The fact that this place is still getting good reviews just shows you what suckers New Yorkers are these days. I used to come here back in the early aughts when I was a law student across the street. it was a little pricey but not too bad. Mind you, it's not like the food was something special. anyway, I happened to be in the neighborhood the other day so I stopped by. First of all, there is a 5% fee on all credit card transactions. Really? you never see that anywhere. Then it says there is a 15 dollar minimum (apparently for any form of payment); turns out that is a moot point unless you just want a coffee or shake. Have you heard the one about the Bacon egg and cheese on a bagel for 15 dollars? how about a stack of mediocre pancakes for 17 dollars- a la carte? I go to restaurants all over the city, and obviously prices are going to range based on what you get and what kind of spot it is. This is by far the biggest rip off I have been to in months. This is a crappy little hole in the wall diner and believe you will literally get better value almost anywhere in Manhattan. As an example, i was at a more famous diner in midtown a few months ago: they have much better food at probably 30-40% lower prices. If people would refuse to pay these prices, then they would either go down or the place would close. Grow a spine, New Yorkers!! read more

Note: I'm a Californian visitor. I looked up this restaurant on yelp and was anticipating an old school feel of a diner. This was on a Saturday morning so it was busy, but there was around 6 customers including me so it wasn't too busy. I basically had to sat myself down until this elderly waitress came and scoot me to a smaller table because I was there alone. What I liked about this diner was how quick my order came. The price was ok (I ordered a lumbejack - it wasn't anything monumental but it appeased my hunger). Everything else was s....l....o.....w..... It's not the waitresses's fault, because they were scurrying around like the world is ending. I wanted to tell them to relax because nobody is in that much of a hurry. What I didn't like, was how much of a prick the owner was. I wasn't too sure if he was the owner but he was barking orders like one. He was obnoxious and berated the waitresses for being slow and unorganized. Hello? They are doing the best they can and seem to be getting things done just fine albeit stressfully. I mean they were practically running around like there's not a second left to waste. CHILL OUT already. They are doing fine, you don't have to be such a dick, yelling at them and calling them names isn't going to help them do better, you callous brute. I don't know if I went on the wrong day, but the owner's behavior alone makes me not want to come again. Again food was OK, the decor wasn't as old school as I thought. Wasn't a good visit for me, sorry, and I had high expectations from all the other reviews. Maybe it's just that I'm not a true New Yorker. read more

My first experience at Square Diner was years ago - I was staying in a sublet on Leonard Street and you know me, when I see a diner there is no turning back. A couple of odd little things endear me to this place - its random location and the way its name does not align with the building's actual shape (I believe it's really more of a wedge). Since then, I've enjoyed the corned beef hash here numerous times. It's fun to hang out in one of the little booths and gaze around blearily at all the old school signs as the old-timey waitress returns over and over again with more coffee. I don't think I've ever been here for any meal other than breakfast, but as far I'm concerned, Square Diner has my vote for Tribeca if you're looking for a cheap, unfussy breakfasty bite. read more

This diner isn't bad, but I have had better experiences at other diners in the area. Rule #1 when going to a diner is stick to the traditional diner fare: burgers, sandwiches, omelets, etc. I made the mistake of ordering a cobb salad and I just didn't understand how a salad could be made so poorly and have such bad flavor... but again, who goes to a diner and orders a salad? The service can be a bit slow during lunch because they get pretty busy. read more

By nature, I am the type of backward-looking personality who seeks out vestiges of the past. I am all about things which bear an antique character. I think historically. So more than most folks, I appreciate an old-fashioned diner. I'm all for the small business. Consequently, it was somewhat of a pleasure merely to sight this little eatery, enter, sit down, and order. Its located in a nice part of town, and on a busy street for good people-watching opportunities. However, I just didn't find anything particularly memorable or savory about the food or startling about the service. It was a rather bland experience. All the favorite, typical, diner staples are evident on the menu; and yes that's very good to see. But the meal I ordered possessed no pizazz whatsoever. It is as if this particular diner is asleep-at-the-wheel; and doesn't know how good it could *really* be if they tried. I left with the distinct feeling that I had no reason to return. Now maybe if I ate there more frequently-- its true prestige would be revealed to me. But as of this writing...I recollect none. read more

