Given how sparse diners are in the Financial District / TriBeCa - this is a gem of down to earth, warm, welcoming diner.

Sweet potato fries. Everything else is just your standard diner, though it does have that throwback to the 60's feel. By that I mean small and cramped. read more

If you're looking for a greasy spoon (literally), this is the joint. This is the kind of cholesterol-clogging, lard-happy diner that you'd expect to find in the middle of nowhere, not TriBeCa. The diner looks authentic in decor, but thats just because they dont put a lick of paint on since 1970s, Eggs were watery, potatoes greasy, toast cold, I asked for warm toast, they took my toast and brought it back hot and hard as stone. Unfriendly service and not even cheap prices. Good god did we make a mistake. Yelp! read more

Walked by this diner 1,000 times years ago and for whatever reason never went in. We had a function to attend at New York Law School (right across the street) and wound up stopping into the diner for some eats...we got a bison cheeseburger, some eggs and sausage, and a bill for $25. Will go back for sure -- nothing fancy, nothing over the top, but quick, tasty, good, and makes me wonder why I waited so long to stop in. read more

Worst experience ever! Our hotel recommended this place because it's quick, diner food with no wait since we have a baby and a flight to catch. We love diner food, so we weren't worried when we got a look at the place- seemed perfect for what we needed- quick, easy eggs & coffee. The service was awful- the guy forgot our drinks and food and there were only 10 tables filled in the place. When he finally figured out we wet still waiting, he had our food made in such a rush I had a huge egg shell (seriously, 1/4 of an egg shell, no egg-sageration) on top of my breakfast. My husbands omlet wwasn't even fully cooked. We paid and left- just awful. They never even apologized. read more

Your average greasy spoon diner with some down-home comfort. The retro decor is unintentional - Square Diner just hasn't been updated in decades. However, that retro decor lends to a certain charm. The food is what you'd expect from a greasy spoon diner without the "gut rot" feeling afterwards. Prices were cheap but when my friend and I arrived, we were overlooked by the one waitress working. She helped even newer customers before even bringing us menus, so we felt a little slighted. Overall, no biggie because we got decent food for essentially pocket change. I'd go again if I was in the neighbourhood, but it's not worth going out of your way for. read more

My kids love the chocolate chip pancakes and waffles at this barely-bigger-than-a-hole-in-the-wall diner. It's nothing fancy, for sure, but in the eyes of a child, the place rocks -- and that says enough. read more

I've now tried Square twice for breakfast/brunch. The fare is what you would expect from a diner. My biggest issue is the service, I had the same waitress both times and she is indifferent and unattentive. On both occasions, items ordered were forgotten, missing flatware undelivered and forget about getting a coffee refill. Once the orders were on the table, she must have wore a cloaking device because we never saw her. Couple this with the cash only policy and convenient on premise, for a fee, ATM and this was now my last visit. As a TriBeCa resident I have much at my disposal. read more

Ridiciously affordable...my friend and I ate here last night, both had big plates of food, and total bill was like $15! Yummy bison burgers.

Square is a TriBeCa landmark. This place is perfect for business meetings as well as a casual bit. The brothers that own and manage it are always pleasant and the waitstaff is top notch. Great omelettes, corned beef hash, and wraps. read more

I used to eat here frequently. The food was good, but gradually it went downhill fast. I ordered a turkey burger, which I remember used to look appetizing as an alternative to a beef burger. I have to say I was disappointed to say the least. It was bland, dull, grey, lifeless, and resembled something not even meant for a middle school cafeteria. It was thrown together briskly. The bun crumbled into pieces. This so called turkey burger was so flat, it looked like one of my old baseball gloves from 4th grade little league. Simultaneously, as I looked at my friend who had also happened to order the same meal, we both proceeded to to take a bite, and in unison we both immediately said, "noooo". Another co-worker ordered a honey mustard chicken sandwich. Basically, I'll narrow it down here; they slap a piece of pre-cooked chicken on the grill to dry it out even more, then they hack up a brick size piece of that famous iceberg lettuce, and they think that's a fine meal. Not sure what happened to this place, but I guess I'm in search for a new diner. I know diner food is not supposed to be fancy or high end, but in this case, I wish it would have been edible to sustain my appetite for the day. So now I'll have to rely on a bag of pop chips to hold me over. I have great respect for line cooks, and people in the industry, but when people do not care about what they are serving, then I feel it's necessary to speak the truth. Call me harsh, but I spend good money in and around Lower Manhattan, I give these establishments good business. read more

