my favorite spot to take visitors while in Bushwick/Williamsburg --- no reservations so you have to wake your hungover a$$ up before the masses show up -- no reservations but totally worth the wait read more

What's not to love about Diner? Small, cozy + very friendly with bartenders pouring adult strength drinks and a kitchen that is repeatedly cooking up supremely tasty items. * with a nod to seasonal flair, yay! Is it worth a dedicated trip from the city? Yes, at least once... and you may find yourself over here again just for it. They lay the hook pretty hard... Only one reason I didn't give it 5 stars : they tend to be heavy on the salt. Other reviewers have touched on it & I will too. I eat here maybe once a month ( and yes, the burger is 'all that' as is the half roasted chicken too ) and it seems to be a 'thing'. Wish it wasn't though, I'd be here more often. That said, Diner is a solid place with a good vibe and good food. ** edit ** lately they've been big on the 'fried' thing... I don't know what the deal is with it but it seems everything on the menu has either a fried object in it or onions. Just worth noting... I'm not really wild about onions and friends who want neither will be hard pressed (currently) to find it here. read more

Ugh. This place. "Ghastly", "horrid", and "horrendous" are not usually words I use to describe a dining experience, but in this case, all three apply. From the minute my wife and I walked in to the minute we left, the entire experience was miserable. The entire staff were snotty b's. We sat at the bar to wait for a table but after waiting way longer than the time we were told, we finally just decided to eat at the bar. We couldn't wait to see the menu...until it arrived written on receipt paper. UGH. We ordered a kale salad, sardines, chicken and bass. The kale salad arrived and it was fine. Boring, but fine. Then came the sardines. They were tremendous, dildo-sized, inedible monstrosities. They were full of bones and too large to just munch them down like we normally do on the smaller, mouth-friendly style of sardines. It was impossible to get a bite of fish without 2738921 bites of bones. We eventually flagged a staff member down to debone the fish, which left about .5 bites of meat behind. Then came the entrees....an hour later. Perhaps the wait was intentional, a means of making the customers SO HUNGRY that by the time the disgusting food finally appears, they would just be so happy to finally be eating they wouldn't notice or mind the grossness of the food. WRONG. The chicken was okay. The fish was barf-able. Fishy, stinky, boring, ugh. They knew it was so bad they gave us free wine (and we hadn't even complained except to each other!), which ordinarily would shush us right up, but in this case, the experience was so god awful that we must warn others. All in all, this place sucks the big one. read more

I'm writing this review as I'm waiting for my food to be cooked. The reason you ask, for a review before even eating the food? Here's your answer: I ordered the pork chop. Our waitress, who is fantastic, came back to the table a few minutes later to inform me that they were out (I had other amazing options, don't fret, like my go to, the burger). So no biggie. I ordered something else and took a swig of my beer. Ten minutes later the manager came over, had heard that I really wanted a chop (I did, I've never actually ordered one in a restaurant, weird right?), he had ran down the street to their butcher shop, got me a freakin chop, and ran back. Now it's being cooked. If that ain't service I don't know what is. Top of the line in my opinion. read more

I liked the atmosphere but I loved the food. Got a burger and generously shared it with 4 friends. Hated to share something so divine but sometimes it has to be done. read more

Diner has the best burgers in Brooklyn. However they tend to cook it a bit rare, so order it a bit more well-done than what you would usually eat (seriously, i've had to send back burgers which I ordered medium-rare before). They make some pretty good Bloody Mary's too. read more

So disappointed in both the service and the food at Diner. I used to love this place, both for the quality of the food and for the kind and effective service. I have to say, I will not be going back. Our self-righteous waiter, who reacted smugly when we did not recognize many of the vodkas the restaurant carried, took our drinks away before we had finished them, without asking. The salad of "lettuces" happened to be a plate of ridicchio, and I was delivered empty containers of condiments for my burger. The night just went from bad to worse. Then, to top it off, my friend's short ribs were all fat. Not one member of our party of five felt positively about the food. I understand inflating the cost of the dishes so everyone gets a tip, but when the service and food are so bad, there is no recourse for the customer, but to pay a hefty bill. read more

