Ritz Diner

This place has really gone down hill. I haven’t been here in years and the last time I recall it was pretty decent. This time sucked though. They have no AC first off which makes the place hot: the bathroom is tiny, hot and dirty. The rest of it hasn’t been updated in years. The food is nothing special, although I was pretty grossed out by the butter they served with my toasted being melted from sitting out. I suppose if it’s 4 AM and you’re drunk it’s ok but sober it’s a disaster and pretty over priced as well.

It doesn’t take a lot for me to be happy in a diner. I’m from NJ — I was weaned on them for cryin’ out loud. Generally you can’t go wrong as long as you’re plunking down plates laden with eggs, hash browns, pancakes and hot coffee. The Ritz Diner failed miserably at every turn. You couldn’t pay me to go back: it took ages to be seated, the waiter was as rude as I’ve ever seen (even by NY standards), my order was delivered after a lengthy wait and then it was completely wrong. I asked repeatedly for cream for coffee/​tea and it came half an hour later by which time our drinks were cold. After finally receiving the correct order and finishing our meal we couldn’t get the check to save our lives. We walked to the front to pay but couldn’t manage to that done either. We gave the waitress at the register $ 20 to cover everything and walked out. Do yourself a favor — choose from one of the many other fabulous diners in NYC and avoid the Ritz at all cost!

This spot is your typical diner. Not much to look at aesthetically, but prices are cheap for the area. I ordered the brunch special for $ 14.99, which included an entrée, orange juice, and fruit salad. My steak was over cooked and was unpleasant to eat, and the home fries were just not good. Also, it seems as if the restaurants air conditioning was out of order, so it was very hard to enjoy my dining experience in the heat.

Cute diner. Pancakes and eggs were ok. I felt like the pancakes were missing something, but still would go back

I mean, what’s wrong with using a staple gun to repair the booths with customers eating in your restaurant?
Also, the peanut butter pancakes are literally 3 pancakes with a blob of peanut butter on top. Really.

Ugh. This place is one of the worst restaurants I’ve ever been to. I live a few blocks away and first tried it when I moved in. My food was ok but our waiter never came back. Literally. He actually disappeared and we never saw him again. Tracking down a different waiter to give us our bill took 20 minutes. I’ve never felt so disrespected as a customer. I tried again a few months later because I needed a quick lunch before work and my dad was in town. I asked for a grilled cheese. I received essentially 2 pieces of toast with room temperature cheese between. The cheese wasn’t melted at all. That was the last time I will ever go there.

A little surprised at some of these negative reviews. My husband and I walked in for brunch after a late night. We were expecting a huge wait but they told us 5 minutes. We actually saw seats at the bar so we inquired and were seated right away.
I think the people here are not the most friendly people but they do their job and they do it efficiently. Which means they’re not going to meander and ask you how you are doing and have a conversation with you because they have lots to do. So if you are someone who needs that kind of interaction, I wouldn’t say this is the place for you. But for us it was perfect because we just wanted our food ASAP.
I ordered from their brunch menu and got the Nova Scotia eggs benedict and my husband got a veggie omelet from the regular menu plus a side of bacon. I wouldn’t say this is necessarily a cheap place but I think paying 14 for a salmon and eggs benedict with a coffee/​tea/​juice and some fruit is not bad at all. And most importantly, it tasted delicious.
It wasn’t too loud and wasn’t too quiet so it was pleasant. We would definitely come back.

I have been ordering take out breakfast from this place for two years and today they tried to charge $ 14.95 for a western omelette (just the omelette because I asked that they do not include the fries and toast) with sausage on the side. My order usually runs me about $ 10-​$ 11.00 depending on how the waitress feels but today it was $ 14.95 *blank stare* but why??. I kindly told them they could keep their overpriced breakfast platter. They won’t be seeing me again simply for the inconsistency in pricing and the fact that the food is just okay (not many great breakfast options in the area) but I continued to go there because it was convenient.

Classic diner with delicious food. I look forward to another trip to NYC to visit again. We were able to get a table right away and the service was terrific. The burgers were delicious and prices were reasonable.

If you want to eat average food in a crappy diner, this is the setting for you. I went for lunch and I was transported to my childhood where we couldn’t really afford much, but we could always afford to go to a sad dimly lite diner. I got the Monte Cristo sandwich which was a transportation back in time before seasoning was invented. There is a picture, it speaks for itself. Everything was gross, don’t go here.

