What a great job they did in this restaurant. While visiting from Orlando Florida decided to give it a try. What a great place, friendly service and the food was delicious everything so fresh and home made to order. When in Syracuse again it will definitely be my first stop. read more

Their famous pancakes are a joke. Mine was like a crepe and tasted like crap. The sausage link looked cooked,but was raw. The server never even ask if everything was good. All honesty I think the quality of food at diners in the Syracuse area sucks. They throw these words of "famous", "over stuff", "pile high". Only to be disappointed when the food comes to the table. read more

The Gem Diner - The Gems "Famous" pancake and raw sausage links - Diners Near Me - Syracuse, New York

Normally our special breakfast retreat, Don't know what happened Friday. Slow service, cold food, under cooked bacon November coffee refills.... Andy just "sorry" from the waitress . My friend Trish said Stella's from now on Sorry read more

I just want to say that I really enjoyed my visit here. The owner is incredible and never stops working, he's here probably every day and really cares about the customers. Ask to meet him, or maybe he'll just be your server like he was for us! read more

Oh Syracuse, you have so many things to offer. For example, the nation's highest gonorrhea rate, the most polluted lake on the North American continent and some of the poorest performing schools in New York. The Gem Diner offers a little bit of all of them. It's hard to imagine "The Gem" as a greasier spoon than it is now but it's current condition has been upgraded from its former ramshackle status. You cannot, however, put lipstick on a pig and call it beautiful. I took my son there this morning for breakfast. To begin with, no one was stopping the local guys next to us at the counter from loudly cursing up a storm, so we had to move which apparently inconvenienced our server on account of her telling me "If someone else had brought your food they wouldn't have known where to bring it." We had moved literally 12 feet to the right. The rest of the serving staff stood behind the counter discussing many a topic including, but not limited to, how the antibiotics one them is on had to be stronger than before. See the first paragraph of this review. The food? Well you'd expect a place that's been around forever to have a solid menu right? Hope you enjoy bowel obstruction. It's the blandest of the bland. No flair or charm you'd expect from a local joint like this. Just generic, shipped in food thrown together sloppily. Seriously, go to Stella's down the street if you're looking for a diner experience. The "Gem" is anything but. read more

The restaurant is in a relatively remote location somewhere in Solvay I think. The exterior is cute, the interior is a little bit sad and dark. Our waitress seemed bothered about something, maybe having a bad day. We ordered some coffee and orange juice, both of us got bagels and hash browns. It was okay, a little bit mediocre but still edible and decent. Somehow that added up to $30, no refills on anything except coffee and water. I don't think the drive and food are worth that. Most likely won't return. read more

Nice diner, clean and with decent service. Ordered a frittata which was an enormous quantity of food for the price, and was good but somewhat bland. Overall an okay experience, but I probably won't return. read more

This place is spectacular! I ordered the eggs benny and my fiancé got the middle weight. The portions were HUGE! The quality was perfect for a diner! I recommend this place for anyone looking for a great diner with great service and a good ambiance :) read more

Clean and friendly under new management. Decently busy for Saturday lunch. Good diner food.

Stopped for dinner and the burgers were amazing. We ordered three and they were cooked perfectly and came out quickly. Place is clean and bright. Owner stopped by to check on us. Very nice. Live about an hour away but will definitely be back when in the area. Truly is a gem:) read more

Good morning from The Gem! Rain or shine a great place to be. This is our last breakfast here and a great choice. Amanda, Rene and Natalie among the few here have made it always a great experience. Amanda with her friendly good morning. Rene always bubbly and Natalie with her sparkly personality. These three among the many here make it worth the trip. Thank you ladies. Great Place! Great Food! Most importantly Great People! read more

Went in today ordered the Italian panini bread was stale and not a lot of filling in sandwich. My sister ordered strawberry and banana pancakes pancakes were raw in middle while my mother had pineapple pancakes and they were like rocks probably usable as a Frisbee but not edible. The service was OK will not go back food was disgusting I repeat disgusting. read more

Another great meal the staff and manager very helpful . It's funny the last person could not make it . New person new menu past owner should quit making excess . It's only food and service read more

A fun Syracuse diner with friendly staff and huge portions. Very casual and affordable.

The place is spotless, western omelet was great! Will definitely be back.

Food is terrible. Not sure how this place is always busy. Cool retro place but the food is not good. I've been there a few times and the eggs were watery, bacon is always over cooked and greasy and the service is subpar. Coffee is good tho read more

25 minute wait for brunch and over $35 with tip for 2 kids and an adult. Portions smaller than I remember. Disappointed. Great staff.

