I love an old school diner, especially those of the retro looking tin can style. When I saw this one on the lower lever of JFK Terminal 4 near the exit where the taxi stand is I thought about going in for a shake or snack. It was closed and taken over by FIFA using it as one of their office hubs because of the World Cup being here. BOOOOOOO!!!!! Like that corrupt organization could not afford to set up their own booth or tent area on this floor? Or locate it somewhere else? Very disappointing experience. read more

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Perfect place to sit. Not many sitting places in this part of the airport. Not enough waitstaff either. And plenty of angry people surrounding me, and two requests for a restaurant manager while I waited. I just wanted a place to sit-even if I had to order food. The coffee was great! Although one cup, no refills. The soup and sandwich special didn't include the soup or sandwich I wanted. Sandwiches from the second down to one from the bottom. Soup choices shared on request. No figuring it out otherwise. And the waitress was off to another table. Never did get food. From the statements of others in the restaurant, that might have been the best outcome. read more

Central Diner - a man sitting at the counter - Diners Near Me - Jamaica, New York

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16 minutes until someone came by to check in and offer water or take water. Put in my order for the big man breakfast, hash brown with eggs and toast..... eggs not served as ordered, food cold, and my rapidly dispirited mood even cooler. Waitress came by zero times from the time the remedied plate came back and my finishing it up. Sure, I was fresh off a long red eye and might not have been dressed to impress nor the most fragrant flower in he bunch, but still--stop by once please. She did however offer me a coffee to go, and in doing so avoided a 2-star rating. The ambience does look, feel, and sound like a diner with the cacophony of clanking, ringing and not so unpleasant din of multicultural banter. read more

Central Diner - Diners Near Me - Jamaica, New York

So we came to see our friend come in from Milan and we wanted to chill before we fly back to Detroit. So, we go pick out a seat and we order some drinks while we wait. Our friend arrives, we exchange pleasantries and then she orders a drink as well. I had the meatball hoagie and she had the chicken wings. My sandwich was pretty good. Parmesan was the first to hit your tastebuds, then the meatball with a bit of marinara finish. Mwah!!! The chicken wings was pretty good,, the wings very definitely too cute. They were tiny. Anyways, Stephon Curry,, our server that day was on point. Kept our beers filled when it was empty. Our waters filled as well and took great care of us. We saw he got a bit slammed at some point, but I understand. Service usually slows down when the diner to server ratio goes up. Everything was pleasant and would definitely eat here again. Thank you so much for reading my review. I hope this helps your decision making experience. Enjoy your awesome yelptastic day!!! read more

Central Diner - Sriracha Mary - Diners Near Me - Jamaica, New York

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Good for quick bite while waiting for flights. It was my first meal in the USA so I remember this. I got down and was waiting for my friend. I ordered one grill chicken sandwich which came with fries. It was too big for me. I was hungry so I ate in like minutes. It was one good sandwich. But after that I did go there for 2-3 times, I am not sure chef has been changed or what, I did not get the same sandwich again. I guess if you don't have an option then you can go there. read more

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Went for a quick bite and coffee .. coffee was good .. mozzarella sticks was average .. fries had very less salt and wasn't that crispy . Hummus dip was good . Was a bit cold though ... they also had a small bar with beer and other stuff .. service was ok .. could have been better .. overall an average experience read more

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What can I say? DEFINITELY "diner" quality food. I ordered the tuna melt but I was expecting it to be open faced like usual with like tomato & lettuce & all of the things that usual tuna melts came with but it didn't. But- it was pretty good without any of that stuff anyway! The fries are really yummy as well. The reason I'm giving it three stars is because 1. The couple next to us didn't seem to happy with their food & 2. My boyfriend's chicken sandwich was so bad he took the chicken out & tried to eat the bread, lettuce & tomato.. But that wasn't really a meal so he stopped & didn't have much of a lunch :( Convenient if you need to pass time, but if you plan on going into security, wait & get something better past security! read more

Central Diner - Diners Near Me - Jamaica, New York

This is the worst diner I've ever been to in my life... (The absolute worst part is thinking about all the less atrocious food - in comparison - inside the security check point that I can't get to.) I had a couple of hours to spare between a drop off and a pick up at JFK and needed a place to work/charge devices while grabbing a bite. I knew I should have gone to the JetBlue food court the moment I stepped in. Super depressing atmosphere. Everyone looks sad to be stuck eating here. Menu is expensive. Doesn't look all that clean. All the food looks OLD. I would be surprised if McDonald's isn't better tasting than this.. Went through the menu and picked the thing you can least mess up on - buffalo wings. Well...Tastes like twigs in buffalo sauce. Super curious about the reviewers who say the food tastes good - must have been starved for hours on their flights and/or totally drunk. Service is ok. Except at the end when the waiter put a big circle around the part of the check that lists the recommended gratuity amounts. When does doing this ever make me want to tip more? Stay away. Better off getting food from a vending machine. read more

