This spot has had more name changes than a witness in a crime novel--Chef's, Classic Chef's, and now Chef's Gatherings--but whatever they're calling it these days, it's still serving up the kind of breakfast that fuels adventurers. We stopped in before tackling Shequaga Falls, Seneca Lake, and Taughannock Falls, because nothing says "ready to hike" like a plate of bacon, eggs, and hash browns that could double as a weighted vest. The coffee was strong enough to wake up even the laziest hiker, and the service was just the right mix of friendly and efficient--classic diner style. The pies in the case were eyeing us the whole time, whispering, "you'll regret not ordering me." Sadly, we stayed disciplined... but next time, those pies are mine. Bottom line: Chef's Gatherings may change names like it's in witness protection, but it's still a reliable, hearty, small-town diner. Perfect for loading up before chasing waterfalls. read more

See all

Cute little establishment with great food and service! No one left hungry and the food was hot and delicious. Quick service. Smiling faces. I enjoyed watching the waterfall from the table. read more

See all

This is definitely one of my favorite places to stop at when I'm in Watkins Glen. Their breakfast specials are perfect and they come with a lot of food. The service is always great and food comes out quick. It is cash only but they have an atm at the front. read more

See all

Really good food. The staff were kind and friendly. The biscuit and gravy looked heavy but was very light and tasted great. The pancakes were nice and fluffy and you can't really go wrong with over easy eggs and home fries. The place itself needs some updating and tidying a little. But not too bad overall. read more

See all

Been coming here for years during hunting seasons. The food is amazing. Service is great and the staff are always so nice. Its Very clean including the restrooms. I order The rubbish its a lot of food which I can never finish but has a little bit of everything. Eggs, potatoes, sausage, bacon, sausage gravy and hollandaise sauce with a side of toast or English muffin. Definitely a great place to enjoy great food. Always such a pleasure. read more

Classic Chefs - Breakfast - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Montour Falls, New York

This was a great little diner to grab inexpensive (like, less than $10 for an entree) food in an area where most things are touristy and expensive! It has a nice local feel and the service was great. Our waitress was exceptionally nice and patient with a large group sitting next to us. I got the liver and onions and bacon, with home fries. It was the best liver I've ever had. Yum! Portion sizes and large and they have a huge menu. Lots of sandwiches, burgers, dinners, a nice little salad bar that was very fresh. I'm glad we chose this place over a more touristy location in Watkins Glen. It's only about 3 minutes down the road from the state park. read more

Classic Chefs - Salad bar - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Montour Falls, New York

See all

Best burgers in town. 10x better than Burger King. If you're looking for a nice family diner this is the place for you. Food: 10/10 Sevice 9/10 Atmosphere 9/10 read more

Great breakfast. Big portions and friendly staff. Definitely get the roast beef hash!!!

Excellent service and incredible food. First time in and will definitely return. Cute diner feel inside. Loved it. read more

This is the kind of eatery that makes me smile. It's filled with locals and in-the-know travelers, all of whom are eating and smiling. My friend lead me here and I'm so happy he did. I consider this a must-visit restaurant for anyone in the Finger Lakes region. Comfort food (I had their take on a cheese burger and loved it) is the reason to eat here. Try the house made chips for a crunchy treat. Lots of smiling, friendly wait staff and fast turn around on your order. Pitcher-sized soft drink glasses finishes the deal. Go, eat, you'll thank me later. read more

Absolute perfect American dinner with the sweetest server ever! Steak sandwich, meat filled chili, fries, hamburger, onion rings and the most delicious homemade pies! We tried the French silk, apple and lemon meringue they were all delicious! read more

No. Just no. Two stars for friendly staff. But to be fair, and honest, my review is two stars. The food felt as if it was from Walmart and microwaved. The eggs looked and tasted like Dunkin Donut eggs. My order came out wrong also. read more

Ambiance is quaint with old diner charm. Chocolate chip Pancakes, bacon, western omelet and hash browns were great tasting. Eggs Benedict was good. Waitress was friendly and service was quick. Price for a resort town were surprisingly cheap. Don't let the people outside fool you to think there is a long wait. The place is big inside and we got seated right away. Cheap; good eats - can't beat it while on vacation! read more

Classic Chefs - Chef's - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Montour Falls, New York