Diners are supposed to be quick. Square Diner is a mini-trailer-like restaurant. We took a table near the door. A table outside had a few guys already eating. Near us was one man eating. Then behind us was a woman with two children, also already eating. It was quiet. The waiter took a good seven to eight minutes to come over to us. When we ordered, I went to the bathroom, which was the size of a phone booth, and when I came out, we didn't have drinks yet. My boyfriend could see into the kitchen and tried to guess when the cook was making our food. It took a while. My turker burger tasted like a hamburger. My boyfriend said it looked like it had been on the grill pretty much on top of his hamburger. Now I'm not one to judge a turkey burger. Diner food is diner food. Except for Square Diner. This was the most horrible burger I've ever eaten. It wasn't inedible but it wasn't very good either, and not only because it tasted like a hamburger, but because it tasted not like a turkey burger either. It tasted like sad poultry on a plate. My boyfriend said his burger was the worst burger he'd ever eaten. Luckily, we were short on time, so we didn't take the time to savor the food. I've been taught to always say something nice so...um, it was clean. That's important. read more

Seriously, how the hell does anyone give this place 3, 4, or god forbid, 5 STARS? I didn't even hate Square Diner, I thought it was okay-- but hearing other Yelpers blow this place out of proportion is extremely confusing! At first, I was curious how a divey diner can even EXIST on the edges of chic Tribeca; "Oh", I thought, "the food must be really cheap and/or the portions must be amazing." NOT SO EITHER WAY. A regular-sized, totally adequate omelette with toast and fries was nearly $10. I don't know if you consider that a bargain, but it's not. Even in the fancy places up and down Church Street you can get the same thing for the same price in a WAY better atmosphere. I'm low maintenance, and I don't mind going to a restaurant where everything is slightly dirty and in disrepair, as long as I'm getting something special. But Square Diner just doesn't deliver. read more

Just your super cool everyday diner. An all around menu fro everyone and kids read more

Square Diner - Diners Near Me - New York, New York

Stopped in for breakfast. Great food, excellent service. We had a Spanish omelette and ranchero omelette. Perfect portion sizes. Cooked just right. We will be back. read more

For my brother: I called up this place to ask a simple question "Do you take (my credit card)?" and was given a "no cash only" with an attitude like I'm supposed to know that cuz they're still living in 19X6 not 2016/almost 2017 and too cheap to accept CCs. I shot back "Knock off the attitude when I ask a simple question but too late as this is the last time I order from you, goodbye." and hung up in her face. Ted (owner) you and your employees think you're who you are. You think cuz you've been around since World War II or earlier and you own the building and land you can treat people rudely, well you can't. Or you can but people like me will send it back, never order from you again, and tell other people not to patronize your place, and hopefully enough people won't. Square Diner is the classic place who acts rudely only because they own the place. If they had to pay rent they'd have been out of business long ago with their rude service. Avoid! read more

Expensive, CASH ONLY, and there is a minimum of 8$ a person. We just wanted coffee but ended up getting more because of the min. Wouldn't come here again. read more

Great little diner with solid breakfasts. Enjoyed a couple different omelettes during a recent visit to NYC. Staff is very nice and attentive. Will definitely return! read more

Big portions and filling food; reasonable prices; thats the good stuff. Not the best service or the cleanest place Ive been to. They also added a 6$ service charge to my meal so it became quite steep in the end; a 28 dollar bill ended up being 38 with tax and "service". Go or not? Decide yourselves folks! read more

Its a decent diner. I've been there multiple times - I used to work 2 blocks from this place so I used to lunch there a lot. The food is great diner food - portions are very generous and I love the old fashioned look of it. The service is good, but the owner is not to most subtle man in the world. He was always around and on the phone (usually really loud) and is not afraid of being rude in front of customers. They only take cash BTW. They used to have a really sketchy looking ATM on site, but it has since been updated with one of the newer GREEN ATM's. read more

It's 2016 and you're cash only? Yeah, no thanks. The food is also super mediocre. The blandest eggs I've had in a while, and the French toast was devoid of any flavor. While I definitely appreciate attentive wait staff, asking us if we're ready to order five times, when we're clearly taking a look at the menu is bad form. There are much better places within walking distance of this place. Don't waste your money here, unless you like impatient wait staff, having to carry cash around, and average at best food. read more

Lets start out by saying I use Yelp before I visit any place & this morning I did not ! I was late to work & very hungry so i decided to stop here since its close to my job. The first inconvenience was having to use their ATM to pay. Then the cashier did not include my bacon in my everything bagel with cream cheese which i asked for. I asked for it very toasted & scooped out. The bagel was hard like when bread gets stale & it was barely toasted. I checked half a block away & realized their was NO bacon in it so i had to walk back. Once the cashier told me she did not charge me for the bacon i requested my money back. The bagel didnt look appetizing anyways at all. The ladies at the tegister told me they would put the bacon because they can't give me my money back! What? Ok so they give the old man in the kitchen my bagel & he picks up the cooked bacon with HIS BARE HANDS & puts it in my bagel. I told the cashier what he did she still gives me the bagel ! This is beyond gross!!! If I wasn't already late for a work meeting i would have fought for my money back, instead i gave my bagel away to a homeless person. I took a me u from them prior to this incident so that my coworkers and I can order lunch but thats a NO for me now! Do not waste your time here!! Go to one of the buffet places on broadway like Arome or MonCher! read more