Central Diner - Wings taste pretty much like dry twigs in buffalo sauce - Diners Near Me - Jamaica, New York

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I'm not sure why people rate this so low....what are you expectations?!? This is a small diner in the airport!! This place was good for what it is. My chicken quesadilla was delicious! My husband ordered the burger which was cooked to perfection and the fries were awesome. This place is great! It's a decent place if you need to eat at the airport. Are there better places? Sure, but this was convenient after we grabbed our bags and were ready to leave the airport! read more

Central Diner - Diners Near Me - Jamaica, New York

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I've never eaten at a 1* Yelp restaurant before, so I had really low expectations. It's not as bad as I was expecting, but it is what it is, airport food. At the end of the day, $10 chicken fingers and fries isn't that bad. read more

Central Diner - the receipt for the restaurant - Diners Near Me - Jamaica, New York

Not bad at all for an all night comfort food option. Looong story, but just spent the night stuck in limbo at the airport, and this was a fine (only!!) choice for a place to gather your thoughts, eat some reasonably prepared breakfast food, and recharge your phone. Service was fine, my egg wrap was a bit on the greasy side, and my coffee was freshly made, which you don't always find at 3am. To those who are complaining about the prices (my wrap and home fries were a very reasonable $9.99) airport food is ALWAYS more $$, and for what it's worth, I think this place was actually pretty reasonable. No gourmet deluxe, and probably not my choice for lunch or dinner, but a good enough choice (esp. when there is no other other choice!!) Central Diner is your 3am oasis in a sea of NOTHING at JFK Airport!! read more

Central Diner - Diners Near Me - Jamaica, New York

For an airport eatery and diner the food is pretty good. They will seat you in a comfy booth and you can order little and they won't rush you out. Ayesha was all smiles and killed as she served me my hard boiled eggs and my daughter some awesome pancakes. The lattes are delish. If waiting for a plane and needing a bite in terminal 4 there are not many options. Go for it and have a good time. read more

Central Diner - Heavy duty pancakes - Diners Near Me - Jamaica, New York

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I liked that this place wasn't busy, I walked in & I was seated immediately. There are chargers along the bar areas & at the tables with the coat hooks so if you're on the other side you're SOL. I was looking to get the Buffalo Chicken Mac & Cheese but after reviewing what it looked like (on Yelp of course) it didn't look too appetizing. Looks like Velveta with cut up pieces of chicken. I had time to kill but not enough to work with that. It was still pretty early in the morning so decided to go with their all day breakfast route & order buttermilk pancakes with bacon. They were actually pretty good. I don't know why I expected the worst but I was happy with my choice. I had plenty of time to sit & relax so I ordered the spinach artichoke dip with chips. They give you a great amount of dip but I probably should have held off on that. The dip was lukewarm & didn't taste very appetizing. They took it back & brought another but it was just about the same. Granted they got a busy & I was just killing time I didn't feel rushed at all. read more

Central Diner - Spinach Artichoke dip with chips - Diners Near Me - Jamaica, New York

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This was a very basic place that had several "diner" options and was open after midnight when we landed. Don't look for anything fancy - you get what you ask for. The hostess wasn't kind or friendly to us - maybe she was tired, which I understand, but still also rubbed us weirdly. But alas, we didn't come for good service - we came for survival food after a long cross-country flight. And for that as well, we got what we asked for. read more

Central Diner - Diners Near Me - Jamaica, New York

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Terrible food, uninterested staff. Major health risks, look at the rotten carrots I was served with. Food safety dpt needs to pay them a visit!!! read more

Central Diner - Carrots with an order if Hummus - Diners Near Me - Jamaica, New York

Stay very, very, very far away from this place. Unless your idea of a pleasant dinner is sitting in a booth for an hour, only to be told that they've run out of every single thing your table has ordered. This after half the menu has already been ruled out because "breakfast all day" apparently actually means "breakfast when they happen to have enough staff on-hand to cook it." There are, however, some lovely vending machines down the hall for once you give up on this hopeless establishment. read more

Had no choice to eat here. Slow service and waitresses complained about patrons in front of my husband and I. My husband ordered a second beer and never got it and was charged. The waitress didn't even offer to take it off the bill and we were so ready to leave we just ate the cost. I also found a hair in my food..... read more