A Ok for fast service from friendly servers. Nice hostess at register. A very busy diner. Every seat filled as soon as it was vacated. Noise level a little high for conversation. Pretty nasty floor under the table. It is open 24 hours a day. When do they clean?
I thought I had been to Ritz before. My daughter said no, that we went to Tramway Diner on Second which closed down.
Daughter enjoyed her Wrap. I told waiter tomato allergy. They must have misunderstood. I get that a lot. The sandwich was very filling. It had lots of turkey, bacon, avocado, lettuce and unwanted tomato. It was enough to take half home for a late night snack!
In conclusion, today’s lunch was nothing special to write home (or to Unilocal) about. Positive outcomes-I’m full and I didn’t spend much. Next time we decide to eat in this neighborhood we’ll try some place different.

Arrived just in time for the morning specials. We got a monte cristo and the lumberjack. Both equally delicious. Lots of turkey on the MC and tasty sausage with the lumberjack.
The staff are friendly, attentive and smiley. We were fortunate enough to sit in a booth so had a fantastic view of 1^st avenue up and down. Décor is pleasant and clean and the coffee is good. All in all a super eating experience and great value.

This is your standard NYC diner. There is nothing ritzy about it. I’ve ordered from here and ate here once and it’s what you would expect. Come here for some pancakes, eggs, a burger, nothing glamorous. Inside it’s a little cramped, especially on the weekends, but the food is fine and hits any of your diner cravings.

Standard breakfast food. Just very fast. Worth giving it a shot if you’re looking for a quick meal.
Staff was friendly and stopped by to refill my coffee several times.
Maybe I’ll try something other than breakfast on my next visit.

Open ²⁴⁄₇.
The quality isn’t the greatest. The food is not the best either, but if you are in the area there’s nothing else but Jackson Hole — which is honestly not better.
Bacon grilled cheese at 6 am? Yes, sometimes you just need that sh*t.
Hangover breakfast? Yes, Ritz is here for you too.
–Do avoid the Caesar wrap tho… that thing looked kinda gray to me.
Also avoid the steak and eggs because they are definitely not good enough to cure that hangover of yours.
The service is alright enough to get your coffee refilled without asking.
They are also ok with giving separate checks for each person in a group of 10, which is highly appreciated. Thanks Ritz for accommodating our rowdy but good-​natured selves last Saturday morning. haha

My first night after moving to New York, I stopped by this diner because it was open late. There were only a few people inside. Sat down and ordered the appetizer platter (fried mozzarella sticks, chicken wings, and chicken tenders. Wow, did it hit the spot. Everything was perfectly fried and flavorful. To be honest, I was shocked because when the dish came out, it looked like lumps of Play-​Doh. So… they could use a little work on presentation, but it was good where it really mattered. We also tried the chocolate fudge cake, which tasted a bit stale. I understand, since it’s late at night, but it wasn’t great.
I guess the 3 stars was for the service. We had to physically stand up and go to the food preparation area to get water refilled, ask where our cake was, etc. Maybe it was just an off night, but it was noticeably bad service. We saw them mix up other table’s foods as well.
If you don’t care about the service and you’re looking for satisfying eats in this area of town that’s (relatively) cheap, probably worth checking out.

My favorite neighborhood diner. Solid diner food. Eat in or delivery 24 hours (they get a star just for that). From burgers to omlets the food is good. DC’s club is my go to sandwich — fresh turkey, bacon, avocado, tomato, lettuce, comes with fries or potato salad. Other mentionables — gyro platter, hot open turkey or brisket sandwiches excellent, the Ruben is good too. Great homemade soups with a selection of soups of the day which are not listed on menu, you have to ask ;) — (love the Manhattan clam chowder). Finish your meal with a good old fashioned milk shake (the Creamsicle is so good), or an egg cream and your all set.
3 stars for food, 1 star for ²⁴⁄₇ service.