5 stars for food. 1 stars for service at the bar - Yup. You get bartenders who don't smile, with looks that seem to say they hate the world and they hate their lives, and they don't really want to be there at all. That, they are too cool for you/the customers. We were there on a Friday night at about 10pm and were told that we have to wait 40 to 45 minutes to an hour for a table. She wasn't kidding. We did not get to a table till a full hour later. But the food was so worth the wait! Fresh produce. Great mix and perfect balance of herbs and ingredients. Deliciously awesome. Definitely some of the best I've had. read more

Working across the street, I've ended up here a lot. My first time I had an amazing chocolate sandwich, but the second time I ordered it they left it in the toaster way too long. Crumb city! They only have about 5 things on the menu and they are not all great. Somehow they made a crappy goat cheese salad (way too bitter) and I didn't love the biscuits and gravy either. The specials can be tempting but are unpredictable; one day it's tunafish canapes and another it's a dutch baby. I guess next time I'll suck it up and get a burger since the only other option is the omelette and I hate eggs. They seem to want to show off that they have all the latest hipster tracks because they frequently blast them at a volume that makes pleasant lunch conversation problematic. I will echo the many who have already suggested Relish as a great alternative -- every time I am at Diner I fantasize about a Relish chocolate cola and buffalo chicken sandwich...mmmm read more

One of the better places i've been to in this part of the burg. i live about 15 mins away from this place and i am smitten with their weekly/ seasonal specials. Their main menu is short with the usual suspects but its all about the specials here anyway. They line each table with a large sheet of paper instead of table cloth. Its the first place i've been to where they write down the specials on your table "cloth" with you instead of a printed out weekly specials in the menu. It feels affable when waiters / waitresses spend more than the normal 10 seconds with you. Service may feel slower because of this but the food is worth the wait. read more

I can't believe that I forgot to write about this place. So it was a Sunday like any other I just finished to talk with one of my clients I was driving back to my house when... I thought I have never stopped at this place. I want to go in so bad. Firstly, it is a Diner car, literally! I walked in and as always I felt like I was the un cool kid. Every body looked like they walked out of a rock band or probably they are applying to be a rock star... I over heard some conversations of traveling etc. I sat in the bar, it was sunny outside ,but too hot for me and anyway I am tanned I was born tanned. So the bartenders passed me a piece of paper... with the daily menu. For those of you that read my reviews as always, I was manly and ordered a strong drink.... A MIMOSA.... Yeap I drank that baby straight up!. After that I ordered and omelet with leeks it was perfect and I ordered bacon I fell that people at this place wouldn't ordered bacon, they had the bacon as an extra and $5 for two strips of bacon. Well expensive but what would you call brunch without bacon. I had a good time, good service. I will recommend this place for all those rock stars out there. i I might come back but I have other places to visit. read more

Diner is a cute little place but has no actual menu so everything is told to you by the very friendly waitstaff. This is kind of annoying cause I couldn't remember the first thing he said after he told us the rest. I guess that's my problem... Anyway, I settled on a dish since I also couldn't read what was scribbled on the table. I ordered a ham and egg sandwich that came with chips. Everything was very salty. I could hardly eat it. I try to give a place a couple visits before I decide if I will go back but this is a place that I will not be returning to. The whole menu thing gives me anxiety ... read more

Vegetarians STAY AWAY~!! I got this shitty portion of rice mush. Apparently I ordered risotto, who knew??!! Pricey as fuck, but my friends liked their burger and chicken respectively. Dessert wasn't even that good. I would say only come if you share in the interests of the carnivore, or just enjoy sitting in a mock diner car. read more

What happened to this place? This used to be a Brooklyn staple. Now, the food and the service is not what it used to be. Overly salted, nothing special about the menu. RIP Diner...I will miss you. read more