This place is hard for me to review because I really did like my experience here and the times I have been here have not been crowded but the expenses here are way to much for me to give it a 4 stars. First the interior of this place is really nice and properly resembles a 1950's diner. It is open 24/7 and offers breakfast all the time. Music is really pleasant as well and makes this a nice stop for coming off a flight. The food is really good as well. Variety here is really good and for desert they sell Juniors cheesecake. On busy days it can take a while to get your food though so if you see its crowded you might want to avoid it that day. The waitresses and staff here are very friendly and talkative. Again it adds to this places enjoyability. However even with all these things considered because its a airport resturuant they chalk up the prices to ridiculous levels. People who are not familiar with americana diners like this one may not be aware of this either but this loses one of the best charms of 1950's diners... which is the affordable and reasonably priced food. Every 1950's diner I have been too, whether its from upstate new york or New York City has affordable food. This has even been true for locations in NYC which have expensive nearby restaurants. The fact that this place is the exact opposite and has jacked up prices because its in a airport is quite disappointing. Overall everything is fine about this place but the prices on the food is real disappointing for a 1950's establishment. read more

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One and only sit down place to eat at the Terminal 4 in JFK airport before going through the security (which is quite shameful compared with most of the other terminals). Also, note that the diner is located in the very busy arrivals hall on the first floor. Everything inside resembles traditional new diner. As we sat down at around 4 pm on Tuesday, we were warned that food might take about 25-30 minutes to arrive - which is a nice (even though it only took about 10 minutes for our order to arrive). I had Jalapeno poppers, which were nicely made and presented, and quite tasty. My niece had fish and chips, and while the portion was generous, the coating was soaked in oil and consequently, very greasy, so she ended up picking the fish from the inside. Service was friendly and attentive. All in all, it was not amazing, but reasonable experience. read more

I had a long layover in JFK & couldn't check in yet so I had time to kill. Central diner in terminal 4 was convenient for charging my electronics & it was also lunchtime. I had a chocolate milkshake & Greek salad with chicken, which both were absolutely delicious. The service was absolutely phenomenal. Piroska was a god-send. She was so attentive and kind. I visit large cities often & you don't see that kind of personal touch very often. It was definitely appreciated!!! read more

I don't know why this diner is rated so low. It's actually really good and our waiter Esther was really attentive and nice. Where else can you get breakfast, top shelf liquor, and juniors cheesecake in one place?? read more

Came here after my global travel interview. Been a hectic week and wanted a little me time. This throw back diner is located in terminal 4. The ambience and 50s music immediately put me at ease. The staff lead by Piroska made me comfortable and served up comfort food with a smile. The breakfast burrito was full of guacamole and had good solid pieces of sausage. Hearty with a side of home fries that were crispy. Add a dash of Tabasco and the meal was great. The pies and cakes caught my eye. From Juniors so had to to go a few slices. Recommended for those who want a relaxing bite to get away from travel stress. read more

Central Diner - Breakfast Burrito - Diners Near Me - Jamaica, New York

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This review may be the outlier, but our 1:00 am meal @ Central Diner was pretty good. Service was respectable, with a little repartee with our server that showed humor and appreciation of our respective situations, she responded with her "A" game. True, the joint wasn't busy that time of day, but it is still a long shift cleaning house and serving those midnight stragglers. Our order for the Hot Dog Special and standard Cheeseburger, were brought to us quickly, and were about as enjoyable as could be expected. They weren't Shake Shack (available after going through security), but were a step up from Nathan's. Maybe not kosher, but the taste was mostly beef. Load of fries on the sides. Prices were not extravagant. Central Diner filled us and left us satisfied. Certainly a real 3 Star experience. read more

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After a long flight (or drive in to pick someone up) this is a delightful spot to crash. The energy is old schools diner: casual, perky and fast! Open 24 hours (!) breakfast, lunch and dinner are offered at all price points. I was incredibly tempted by their prime rib special ($32.99). Alas, it was only 10am and this gem only begins at 11am :/ (The signage is motivating. "UNTIL SOLD OUT") The short stack is quite large. Two pancakes fill an 11" plate with a side order of bacon or sausage links. (There's another choice but the meticulous staff keeps scooping up the menu. I can't torture them further by pulling it down again.) Seat yourself. Grab a menu. Feel free to grab a server too. Outlets line the bar and booth area. Checks can be split by dollar amount instead of items. Complimentary wifi is available for 30 minutes. If you only stop outside, at the to go area, know that the team inside is hustling to make things work. (Go Gus! Seriously.) I'm sure all the servers are wonderful. However, I was spoiled by Kia. (So, so very chipper!) Thank you Central Diner! read more