Love the Gem and their attentive staff. I've never had a bad meal there. It's usually our first choice for weekend breakfast, get there early though or you'll have a short wait. (Because the food is so delicious that everyone is going there!!) read more

Well I have gone there twice now. The first time was a week after they opened. We waited a short time, and were seated. Other couples near us were seated 20-30 minutes after us. We waited and waited, and noted the couple that was seated 20+ minutes after us was not only waited on, they had their food before we were asked what we wanted. They were leaving and we still hadn't been served and the woman said "OMG you guys haven't gotten your food yet?" It was explained to us that our waitress was new, inexperienced and had mixed up the order of her orders putting the last in first. The owner did a big spiel about working out the kinks, etc, etc. Just hired 50 people cold, working out the bugs blah blah blah. Well we just came back from there on our second attempt. We got some beer gutted, hard looking sassy waitress. She says "what'll you have to drink..AND DON'T ORDER WATER!" I don't know if she thinks she's cute, or what..what she has succeeded in, is never seeing me darken their door again! Not only these nightmarish waiting stories. But the food just plain sucked! I ordered chicken and biscuits. I was impressed to see the helping, until I realized underneath all that goo was 85% mashed potatoes. Are you ready for this? As she's serving us, and can't remember which one of us ordered what she sets my plate down and says, "you'll want to add salt and pepper to that, trust me" This of course was after my first meal from last time, a frettata which seemed like it had been run through a blender It's like Flo from Mels Diner has been resurrected! This was around 7:00 pm Wednesday and the place was EMPTY, and I know WHY! read more

This was our third time eating here and it was really really good! I must say I think it is the best diner in Syracuse! Everything was homemade and very tasty, the service was outstanding and the prices were great. The burgers fresh and cooked perfect, Liver,onions &bacon cooked perfect. The ranch dressing is awesome. I would recommend this diner over Stellas hands down! read more

We go to the gem often...they always have specials and you get a good portion of food..it's diner food but it's good...waitresses are always friendly... read more

I have been to The Gem a handful of times, the parking lot is always packed and there is always a wait but you are seated and served quicker than expected. I can't seem to order anything other than the burger breakfast, it is delicious! A large burger topped with fried egg and cheese. read more

Every time I've passed this place I've been tempted to stop; I love the style of the building with the car outside. One day, we decided we'd give it a try for breakfast. It looked busy, but it's bigger than it looks from the outside and we were sat immediately. I ordered eggs Benedict and pineapple pancakes. I had a choice between hash browns and home fries, and I'm glad I chose the hash browns. My boyfriend got home fries which looked terribly undercooked. The eggs Benedict were satisfying. If I were to rate it on the that alone, I'd probably give it 1 more star. The pineapple pancakes did not, however, satisfy me. I was left wanting more pineapple and coconut. I think the canned pineapple really made the pancakes fall flat, and there was only a small sprinkling of coconut. Overall, service wasn't bad, and they kept the coffee coming, but I wasn't impressed with the food. Also, the painted celebrity mural in the back room... read more

Excellent! Good service, great food and large portions. Love The Gem, try to visit when we come to visit family read more

Been there a couple times, Wait for food is a little longer then some places but the food is good and price reasonable. Both time were around dinner time on a Tuesday. read more

My wife and I went hear yesterday morning and the service was not the best. Waitress was rude and pushy. The waitress was also talking to other workers saying she did not like most breakfast food...lady you work in a diner. Food had no flavor what so ever. When I tried to hand my card three times to the waitress she ignored me, and eventually sent over another girl to take my payment. Definitely not going there again. read more

Always very good food, but if you go at the wrong time, you can't get right in (nor can you find a parking spot!) 3 words: Beer. On. Tap. read more

I have a nut allergy and I could only eat the waffles. Waffles we're good but NOT satisfying. Great menu but I don't suggest eating there if you have a nut allergy. But if you don't they had a great menu so it might be good. read more

Delicious food, outstanding service and The Gem is, by far, the CLEANEST restaurant I have ever patronized. The portions are most satisfying and properly cooked, the service is attentive and prompt without hovering. Friendly atmosphere, and did I mention that the restaurant is CLEAN? You slide into the booths without sticking. Clearly, great attention is paid to all of the details: food, pricing, service. An unbeatable combination and HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. (No, I'm not family or in any way related to the diner ;-) read more

So many good things to say about this joint. I was a fan of diner back before the reconditioning to the place (when you could still smoke after a meal!) and still am. It's tight for maneuvering to a table, but the food is top notch diner fair and the service is great. Loved it. read more