I've been to this place four times. Three of those four times were on July 5th's after a series of harrowing Fourth of July parties. The fourth time was after a harrowing Labor Day party. I know. Harrowing Labor Day party. Anywho, the wait staff is nice enough and the food is decent. It's great to find such a reasonably priced, quaint, little diner right in the heart of Tribeca. read more

Picture it: Saturday, 12:30pm, brunch. I ordered the brunch with fresh fruit salad, 3-egg omelet (bacon, tomato, broccoli, swiss, cheddar), potatoes, OJ, and hot tea for $12. The breakdown: Fruit salad: I'm usually not a fan b/c fresh usually means fresh from a can. Their salad didn't seem to be. I even ate the melon pieces, which I usually hate. 3-egg omelet: probably not 3 eggs, didn't exactly taste cheese, but it wasn't bad. I just really wanted a cheesy omelet, which is why I ordered two cheeses in it. I wanted some stringy, melty, deliciously gooey swiss that was hot enough to burn my tongue. I'm really not sure it was there. Had it been, the fourth star would have been theirs. Potatoes: I liked 'em. OJ: I'm from FL, and I think their OJ is some of the best I've had, which really surprised me. It was thick enough to let you know it's real, but not super acidic like brands such as Tropicana can be. Tea: well, I brought my own tea bag (because I'm a tea snob). I give them kudos for having honey, since I've been do a number of diners that do not have honey. They serve Lipton, by the way, in case you were wondering, which is status quo for hot tea at restaurants. The service was fast and friendly. Since brunch with tax and tip was just under $20, maybe I should give it 4 stars just for not being reasonably priced, but I really wanted a cheesy omelet... Oh, yeah, and the hardwood walls are pretty cool. read more

Cute classic 50s diner that makes you feel like you are somewhere else inside the city. I liked the ambiance but the prices are not diner worthy. So so food. Won't be back. I'd rather cook breakfast myself. . read more

Solid spot. Ate here once, corned beef hash was great and had a good time sitting at the counter chatting with the owners. I plan on returning to try more and giving their delivery option a shot when the weather gets worse. read more

Ambiance: divey-cute. Food: standard diner fare. Service: HOLY LORD, the fastest of our entire trip. Our food came within five minutes after we ordered. I eventually got the sense that they were hustling us out the door (they took our dishes as soon as they were empty and our syrup as soon as my husband's French toast was gone). That seemed odd, considering it wasn't especially busy; we went around 10 on a Saturday morning, and there were plenty of empty tables. But whatever, it was fast and reasonably tasty. read more

Standard diner food. Good fries but the server wouldn't let me have onions on my burger...pretty strange. It's not like it was a super special burger. I thought he was kidding but when i got my food i realized he was not. read more

The soups are excellent. Service here was fast during lunch hour, because they have to move out the crowds in this area quickly. They have large portions, but the prices are a bit high. No credit cards, cash only here. The staff is very friendly, quick and pleasant. They have tables outside. They are also very quick for takeout. Oh and students from the law school across the street get a discount with ID. read more

If you want a basic diner meal with no frills, just okay food at a fair price this is your place.

I agree it's a throwback and the lack of pretension is a plus, but the place just feels dirty and is extremely overpriced. I have a feeling there's an owner behind this place that is just milking the place for cash...the fact that some see this as nostalgic seems a bit ironic. Go to Benvenuto around the corner for a much better value, fresh food and clean surroundings. Also, the coffee is gross, so, if you do go, stop by the next door Starbucks on your way there. This place has the potential to be great - maybe under new ownership it could be a gem. read more

The cheeseburger deluxe is pretty good. The bun is nice and buttery and the meat was seasoned well. The fries however were a bit on the soggy side from being in a container for pickup. I would definitely come here again. read more

Relaxing, cheap place to take a long lunch on a sunny day. Plenty of outdoor seating and good people watching to be had since this is Tribeca (hi kevin corrigan!). Waiters are friendly, very prompt with the coffee and owner was walking around giving people plates of watermelon and champagne grapes because "they're dirt cheap at costco!" There's a $10 spanakopita and greek salad (w/ anchovies!) special on Friday's that's pretty tasty. Not amazing (needs more olive oil), but better than you'd expect from a cheap-ish diner. Generally solid place and a good break from the shitshow that is Tribeca. read more

Basic diner food. Dirty bathroom and as I was eating my food I saw my waiter blow his nose then bring god to a table without washing his hands. read more

Have been coming to square diner for years now. This is a completely no-frills simple diner, with decent food and generally good service. It is a good place to just hang out with the guys and catch up over breakfast on the weekends. Don't come in here expecting too much - just simplicity (which has become so rare in NYC these days). read more

Fairly tasty pastrami reuben... Overall, it's pretty standard as far as diners go; a good place if you want to escape Starbucks or are not in the mood for a deli. Was surprised that they didn't take credit cards. read more

Fun breakfast spot run by a very nice guy. Lumberjack special + tea, OJ and fruit salad for $16. Would definitely go by if looking for weekend breakfast in the area. read more

Great food and great service, very friendly bunch of people. As an Aussie visiting this great city it was wonderful to find a real diner!!