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When I go to the airport to pick up a friend or relative (mostly my mother who visits me every so often), and their flight is delayed, I find myself looking for a cafe or a diner to feed my boredom. Accordingly, when this 24-hour diner opened a little less than two years ago, it was a welcome addition to the arrivals area of JFK airport's terminal 4, where there is an acute dearth of dining options. The first time I went there was exactly a week after they opened, and everything looked promising. The food was really tasty, and the service was very cordial. The meatloaf sandwich consisted of a generous slice of very flavorfully seasoned all-beef meatloaf and crispy onion straws on Texas toast. The crinkle-cut fries were crisp on the outside and soft inside. The orange creamsicle cake was moist and fluffy, and the cream cheese frosting was layered in just the right proportion to the cake. I actually felt like I'd be looking forward to going to the airport to receive guests, and hoping that their flights would be delayed! My subsequent visits, however, have all been a major let-down. The meatloaf sandwich is no longer offered, the fries are limp and bland, and the orange creamsicle cake does not taste fresh anymore. Service continues to be friendly and gracious, however. I had liked this diner so much on my first visit that I wanted to believe that each of the half dozen of my subsequent visits was an off day that the kitchen was having. Fool me twice, shame on me; fool me half a dozen times, my head must forever remain hung in ignominy! This must be what betrayal in love must feel like! read more

At JFK Terminal 4. Only place to eat. I came into the diner and a sign read "please seat yourself." So I went to a table with my son that needed to be cleared off because it was a booth. Server said that I need to sit somewhere else with two seats. I told her that we could wait for the booth. She said it was going to take a long time. I said we will wait because we wanted to sit next to each other and had lots of bags that would be in the way. While we were waiting supervisor came and told us that the booth was only for groups of 4-6. I said fine seat us (previous server had said to wait). Two minutes later they seated an Asian couple in the booth we were waiting for even though there were many tables open for couples in half the restaurant. Hmmm server had a chip on her shoulder. I was hoping that at least the food would be good. Expensive too burger $13.99. Ouch! No stars! read more

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When I was flying back from Amsterdam, I missed my connecting flight at JFK for LAX. It was like midnight and I had nowhere to go, so another passenger that missed her flight and I decided to grab a bite to eat here. Our server took what felt like forever to come take our order. I ordered a basket of fries and she had the tuna melt. The fries were terrible and the tuna melt... let's just say that it did not taste like a tuna melt. When it came time to pay our bill, the cashier didn't seem to understand that we wanted to split the bill by paying only what each of us ordered. After 10 minutes of explaining what we meant, the bill was split down the middle. The only reason why I'm giving it any stars is because their cocktails were nice a strong. Next time I'm stuck overnight at JFK, I'm avoiding Central Diner. read more

If you need to eat and you've just landed at Terminal 4 at JFK, stay inside the post-security area, where there are myriad options and wonderful choices at that. Once you exit the secured area and find yourself in the baggage claim/passenger pickup chaos, Central Diner appears to be your only sit-down choice, and they're certainly not working hard to keep up appearances beyond their kitschy-cute diner facade. There's not a lot of room for your "extra baggage" here, literally and figuratively. Don't expect nods of understanding as you wield your large checked bag around the bar stool area, as I had to do. Seating my lone self at the bar seemed like the best way to get quick service, but the waitress wanted to take my order without me even having a menu, and then was obviously agitated that I didn't know what I wanted. Hilarious. I ordered a Peppermint Patty milkshake, which was featured on their specials board, but the waitress told me that I "couldn't have one because people think it's gross." Hilarious again; I ordered one anyway. Should have listened to the waitress on that one; it was one teaspoon short of being 100% Sysco Food Supply Peppermint Extract, 0% milk/ice cream. An "excruciating" 2 minutes of looking over the menu while the waitress hovered over me like a buzzard waiting its next carcass, I decided on the breakfast burrito, as I needed something I could escape with and eat on the run. I ended up with a breakfast burrito shoved into a too-small to-go container, with grease permeating every surface, sad scrambled eggs, and mushy crinkle fries stuffed inside the tortilla. I picked out what was edible and threw away the rest (along with that God-awful milkshake)...and $21. I get the "attitude" that comes along with NYC...but also what normally comes along with NYC is good eats. This is an airport, not NYC, and the eats were no good. Stay inside the terminal! read more

Central Diner - The Peppermint Patty Milkshake is featured, but the waitress told me not to order it because no one likes it. I ordered it. Oops - Diners Near Me - Jamaica, New York