Stellas used to be my twice a week spot. Loved bringing my children there because no one seemed to mind much that we were a little louder than your typical table. Notice that the wait staff there has changed in the past couple years and is a little "Rough" looking to put things kindly. Along with a number of other tables, I witnessed a disagreement between a waiter and a waitress regarding how his drug problem was affecting his work. Decided that it wasn't really the spot to bring my children to anymore. Had a friend ask me to try out The Gem. Hadn't been there in ages (Think Doc's). Decided to give it a shot. I was blown away by the complete overhaul this place had gone through. Food and service were incredible. Amazing portions. Great pricing. Place was extremely clean. Nothing like I had remembered under the previous owner. Wait staff was clean, very accommodating and respectful. Decided to go back a second time. Second experience was identical to the first, only the owner had remembered my face from a few days prior and made me feel right at home. He earned a lifer. Sorry Stella's. You'll have to clean up your act and step up your game to get me back. read more

I think this is the best diner in Syracuse. I love their chili. It's immaculately clean and the people are very friendly. I used to work close by. I miss being able to go there once a week. read more

The place was crowded on a weekday afternoon. There was a wait of about 5 minutes until we were seated in the new expansion. It was bright, clean, crowded and noisy. 10 minutes passed while we looked at the menu, and we asked for coffee when the waitress came by - but the coffee didn't arrive until our meals did, another 10 minutes later! Both of us had a 'single' biscuit with sausage gravy. This consisted of a bowl with a large, slightly sweet shortcake biscuit (as you would get with strawberry shortcake) topped with a thin gooey white sauce flecked with bits of sausage. It was only lukewarm, tasted OK if you were really hungry. The biscuit was too sweet, but at least it was fresh and didn't have that stale taste, which would have totally ruined it. I wouldn't order the biscuit with sausage gravy again! There are dozens of items on the menu and I would like to go back and try something else. Pros: very reasonable prices, clean surroundings. Cons: noisy, long wait for coffee, mediocre food. read more

Solid breakfast spot with that old school diner atmosphere. Friendly staff and quick service.

Food is delicious and plentiful- service lacked luster. I didn't come by a polite or smiling member of the staff from the moment we walked in to the moment we left. It was not overly busy or packed. The staff I came in contact with were abrupt and if it weren't for my kids being hungry and the fact that we had waited long enough, I would have left. read more

Used to come here a lot. Still ok place to eat, just seems has gone downhill in last 6 months or so. Food is ok, portions seem to have shrunk recently and something different about the meals, can't put my finger on it. Not the usual top notch diner grub hav come to expect from The Gem. Been in a few times recently. Was not the same, but figured was an off day when was in. Went again couple weeks later. Same thing. Went again yesterday, same thing. Foid was just off and smaller portions. Still nice ambience and is a longtime local establishment. Hoping is just a faze. read more

Last Sunday night, 7 pm, we had warm food, not hot food and poor service. Our poor service included our not getting all the items we ordered ie juice, nor butter for the toast, or a coffee or water refill. It was disappointing. read more

Decided on the spur of a moment to revisit an old time favorite when it was the little gem diner. We (my wife and I) were not disappointed and pleasantly surprised. We were greeted immediately upon arrival and seated in a booth. Waited a mere 5" for our waitress and had immediate service with a very bright and cheery smile. I hardly had a chance to speak to my wife when out came our breakfast- very fast service. I noticed a plethora of employees - all busy doing something- no standing around to chat. The original frettata and lightweight special were excellent and the portions large. Coffee was warmed up before I could even get to the bottom of the mug- several times- like she was watching me :). The little gem diner has become the grand great gem diner in our books. Will be coming back for sure. read more

We ended up at The Gem because of a mishap at another restaurant.  So glad we did.  Chuck immediately set our party of 8 up in the back room with Bridgette.  We had our food in about 10 minutes, cooked perfectly.  The food and deserts were incredible.  Chuck checked on us several times and Brigette was excellent and very attentive to us.  Haven't been in probably 20 years, but will definitely be back.  It is now our new favorite dinner.  If you haven't been in awhile, you need to check it out. read more

I walked in with intentions of ordering food to go. Waited 15 minutes near the front before walking out. None of the staff acknowledged my presence. I tried to wave down a few waitresses with no luck. Two waitresses even made direct eye contact with me.. Additionally, there were about 8 other people waiting as confused as I was. I've never had this happen to me. Extremely frustrating. read more