This place hit the spot for breakfast, 5000 plus calories. The food was perfect and the staff was very friendly. This is definately a place I'll return. read more

Great outdoor seating for people watching. Excellent location and the vibe from the place is out of this world..... However, the bottom line is that place is managed horribly. This place has so much potential but everyone needs to be replaced. The main guy barks orders to his staff like they are lost children. Our waitress didn't seem to have any experience waiting at all, they probably pay cheap. The bus staff don't bus or clean tables, the manager does. Our waitress had to be told by the manager to get us our check, and that's only because we stood up after waiting 10 minutes after we were done with our food. Then even after that she forgot about us... The food is only so-so. I could only imagine the cooks are micro and mis managed as well as everyone else there. We ordered the blue berry pancakes which were bland and mediocre, they tasted like bisquick. We also ordered the monte cristo which wasn't all that bad but my orange juice which came with my brunch special was laughable due to its double shot sized glass. The fruit was fresh and the meal came out in a good amount of time. read more

Bad service, bad food, long wait, not much to recommend here. I work close by so I've been here 3-4 times. Our last visit we had to wait for almost an hour to get our food, the waitress never informed us of the delay and was rude. This normally wouldn't be too bad but we on our lunch break from work. A diner like this should never take that long, there's absolutely no excuse. Food here is always so-so. They only accept cash as well. It's just not that great. If you want a good diner go over to Jersey, anywhere but this. Whoever calls this an authentic diner must be a transplant or born and bred Manhattanite. Not terribly cheap considering the quality of the food. There's much better options just a few blocks away for the same price. I won't be going back after our last experience. read more

This place is awesome. I just ate a grilled cheese sandwich with tomato there while sitting out in the sun and it was delicious. Highly recommended & great in the summer. read more

Definitely not the place to go on a Sunday morning. Seated right away, then it took forever to get coffee and menus. Finally, after about 30 minutes got served eggs that were cold and toast that was cold. Ordered egg whites in omellette and got regular eggs. I'm sure this was not a typical experience, but unfortunately was ours. read more

The best place to eat after sleeping at your best bud's house in TriBeCa. Especially after you've been drinking all night. The waitress hates us though. read more

Average to good food. Nice staff. Great location. Good omelette and pancakes. Chili was just ok. Bacon kind of dry.

Awesome burger. Great service. Wonderful vintage diner decor.

This place was alright in the 90's / early 2000's but has significantly gone downhill since. Food is awful, as is the service. It's a shame. I wish this place could've held on whilst remaining at least decent. read more

Do NOT eat here unless you have all day. The food might be fine, but I would not know. My wife and I were directed to a (sticky) table where we were left to wait for--no kidding--30 minutes. I made eye contact with the server several times, but she simply would not come to our table. We finally left after we saw three couples who arrived after us find seats, receive menus, and then order. Although my wife and I are a multiracial couple and the other couples were not, I would hate to think we witnessed anything other than incompetence. Either way, skip this place. read more

I was taking a walk thru TriBeCa when this diner I've never seen before came out of nowhere. What a coincidence because I didn't feel like paying TriBeCa prices today. The ambiance is what you'd picture an old school diner to be: small, buzzing with customers and quick. The waitress took my order as soon as I sat down and out came my food minutes later. The vegetable omelette was perfect and so was the fruit salad I opted to get instead of home fries ( an extra $2). Prices were reasonable and I couldn't be happier. Cash only with an ATM outside. Come here for good diner!! read more

Man, I was so happy to find this place because I work in the neighborhood, and there aren't many reasonably priced restaurants here. The food is mediocre, which is what you'd expect form the way it looks. But after eating here a few times, I've given up. The owner squeezes every dollar, using the cheapest ingredients available, often past their prime, and works his staff like dogs, which makes the atmosphere rather unpleasant. I don't expect much from a cheap diner in an expensive area, but 4 of us came here for lunch recently and three got food poisoning. that was the last straw. Nothing is cheap enough to put up with that. read more

Worst service ever. This place is right by my office and every few months I break down and try it again. Never again though. Terrible food. Slow service. Wait staff is clueless. read more