We came here based on yelp reviews. Almost left since it doesn't look like much from the outside but decided to trust the prior reviews and glad we did! The inside was a bit of a time warp, but very clean, nice menu and very friendly. I had the cheesesteak and it was delicious and my husband had a burger. Definitely recommend. Beware, cash only!! read more

If you are looking for breakfast comparable to IHOP, you won't find that here. Food was bland, pancakes prepared dark even though I requested them to be light. The hostess was super friendly, our server could have been a little more friendly considering we mentioned visiting the area. Atmosphere is that of a diner. read more

That's terrible! I confessed I am a vegen person! They gave me a potato! The next day, I still want to eat potatoes, metasomatism don't butter, as a result, they said can't do without butter potatoes, only light! Unless not crunchy, I wanted to commit suicide! Because they give me yesterday potato with butter! I am very angry! Too disgusted! I want to court! I'm going to wash the stomach! read more

Classic Chefs - Veggie burger - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Montour Falls, New York

See all

Great dinner entree on "Turkey Tuesday" and fun waitress, but the pie was boring so you can skip that.

Had breakfast here. The food was delish and our server was great. We sat outside and enjoyed the fall morning sun. Check them out you won't be disappointed. read more

It's a basic breakfast joint. Nothing fancy, but great food, clean, good service and a fair price. We were in town for a couple days and went twice for breakfast. read more

Recently, I made a decision not to do bad reviews any more. I had to make a decision for this place. The food on the day I went was absolutely horrible. The server while not horrible did not seem to know how to engage a customer. Saving grace is that the food was cheap. I really looked forward to going to Chefs as it is such an iconic location in the area. It was cettainly a dissapointment. read more

Absolutely phenomenal spot. Great vibe on the inside. Got the Philly cheesesteak with onion rings and wish I could give this place 6 stars!! Great people and great food! read more

The food was good and the prices were very reasonable. I got 2 eggs, toast, and roast beef hash and I was very satisfied. I also liked the atmosphere which had an old school diner feel to it I definitely want to come back to try the sausage gravy! read more

Yelp map pointed us to a wrong location for this diner. It's not on 4th street. This diner is right on Rt. 14 before you reach Watkins Glen State Park (if you are coming from the south and heading north toward the park). There weren't many options around for breakfast in that area. Chef's Diner was okay if you are just looking for your typical breakfast; eggs, bacon, and sausages. Breakfast price was very cheap. Make sure you bring cash, if not, there is an ATM inside. No credit cards accepted. read more

This is an awesome lunch spot after hiking. Very clean inside, food is delicious (and inexpensive), and staff is very nice. This is an old school diner with a nice variety of food options. We had the chili cheese fries, club sandwich, and crispy chicken sandwich. We were pleased with our selections. I recommend this place. I would dine here again. Maybe breakfast next time which they serve all day. I always forget to take pictures of the food. read more

Great food and wonderful hospitality! We were visiting the Watkins Glen state park and had quite an appetite when we reached this placewe were welcomed by a generous hostess who gave suggestions on the chicken dishes. My mother is a vegetarian and their veggie burger was a good option for her; please note that most diners don't even have a veg burger on their menu and so this was a pleasant surprise! The order we placed included blackened salmon, chicken finger melt burger, veggie burger and grilled chicken with Cajun spices.. It was yummy food and the salad bar was also filling. My toddler gulped down the barley n beef soup among other things!! Food was served within 7 mins of the order read more

Old time diner atmosphere. Went on Sunday morning for breakfast. Very fast service during a very busy time. Friendly folks. Cash only. Would definitely eat there again. read more

Old school diner! Everything was really good, really cheap, and big portions. If you are passing by and hungry I most definitely recommend. A+ read more

I had the "country steak and eggs" from the "hearty breakfasts" section of the menu. It was fried steak, eggs and potatoes and it came with a choice of pancake/toast/French toast/waffle/English muffin. A lot to eat but everything tasted great. So walk in there if you have a good appetite!! Also, they accept only cash ( there is an ATM inside ). read more

Awesome classic diner. The address listed is incorrect- actual address is 380 route 14 in montour falls. Breakfast was great - biscuits and gravy, chocolate chip pancakes. Quick, friendly service. Perfect before a day of brewery touring! read more