Come on other reviewers, this place is a diner! It serves the same diner food as every other diner joint in the city. You can't mess up eggs and fries and they don't. Things like eggs benedict are not good at ANY diner FYI, that is frilly brunch food. The only negative is that they ONLY TAKE CASH. Nice outdoor seating, and the old train car building make this the perfect breakfast spot. read more

Ah, the square diner. Last-of-its-kind. Grab all of your greasy spoon favorites. It's old and wonderful. You could be in NYC or a truck stop in Iowa. Either works. The food and drink match the charm. It's seclusion is also a benefit--especially during quiet points of the day. read more

The guy who works there was rude and aggressive. He did not care much for his Job, but why des he have to be so rude to customers. I only wanted to have breakfeast and relaxe for an hour. The food was also tasteless. Worst diner experience I ever had. read more

Stopped in here for breakfast before a client meeting in the neighborhood. Basic diner and the food was good. Clean and neat. What stuck out in my mind was when I opened the ketchup and there was no crud under the cap. It was spotless! Read the reviews beforehand and it made me hesitate, but I'm glad I went in. Bacon, eggs, homefries and toast. Simple diner breakfast. Stop in. read more

It's a real diner. That means it is small enough to fit on a train car or the back of a truck. Not too many of these around any more, and the Square should be patronized just because it is so old-fashioned. They are super nice there, allow dogs outside in the seating area, and even brought Josie a dish (take out plastic) of water without our having to ask. Clean restroom, excellent ice tea and the typical diner fare at cheap-ass prices. I think I am in love. This diner is so cool, it should be in NJ. read more

Not bad if you want to pay too much for, at best, mediocre food in a dirty trailer. The service is bad and it's also cash only. There's one small sign on one of the entrances stating that, so apparently you're just supposed to know it's archaic no-cards policy if you use the other door, as the owner will be sure to condescendingly scold you while forcing you to use the janky ATM he owns outside. read more

Lovely dinner close to ground zero. Fast and efficient service. Cash only! Owner around directing traffic and enduring customers cared for. Loved my omelette and the staff accommodating my special requests read more

I've lived in NY my entire life and know it can be expensive! But, for $9, ONE EGG, toast and potatoes... they must be kidding. Perhaps if the egg were an ostrich egg, it might make sense. Since the rich have populated this neighborhood, they've taken full advantage and priced accordingly! At one time, prices were very reasonable, no longer! I can stay in my West Village neighborhood and eat for a lot less in very nice quaint places. I do, however, love the train car diner! I will look from afar! read more

Two eggs over easy, bacon, potatoes, rye toast and coffee. You can easily get it wrong. They didn't!! It was a perfect American diner breakfast read more

If I could give negative stars I would. We got sat down by a nice waitress during rush hour, and the OWNER comes to our table saying there's a line and he just lost a table of 3 "because of us." He kicked us out in a rude, public way because he failed to communicate to his staff prior to accusing us or pay attention to his own restaurant. Will NEVER eat or order from this diner again. read more

I love diners more than anything in the world. The absolute happiest I ever am is when I'm sitting in a good, warm diner on a cold day drinking a cup of coffee and reading the newspaper. The Square Diner is the best place in Manhattan I have found to do this so far . I had no idea places like this even existed in the city. You're in Tribeca one moment, and then you step inside and you're at a friendly truck stop on a rural road in Maine. If you are a fan of diners-- *real* diners, not Johnny Rockets or those rip-off places that serve $20 macaroni and hang license plates on the walls to be ironic--you owe it to yourself to come check out the Square Diner. It's the genuine article. Fortunately it's not just the atmosphere that make this place a find: The food is also quite good, if you're into diner food. I just got back from having the Home Style omelet for breakfast, which, simple as it is, ranks as one of the best omelets I've had in New York. And with toast, potatoes, and a bottomless cup of coffee that the friendly waitresses kept constantly full, the entire meal came in at under $10. I will definitely be back, and frequently. read more

An excellent diner ... my daughter and I went along for dinner and we were not disappointed. A fussy 10 year old described the food as amazing and the service was excellent. We had burgers and I would recommend them, the side portions of fries are huge so fortunately we ordered one to share. read more