Stopped by here after an early morning training. I had time to spare so I had actually walked all the way down from 85^th street, just wanting to explore this side of town and maybe grab something small to eat. I passed a few cafés and diners but most were over priced for the area and had a poor selection! So when I seen 2 eggs any style, with home fries, toast and free coffee for 5.70 I was like ‘hell ya!’
The guy on the door, I think was a manager or owner. Not very friendly. Just told me when to take a table but didn’t give me a menu or anything! I’ve been here for 40mons now and he hasn’t stopped looking in the register since I walked in the door…
My server was very friendly, bus boy refilled my coffee. The food came out quickly and was just what I needed.
The presentation wasn’t fantastic… but look, it’s a diner. It’s a 5.70 meal… I don’t need it to look fancy, at 5.70…it’s a good deal!
Definitely a nice spot for early morning breakfast can’t vouch for dinner or lunch!
Have bookmarked the business so I remember it for when I’m back in the area!
Serious that guy is still looking in the register… has he a pet squirrel in there or what??!

Stopped here for a quick lunch, at least that was the idea.
Seated and water arrived, the menu being as large as normal for a diner (just with city pricing, so think 25−50% more expensive than your Denny’s outside the city), and then waited.
Now, I’m not a short-​order chef, but 25 minutes to make a sandwich and a burger seems a bit extreme to me.
The sandwich was focaccia bread with grilled chicken, cheese, and bacon — nothing wrong with it, and was pleasantly aromatic. The mushroom burger, though — skip it. The mushrooms are basically boiled/​cooked with no salt or butter. They were limp and unexciting with little to no flavor on the burger, either. Totally not worth the $ 11.
The curly fries were acceptable (not quite spiced enough) and the regular fries were tasty, though. That’s the only thing that saved the meal.
Maybe they do breakfast better? Might try if we’re pressed for an option in the future. One good point in their favor: Open 24 hours.

This greasy spoon local gets the distinction as the first restaurant I ever ate at in New York. And it’s pretty cool. If you’re lucky enough to eat late there, you may also get some entertainment on the side.
Located a few steps from The Bentley Hotel (guess where I stayed?) this 50’s style eatery offers up tasty American diner food at a very fair price. During the week I was there I had every meal imaginable there, from breakfast to 3am post bar grub and all were great. I remember that as far as particularities go, the burgers were juicy and tasty, the fries had that golden brown texture that comes from having the oil just a bit too old but not spoilt, and the hash browns followed in the formidable footsteps of their French fried cousins.
Seating is comfortable and the tables with a street view have fairly high top seats offering good separation. However, the separation wasn’t enough to stop a drunken customer in the booth behind our table from saying he’d like to spend some alone time with my girlfriend (who was actually a classmate of mine, thus I was more amused than offended), and it also did not stop the guy in the booth ahead of our table from saying he’d like to give the drunk guy a knuckle sandwich. This went on for a good hour. Never a dull moment when you’re in New York!
From my experience this place is good times.
Worth the trip for the fact that it’s in the centre of the universe alone!

Lustiger Diner. Urig. Irgendwie, wie man sich einen Diner in New York vorstellt. Die Bedienung könnte einen Tacken freundlicher sein. Alle Erwartungen erfüllt wir waren oft Frühstücken.

Das in der Upper East Side gelegene Diner auf der First Street ist 24h geöffnet. Der ursprüngliche Charme wird mit den typischen roten Bänken und der langen Theke untermauert.
Die Serviceleute waren echt flott und es gab keine Beanstandung. Auch als wir uns an einen Fensterplatz gesetzt haben wurde uns alle hinterher gebracht. Soviel Service ist für mich als Deutschen echt ungewohnt ;)
Beim Essen ist die Auswahl groß. Da wir zum späten Frühstück dort rein sind, war meine Wahl: ein Bagel belegt mit Schinken, Käse und Spiegelei, dazu Bratkartoffeln und Kaffee. Ganz schön schwere Kost aber dafür bin ich den Rest des Tages ja auch quer durch New York gelaufen
Meine Begleitung hatte einen French Toast, das so genannte «Monte Cristo Sandwich» mit zerlaufenem Greyerzer Käse, Truthahnbrust und Schinken, dazu obligatorisch Ahornsirup.
Insgesamt waren wir danach Pappsatt. Das Essen war okay, aber einfach zu fettig. Service war top und Preis-​Leistung gerade noch okay.
Tipp: Man sollte darauf achten einen Fenstersitzplatz zu bekommen, da die anderen Plätze beengt und ungemütlich sind.