I'm pretty disappointed with the direction Diner has headed. I'm pretty much over it. I've been eating there for over 10 years, and it was once my hands-down favorite. I first went in for a weekend brunch. We were seated right away. I liked that it was funky, fun, tasty and cheap, and that they were playing Let It Bleed pretty loud, even though I don't usually like loud music in restaurants. The prices have risen sharply over the years, with some entrees going up to the 30 dollar range and steaks even more expensive. Yeah, they butcher their own cow and use the eyeballs to moisten the salad dressing and the salad is grown in the same cow's manure, but who really cares? It's certainly not a better steak than Luger's across the street, and the price is comparable. They now have stores and blogs and cookbooks and fan clubs, but I don't see any real improvement to the food. If anything, I think it's gone downhill. I took a friend from out of town there for the burger recently. It's an expensive burger, but I still felt good about ordering it as it was truly one of New York's best in my mind, if not on many top burgers lists. This time, the burger was saltier than ever (it was always pretty salty), not very juicy, and the fries (which were also always pretty intense) were practically burned and seasoned to death. I had a lot of great dates at Diner in the past. The food, the cool atmosphere, and the company all combined to create a truly memorable, almost sublime experience, all for around 60-75 bucks. I had steaks, fish, and pasta dishes that blew my mind. The beer, wine, and cocktails were reasonably priced as well. I felt a kinship with the waitstaff. That we were similar people interested in similar things. We would chat and enjoy each others' company. Not so anymore. Now it's just a bunch of poseurs with attitude acting like they're cooler than you and can't be bothered to deal with you. I also once found the practice of writing all the specials on the paper table cloth endearing, but now it is somewhat tedious and awkward, especially if you don't feel like ordering any of the specials after they've been lengthily explained to you. Since the writing of each is in shorthand, you can't remember crucial details and have to ask them to repeat some information later, which annoys the servers. I love the idea of a daily menu, but I think a printed version is necessary. It seems like the clientele has changed a lot over the years too. They all seem like jerks from Manhattan or the new frat boy contingent of Williamsburgers now. It's a downright expensive place to eat, and you're sitting in a pretty non-fancy environment, especially if you get stuck in the back, which is a loud, claustrophobic nightmare. Brunch is still a good value, but I've walked out many more times than I've stuck around to eat. It's just too crowded, hectic, and annoying. read more

The atmosphere was good, the issue was no menus. The waitress wrote down the choices on the paper on the table No pricing was listed or mentioned When we got the bill we were shocked to find the T bone was $120.00 This place was listed with two stars for pricing. The cost was outrageous for what we ordered. Since this option was recommended by our waitress it's not unreasonable for her to mention the price tag of 120.00 Not worth it. We'll never go back. Two thumbs down. read more

For some reason (whimsy?) this restaurant eschews menus in favor of having the server read every menu item to you, one-by-one, off a list. After each one, they write one or two words on your table setting to remind you of each dish ("steak"). You've forgotten the entire description for the 1st dish by the time they're done rattling off the 3rd, etc. The process is so laborious you'd feel rude asking them to repeat a misheard or forgotten dish; unlike typical menus which encourage review. Prices are not volunteered. After humiliating myself by having the audacity to ask them, I was glad I did! The prices were astronomical, even for the area. Perhaps this is their motivation in obscuring them. You may be tempted to sit outside, but take a sniff around first. Either the restaurant or a neighbor regularly dumps large vats of an unknown liquid in the street, which pools on the nearby corner. The smell is if of roadkill and hampers the ability to enjoy a $15 plate of asparagus. Service was friendly without being overly so, attentive and welcoming. Food was creative and very well prepared. The bar staff and their creations were quite enjoyed (albeit not responsibly). read more

I don't really understand what is so good about this place. It's really not the prices are ridiculously expensive and what's up with not having menus? doesn't really make sense not having any menus the burger was ehh wasn't cooked to my liking I requested it medium rare it came out on the medium well side so I wasn't really happy with that they were nice enough to cook me another burger which I appreciated and they did bring me another one but it was still ehh something was lacking for me read more