After having missed my flight to LAX, Central Diner is one to remember. I really enjoyed having an appetizer and desert. The boneless chicken wings are just delicious and the red velvet cake with cheesecake frosting was amazing!!! Comfortable booths to wait for my flight and to charge my cell. Nathan my server was very efficient and kept smiling even at 3 am. read more

Central Diner - Nathan, you rock! - Diners Near Me - Jamaica, New York

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Don't go there! Stay hungry is way better. I got a burger (their best seller) that doesn't have any taste. I waited a long time and then the food including fries was cold!! Our server was nice but I tried to ask another one a question as she walked by and she was rude and just said "Go talk to your server" People are waiting for about an hour in here. My wife's fish and ships is no better than my burger. So seriously stay hungry or go to the dunkin dounts until you reach a better place. If you want a drink then it should be fine. read more

This is the worst place I've ever eaten at during my twenty years on this earth. Central Diner takes the cake, hands down. No contesting. I'm not even going to bother spending more than three minutes on this review. Long story short: I arrived at JFK Airport at midnight from California. Damn near every eatery in the airport was closed. Mind you, I was starving. Pros: ??? Cons: Harrowing service. Don't even get me started on how long it took me to flag down a waiter/waitress to take my order. Wretchedly over priced food. The food tastes awful. I had a slice of their dry ass cake, which I couldn't even bring myself to finish. The cheese atop of my fries were thick and spongy, horrendous; it appeared old. Soup was also a miss. ON TOP OF THAT, THEY HAVE THE NERVE TO ASK FOR GRATUITY HAAHHAHAHAHAHA read more

Central Diner - Bacon Mac n (government) cheese fries. They look better than they taste. Trust me on this one. - Diners Near Me - Jamaica, New York

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Worse diner food I've ever had, I feel like they don't even try. I know it's in the airport and people won't have much choice but to eat at limited place when they are hungry but they are paying for the food. Everything we ordered, not even one turned out to be decent. Took them forever to serve our food and we didn't even order anything fancy, mainly all fry stuff and the services there are horrible too. Looks like they don't have enough server there as well. Next time I am just going to starve or bring my own food read more

Central Diner - Diners Near Me - Jamaica, New York

Good place to have breakfast lunch or dinner at the airport and you do feel like you're eating diner food. Breakfast selections are great. I like their egg sandwiches. For lunch and dinner nothing beats a good ol' greasy diner burger. Really great food. read more

Central Diner - Diners Near Me - Jamaica, New York

Thanks Brittany for a great stop in for breakfast. Food was great and the service was too. Everyone had there own personality that shined. Just how I envision it in a dinner on the street corner! Thanks for everything! If you need a meal this is the place to check out! read more

The service was the worst I've ever experienced. It's like they don't like people. The food was actually good and the menu was decent and diner-like. Desserts look amazing but we didn't try them. We had to leave. Waiter was worse than rude. read more

Central Diner - View from inside diner. - Diners Near Me - Jamaica, New York

Great way to get used to being ignored by NewYorkers. I sat at the counter for 10 minutes before I decided to leave and eat a cold sandwich from the anonymous vender nearby. What I did see of the food while there was uninspiring. But it's probably the best diner at Terminal 4. read more

Central Diner - Diners Near Me - Jamaica, New York

Boyfriend and i arrived at JFK around 11pm and were hungry after a 16 hour flight. We asked around and found out that the only restaurant that was currently still open was Central Diner in terminal 4. Our waitress was very sweet and attentive. We ordered two hotdogs and some buffalo wings. The wings were really good, but the hot dog was mediocre. read more

JFK Terminal 4 has few eateries At Central Diner to rest my legs and wait for a friend A guy shouts out orders to the kitchen while standing in front of it. So don't sit in front of the kitchen unless you like all that shouting. However, he is the one who knew that my burger was missing the avocado and that I wasn't given utensils. Seems like he is the only guy who knows what is going on. Burger was a little charred. Fries were good. No Coca Cola, only Pepsi but they didn't say so till they served it. Finally someone noticed that my Pepsi was all gone and asked if I wanted another one. I got it promptly too. read more

Central Diner - Diners Near Me - Jamaica, New York

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This restaurant is the only option outside the security area at Terminal 4 & JFK. The food was subpar diner fare and the servers seemed harried and exhausted. You are better off getting a bite outside the airport. read more

OMG, Central Diner was actually excellent. More than anything, Central Diner has an awesome vibe. These guys are certainly serving yum in here. The team is very friendly. I really valued that. Highly recommended this place any day. read more