This place was AWESOME! Such a great location - right across from a small natural waterfall in the area. This is a classic diner-style restaurant with a lot of charm. The wait staff was friendly and attentive, despite being very busy on a Sunday morning. Our breakfasts were really delicious and absolutely huge. We got our two-year-old his own kids meal and definitely did not need to! If you are ordering breakfast with a small child, just share your breakfast! I promise there will be enough - I am pregnant and eating a ton, and still ended up taking half of my breakfast home. The chocolate chip pancakes were really awesome (mega chocolately), and my husband loved the Rubbish Plate (breakfast version of a garbage plate). Chef's is kid-friendly with a great kids menu and crayons. Both highchairs and booster seats are available. The noise level is also the classic diner noise level with lots of chatter, so if your kiddo fusses, it's not a big deal and no dirty looks are received! When we visit the area again, we will definitely be making a stop here. Note: They do NOT accept credit cards. read more

Between the food & the service you cant go wrong. It had a very friendly, home feel to it. We had gotten breakfast and it was delicious. The service was prompt but great. If you are near the area please check out this place, you will not be disappointed. read more

A little bit down the road from the Yelp location. Great coffee. Rubbish skillet. Texas Pete. Good bacon. I be back. read more

Classic Chefs - Rubbish Skillet - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Montour Falls, New York

Excellent place, great Hamburg and Texas hot! Awesome prices! Good old fashion diner. Filled with locals so you know it's consistent. Hamburg came with homemade chips - a tad over cooked for my personal taste but very good. Large portions. We will be back. read more

Classic Chefs - Excellent Hamburg ! - Breakfast & Brunch Near Me - Montour Falls, New York

Like a walk through the past. I LOVE this place. It's an old time diner and yep, the building is a little "old" so yeah, don't let that get in your head though. The food is the best. The wait staff ROCK. These gals take great care. I love their burgers. The sweet tater fries are the bomb. If you're looking for upper crust this ain't your spot, but if you're looking for home cooking style, happy people, and a great vibe/comfy atmosphere, this is the place. read more

Never again. We walked in and a waitress greeted us, asked if we'd like a booth and motioned towards an open booth for us to sit at which we did. We sat there, without placemats, silverware, or menus for 5 to 10 minutes. We watched as 2 waitresses ate French fries off a customer's plate at the counter and joking around while all of the staff seemed to almost deliberately avoid looking in our direction. A few minutes after we came in, a gentleman walked in. He was immediately sat, given a menu and his order taken... While we still continued to sit there without anything. At this point I'm pretty upset. Mom's asking if we should tell them we're waiting to which I respond, "if we need to tell them that we are waiting for any type of service, then they don't deserve our service and I'd rather leave." Another couple minutes of watching the girls eating fries and we get up to leave. As we are walking out, we overhear the waitresses complaining about another customer... (right behind the counter in front of everyone.) As we're walking out, we hear one of them rudely say something like.." Well just sit down" as if we weren't patient enough. The thing is, we are not nasty people who nitpick over things. We are overly friendly and we tip VERY well which is unfortunate for these waitresses because with a mostly senior crowd, the best tip they received all day probably would have been from us. If they would have just acknowledged us and said they'd be with us in a minute, we would have responded with "no worries, take your time, we understand." But no acknowledgement, clearly not busy, and a customer coming in after us and being served before we even have menus... NO THANKS!!!! It's all good through because we ended up finding a wonderful restaurant nearby that we were super happy with. They will be getting a 5 star review...The Crooked Rooster... Highly recommend. read more

The food is delicious and the staff is so friendly. I had a burger and it was fresh and moist. The onion rings were large and battered - delicious. read more

I've been here at least 3 times and it was always good. Make sure you bring cash, no credit cards

I've been going to chefs for years now and all my family and friends that visit the area always request going there too. Great potion sizes, prices and quality of food. And the sign of a good diner; they keep the hot coffee coming. The place is dated and could use some new booth cushions and linings but gives it that classic "dive diner" atmosphere, so I don't mind it. The important part is what I've already mentioned. read more

After a hike at Watkins Glen we were getting pretty hungry and decided to stop in here for some lunch. Upon entering we saw a chalkboard with a daily special that consisted of a bowl of soup and a sandwich. We chose the potato bacon soup with a grilled cheese sandwich. Both items were very good and filled us up nicely. Our server was friendly and knowledgeable. We would recommend this place to our friends. read more

Need a great hearty breakfast before a day of hiking, wine tasting or racing or watching racing. This is the place. Go in sit down and order yourself a chicken friend steak and eggs. You can thank me later. read more