The food at Diner is fantastic. In my opinion, it's one of the best restaurants in the city. I've been coming here for aeons, and I've never had a bad or even a mediocre meal here. The service is attentive, friendly, and helpful, and I fully support the management's decision to switch to a no-tipping policy. I always recommend the burger, and there's usually some kind of fantastic steak on the menu, too -- sometimes I think Diner is a stealth steak house. And brunch, my God. If you like the food at Diner and enjoy cooking, I also recommend their cookbook, Dinner At The Long Table. read more

Go somewhere else! That seems to be the mantra for this place. Just went for a late lunch and asked for there salad which was marinated string beans w/beets and sprinkle of Parmesan. Is that a joke? It was a shameful to look at. It was taking 30% of a plate in 1 layer. I counted 11 beans. It looked like a tiny side left over. But for $12, a buck a piece. I don't know, diner means to dine. Not to seat and look at literally empty place. I'm over it. Never again! read more

I have been to this restaurant approx twenty times in the past eight years. I love the steaks here. Very good quality! In general, I have been willing to overlook the long waits and crowing and have had a love affair with this place. Lately, however, I have been displeased with the (lack of) welcome by the hosts even though I am a generously understanding patron! My feeling is that good service is when you are able to focus on yourself and enjoy your meal and your company. I have been witness to two moody hostess tantrums during my last two visits this month. Neither had anything to do with our tables, however, I was aware of these episodes due to her outwardly disruptive behavior. I was embarrassed as I had guests in town and felt I could impress them with the restaurant, but our conversation quickly turned to "what the hell is wrong with her"? I consider this repeat behavior completely unacceptable and I hope the management will figure out a better staffing solution. Thank you! read more

Every time I walk passed the diner, it is jam packed inside and out, so I decided to try it. When I walked in on a Sunday at noon it was mobbed. I asked the girl behind the main counter if I could place a to go order. She said she had to check with the kitchen to see if that was allowed. When she came back with a yes, I ordered a side of French fries and a side salad. Without looking at the bill, I gave her my credit card and later on realized I was charged $19.00 for a side order of soggy oily French fries and a "side" salad that consisted of lettuce with olive oil. NO cucumber, tomato, onion...NOTHING. This place is over priced and not worth the money. I paid more than ANY PLACE in Manhattan. SMH. I would never go back nor would I recommend them to ANYONE. Save your money. Tons of reasonable places in the area with better tasting food. read more

Went there with a friend and hubby after seeing it on No Reservations. nd being the meat eaters that my friend nd hubby are, figured..wth. grass fed burgers, must be good. Luckily we didnt have to wait since we got there b4 7 on a sunday nite. place quickly got very crowded. Nice crowd, atmosphere. We all ordered the burger. Food had real potential, meat was good, but WAY too salty. the fries were salty as well. My hubby noticed there were no salt shakers anywhere, now we know why. You cant fix something after its been OD with salt. Being we dont live in the area, its not really worth a trip there either. read more

Ridiculously overpriced ($6 for two slices of garlic bread!?) and highly unremarkable. Ordered a fish which the waitress said came with "a few bones" that would be easy to remove. Instead it was a full fish, complete with all bones and skin. By the time we removed the edible portions, the fish was so cold. Other items ordered included mustard greens, soup and burger - none were noteworthy. Very disappointed with the meal and snarky servers. read more

The food is great, I guess. You'll have to read it off of the table, which is covered in butcher's paper, and your disengaged dansko-footed server will write it out, begrudgingly. Poncy, but probably impressive to people who recently moved to Williamsburg. Your dessert option will be something like an olive-oil cake with a port 'sorbetto'. Make sure to invite Cassidy, Hayden, Tristan, or Greyson for the ride. read more

If you like knowing when and where your meat was butchered this is the place for you. You can investigate the very cow from which your burger came at Marlow & Daughters just up the street. read more

I had dinner here recently and will definitely be back. Diner feels warm, cozy and nostalgic - yet very classy. It would make a great date spot. I was so impressed with the list of cocktails, and I tried the Spicy Caipirinha which was very spicy and perfect for a cold night. Our waitress sat down at our table and wrote the specials on the paper tablecloth and told us all about the produce they get from an Amish farmer in Pennsylvania. This is a restaurant to try again and again because the menu will clearly change with the seasons. I was boring, and had a cheeseburger which came with some of the best fries I've ever had. We also sampled a crostini special appetizer with apples, squash and parmesan and a salad that came with polenta croutons. I think the croutons may have been the highlight of the meal for me - so melt in your mouth delicious! read more

I loveeeee the burger here!!!!!! It's one of the best burgers I've ever had, and I normally don't like burgers. The staff is nice.

