes the process an antisocial introvert’s dream — I was able to place and even customize my veggie burger deluxe (no butter or mayo on the bun, extra ketchup) without having to pick up the phone and speak to another human being.
I got to the diner to pick up my order about five minutes after I placed it, being fully prepared to wait for it. There were only two other diners and with the rundown appearance of the small railway style interior, it had a somewhat depressing feel on a Monday night. Still, the man who confirmed my order was quick and polite, calling back the specifics of my order to the kitchen. There was a small snafu with the cash register when it locked, but he and another worker dug pickup took about seven minutes and I found myself impressed with the celerity in spite of the diner’s obviously unglamorous appearance.
The veggie burger deluxe came with lettuce, tomato, pickles, piping hot fries, and coleslaw. By the time I sat down at home several minutes later, it was still hot and prepared to my specifications, albeit a little crumbly (a common problem with veggie burgers and not their fault). Online ordering was seamless and service (at least, on a quiet Monday) was just fine. I’ve passed by the diner on weekends and found it much more packed, so clearly this is a neighborhood standby.

I have only ordered delivery from this café. The first time I ordered California Eggs Benedict it came without ham and they gave me the wrong tea that I ordered. The second time it came upside down as if the bag was thrown around but all ingredients were there. The third time (this morning) it came without avocado (which you pay more for) and they didn’t call me or adjust the bill. Three strikes, your out. Not ordering from them ever again. It’s sad because the food isn’t horrible, their ability to actually get an order correct is their down fall.

Everything I’ve ever had here has been fantastic– and the staff is very friendly. There’s a true family feel to this restaurant and I’ve never once felt pressure to finish my food and hustle out the door. For anyone complaining about the décor here — I think it should never ever change– it’s hysterical. The last time I was there, I noticed decorations from at least three different holidays. It’s festive and unique and I love it.

Wow great tasting food. The menu is just wonderful love the chopped steak and the dinner special are just wonderful. Brunch is one of the very few good ones out there. The new look to the place is much better more light

The décor needs an update, they can make it more inviting. The food and service was quick and good. No complaints.

Great neighborhood old school style diner. Yes it’s cramped, yes it’s old… Buttttt the main thing is the food is good. You get what you want. It’s not meant to be some high class restaurant, it’s a diner in Rego park and for diner food it’s good. I especially enjoy their breakfasts and think the prices are more than reasonable. Also the soups are made fresh daily and always taste great to me. If you’re looking for a good quick meal they also deliver which is my preferred method of eating from here.

Ok, where do I begin with this place? Soo good. For breakfast, the sausage is really good with french toast. The empanadas are a must try– both the beef and chicken ones are great, just make sure to ask for the spicy sauce that comes with it.
The staff is always friendly which is nice. A must try when visiting Rego Park.

Giving this place 2 stars because I can’t give it 2.5 stars
The staff is hardworking and attentive; that is +1 star
There are coat hangers to hang up your coat so that is a +1
A –1 is the diner itself. It is homely and tight spaced, and the entire thing just looks too old. Not antique old, but the color scheme just doesn’t match very well.
A –1 is the fact that my family ordered home fries, well done, and said that order very specifically, but we still got an order that was basically just oily sliced potatoes
A –1 because I just didn’t like the prices of the things we ordered. I felt as if they should have been cheaper

Shame on me for coming back. Horrible service, always gets order wrong and the food isn’t great. I don’t know why anyone comes here or even waits on line here. plenty of other REAL diners around.

I’m just gonna put it out there plain and simple — the food is NOT good. It’s seriously home cooking that you and I are capable of.
BUT THEN… there’s something endearing about this place… the customers (who are obviously long time and regular customers), the tacky interior, and the old-​fashion cash machine. Sit for a couple of minutes and you will feel the neighbourly-​friendly vibe around you as you see these customers (mostly elder folks) chatting with the waiter or the owner. Although I don’t think I was included in that friendly vibe (meaning I don’t get the same type of service/​warmth when served; don’t get me wrong, they weren’t rude but well, not super friendly either), but it’s just a good feeling to be surrounded in.
I wouldn’t say the food is better than Shalimar Diner (which is about 2 blocks down), even though my cousin & friend said that it is, but at least the pricing is more reasonable.
The place is pretty tiny though so wait is possible. If you are very keen about having food at restaurant level — go to Tower Diners… but that’s about 4 – 5 blocks down and a longer wait… might as well buy grocery and cook at home.
All in all, visit once (if you happen to be in the neighbourhood) to feel the vibe — it feels like a real old fashion diner… not something that pretends to be an old fashion diner.

Warning: DO NOT order «Peruvian» food here, they DON’T know how to prepare Peruvian food.
I was there about a month ago, there was a sign outside saying they had a «Peruvian Mistura» Menu. So, I went in to order some Peruvian take out, an annoyed lady asked rudely «How can I help you»? I said in English I wanted to order some Peruvian food, without any explanation, she turned and call someone and said to him: «Here, they want Spanish!» The Spanish speaking server politely took our order, we got our food, paid and left.
We tried the food at home and was nothing like Peruvian food (I’m Peruvian, I know authentic Peruvian food)
«Arroz Con Pollo»: The worst I have tried, not the right taste, soggy rice, bland chicken.
«Papa Rellena»: Soggy, oily, not the right flavor, consistency and shape.
For regular diner food items:
Food Service: Poor.
Food Quality: Regular diner food, not great quality, not great flavor.
Tastes like prepacked, frozen and microwaved.
Atmosphere: Quiet but the rude waitress makes it uncomfortable, she makes it very obvious she hates her job. I don’t think I’m going there again.

Let’s start off by saying. Service and attention to how I want my food SUCKS!!! The waitress was annoyed that I wanted my eggs over medium well and still came to me with over easy eggs. I had to wait 15 minutes just to get her to take my order. I had to wait to have my coffee refilled. Tip: if I’m paying for it, I might as well get what I want. Why is that so hard. I did NOT enjoy my breakfast. Oh, and there’s like barely anyone in here. A fellow patron heard me say this service sucks and said, yes you’re right, it does. What a shame!!!

No No No this place is not worth the ten minute walk we took to get here. We waited for 15 mins for anyone to approach us. We didn’t have menus and then it took another 15 mins for a waiter to come back and take our order.
My meal came with a small orange juice, don’t expect to share this with someone. When they mean small that meant double shot glass, small. I really wish I took a picture of how small it was.
The food is typical diner food, nothing great. The prices are good with ok portions, they aren’t huge, but they are filling for me.
It seems that a lot of families come here because it’s crawling with little kids running around. Not coming here again.

It’s like going to a friend’s house after school. They seem to be afraid of salt, but it’s typical diner fare, and the wait staff is sweet and attentive. The soups are good, btw. Mmm… Decent comfort food in a neighborhood. Not for the gourmand (or snob), but it’s a slice of home — and that could be good or bad. ;)
The tuna melts are my boyfriend. Yum.