I've eaten here 3 times, 2 for sit-down and 1 for pick-up. For the sit-downs I've had their burger and their chicken wings, both were delicious and cooked to perfect upon my request (I like well-done burger and extra cripsy wings). The service was also attentive and polite. Today (Sunday) I ordered off Seamless, the chicken cobb salad and some toast. The toast was just a little warm (honestly my fault because I came to pick it up a little late) but delicious nonetheless, very soft bread! The Chicken Cobb Salad was a very generous portion, plenty of avocado three hard boiled eggs, and the grilled chicken was delicious! But what really made me write this review is that when I walked in, the gentlemen at the front desk was exceptionally polite, with perfect customer service. (Although I'm pretty sure he thought I was actually a delivery customer who decided to pick up the food). He apologized for the wait, explained they were one man down today, and even offered me an extra soda to apologize for any hassle. I could see he was real hustling to make sure all the delivery orders were going out in a timely fashion and double checking to make sure everything was included in the bags. So if you got delivery today and something was wrong, give the small diner a break today! They're one man own and doing the best they can! read more

At first I had reservations of checking this place out because nobody was inside and the area is a little shady. I told my friends that this place has 4.5 stars on Yelp so we should give it a chance. We were glad we did when the large portion of food came out at a very reasonable price. I definitely want to check this place out again if I'm craving diner food and I bet this food would be amazing if I'm drunk... CHEERS to Square Diner. read more

I come here for breakfast sometimes after having been in the gym. The service is spotty and there are times when I get my food but the other party has to wait another 5-10 minutes while tables around us are getting their food (and they ordered after us). They have a lot of choices and the prices are good but the eggs are nothing special. (The omelets do not look like omelets and almost anybody can fry and egg). I like going here because it's convenient and because I like to idea of a diner in Tribeca. Since I just read about the Gee Whiz diner and that that should be better, I will go there next and compare. read more

wow my first review, i decided to write it because i hate square diner so much and i had to write about it so its sunday afternoon and a friend and I want some pancakes and french toast with eggs and bacon and such.. so we call up square diner. it took over an hour and a half for the food to get to my place, and on top of that, they were trying to charge me 10 more dollars that what was owed. had them take it back because there is no way i was going to pay for that and now we are starving and pissed, f*** square diner, you squares. (manager was a nice guy at first, then turned into a huge ass) read more

This is the worst dinning experience I've had in 12 years living in NYC. The service was abysmal, slow, rude, awful, bad. The waiter brought me a cup with ice for my coke that contained 1/2 an inch of a watery brown liquid at the bottom. The avocado wrap had only lettuce and tomato, no signs of avocado. Eggs Benedict included an over toasted piece of hard-like-a-rock bread. At another table people complained because their glass of water had bugs floating in it. I can't stress it enough; this is an awful place. Avoid at all costs. read more

Food is fine but service is 1 star at best... seated right away took 15 mins for them to deliver our drinks, after waiting 40 mins for simple diner food they brought out our meals and said they would be right back with the toast and the bananas... toast and banana came 15 mins later after meal was done... how hard is it to walk back in the kitchen grab the food and bring it back out? read more

Anyone who gives this place less than 4 stars is full of bah-loh-ney!!! Some of the freshest produce and nicest service in NYC is at Square Diner! The food is delish and reasonably priced, and the quality matches the pretentious restaurants nearby. The ONLY place I go to in this area. Just the best diner food and service I've ever had! So glad school is across the street XD read more

Every city should have a Square Diner. Bellicose owner, unintelligible waitstaff, fantastic greasy-spoon food. Went there everyday for a week for either breakfast or lunch. My first day the owner got in a fight with construction workers eating on premise (one brought his OWN food) and then took it out on the waitress who promptly took off her apron and quit...all while I ate my breakfast. New York dinner theater at its best! read more

The Square Diner and me have spent many great days and nights together. Seems like it's never changed, and never will, and Hallelujah for that. This place sustained me on a film shoot in hot August, satisfied a post-rager hunger with my old college buddy at 9am, and is the diner where I dropped my cel phone in the toilet. I always take people here when we're touring the area. Ephemera: it's featured in the opening scenes of the 1994 Hal Hartley movie "Amateur." read more

Good, solid diner food in a great atmosphere. This place has been around for decades and seems to have a very loyal following in the neighborhood. I think Square is the best diner in Tribeca. read more

Rip off. I went in on Saturday morning (9/22/2012) at about 8:30am. A young man greeted me. I ordered 1 egg with bacon on wheat toast to go. They charged me $9.05. I had to ask twice to make sure i heard right. I looked at the menu, and it is normally less than $3 M-F. I've lived in NY for 15 years, and have never paid more than $5 for this to go breakfast anywhere. I expect to pay a little more in certain areas of the City, but this was ridiculous. read more

Love this place for so many reasons!!! Old school space is totally perfect to house the classic diner food like grilled cheese, friend eggs and bacon and apple pie. Conspicuously located in the heart of all that's swankola, it's a welcome respite from the high rent district and large restaurant bills of TriBeCa. read more