Overpriced; don't really see what the fuss was all about. There are better diners for cheaper in the area.

Horrible, overpiced food served with a grin. I don't usually write reviews but this time I felt robbed. The place is overall dirty. We stayed because we had good memories of other times, but is sad that Williamsburg now ceased to surprise for good things, and now will only let you down. read more

love this spot. good meal. good glass of wine. it is away from all the overated hype on bedford. i reccomend. read more

Stumbled across this diamond in the rough about 1 year ago, as I was looking for an ATM in this part of town. A year later I decided to see what all the fuss was about. Well I must say I am impressed. Don't expect a lush dining room, comfortable and crowded at best. The menu is written down on the paper table covering by the waitress who is very seductive when describing the eats available for the day. The menu varies and is pretty much locally grown and organic. Great tasting food, good beer and amazing overall! Give it a try and I promise you will not be disappointed. read more

A new favorite. Amazing food. Reminds me of Europe if the Europeans were hipsters. Service coulda been a little better, but great atmosphere and bright, flavorful food. Lots of herbs, lemon, and choice protein selection. read more

It's okay. Nothing's terrible, but nothing's great, and it's overpriced. If you're really set on an upscalish eating experience inside a converted diner in Williamsburg (cause like, who isn't, right?), go to Relish. read more

Ok I only got fries but the place was fun and had a "cool vibe". Id go back for sure. (if i could find it again) The bartender poured a mean glass of wine. (I know who has fries and wine- it was "that time" of the nite) read more

I do adore Diner. It is cute, around the corner, nicely-lit, and tonight I saw Anthony Bourdain smoking a cigarette outside. I've been there twice and the food has been delicious both times. Their burgers are heavenly. My dining compatriot and I noted both times that everything is very salty. I like salt, but it shouldn't be quite so noticeable as a flavor. That said, I still would go back sometime, and I don't think it's overpriced at all. read more

One of the best brunches we've had in the neighborhood. Staff was so friendly, especially TD and Max. Loved them, I would totally hang with those guys! A truly authentic Brooklyn experience- the Menu is ever-changing, they wrote it on the table for us. We had the fried chicken sandwich which was the best thing ever with the mustard sauce (OMG wow) and the breakfast sandwich. Really loved this spot and can't wait to visit again. So glad to be neighbors. Also, they don't have apple juice- just a heads up. read more

good things often cost money. Diner is good. pay your money and you will eat and drink well. staff was attentive and friendly; food and drink were prepared with love. read more

Great place. Had brunch there, 1pm on a Sunday. Food was very good; I had grass-fed beef burger and fries. My burger was cooked to requested done-ness perfectly, on a freshly baked brioche-type bun. One of the best burgers I've ever eaten. Fries were very crispy, just as I like them. My cousin had the pancake special, rhubarb, I think. He liked it very much, but it was three smallish pancakes, which looked even smaller on a plate too big for the small serving. Service was very friendly, didn't take too long even though it was crowded, but we had to remind them to bring our beverages. Be prepared for a wait at peak times; we got there and were seated right away, but the line stretched out the door by the time we left. And it's a *tiny* but charming place, with a small regular menu; more choices show up on the specials, all of which sounded great. I would go back again anytime! read more

Been here for both brunch and dinner. Wait staff is friendly and know the menu super well. Cozy atmosphere! It does get very packed on the weekends for brunch- so be sure to be ready to wait a bit. Brunch fav- country breakfast Dinner- burger! read more