Food came out pretty fast, our server was nice, friendly, and funny. Food was excellent, good serving size was affordable. I took my grandparents here and for the 3 of us it was only $45. I highly recommend this location, the staff was also helpful to point the directions to the bathroom when I looked lost. It's on the front haha. read more

Western Diner - Bacon egg cheeseburger potato fries -middle Omelette -left 2 eggs, sausage -right - Diners Near Me - Albany, New York

My kids love going here for breakfast. It's the 'classic diner' experience. Not fancy but not trashy. Food is good, i have been a little disappointed a couple of times when waffle had soggy bottom or bacon was undercooked. But nothing that will prevent another visit. Everything is usually delicious, fresh & quick to serve. Servers are kind & efficient. And the diner is clean, not overcrowded read more

Alright. Tasty food. When I ate here, I got the $10 special of Chicken sandwich, steak fries, soup and refilled coffee cup. Until a month ago I had no notion that this diner - Western Diner - even existed in Guilderland, NY. Most travelers just bypass this road and thereby also this diner. It has lots of parking. It has lots of tables - no lines or waits and the food: the food is very affordable! Take your pick to sit at a well-laid out counter, with separate menus and silverware wrapped and already set up, or sit at older wood tables with a group. This diner is steeped in nostalgia. Not nostalgia from - let us say - Kansas, or Arizona, or Alabama where some other reviewers have hailed from, but the genuine, local, Upstate New York decades-old smoke, billiards, card playing or pinball machine enjoying small-town diner. This diner must have changed a bit over decades. Its almost 60 years old! That being said, don't come here from Kansas hoping to get a Kansan diner with a waitress with a sunflower in her hair. This is the backwoods Forrests of Upstate New York. This is mob country. It's patrons who are 30 year regulars land. This is eat and dash street. It's bombastic Yankee territory. The food was delicious! It was fresh and had that 'Mom's home cooked style' flavor that you get from a family member or Grandma's-kitchen-prepared. On my way out I spotted a local who was salivating over a deep plate of quesadillas with plenty of shredded and melted cheese. Next time I will try that - it looked really solid and plated nicely. The waitresses seemed to dote a little too much on long-time patrons and I did feel under appreciated, when I tried to get more coffee. Review: 5 star diner read more

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Always fantastic food! Homemade soups are SO good. Love their onion rings. Grilled cheese on rye is fave sandwich . Had fish sandwich before as well, so very good! Very friendly staff, make one feel welcomed. read more

We were passing by and decided to try this place. I have never seen a thinner piece of chicken in a chicken sandwich. The chicken and beef soup didn't even have a trace of meat. I have worked in fast food places and always give a generous tip but I also feel that the server should be hospitable. At least pretend to care. Needless to say will not be back. read more

We love this diner so I'm not sure why there are any negative reviews. I have been coming here for 16 years and love it. Love the nostalgic feel, has not been changed a lot over the years and that is a good thing, love the atmosphere here. The waitstaff is always very friendly. Seating and service are very quick and food never takes long to arrive once ordered. You never have to wait more than a minute or two to be asked what you'd like to drink. Food always comes out quickly regardless of how busy they are. They do not rush you out but if you are in a hurry to dine and dash, this is your place. The food is extremely delicious, home cooked fresh fare like you'd get from your grandmother's kitchen. It's amazing. We come here every time we have a chance. We live about 40 mins away but if we are in the area, the diner is always on our list! The prices are super affordable. You can get a meal with a soup or salad and a drink for 9.99 total. Please don't believe all of the negativity here. It is not true at all. This is a wonderful diner and I hope it is open years and years to come! Thank you, Western Diner, for all you do! read more

The best diner I have been to. The waitress was so nice and the food was delicious. Guardian Windshield Repair recommended this diner to us while we waited for our truck to be fixed, and I am very glad they did. Great food, amazing environment! I'm definitely coming here again. read more

Can this place get any worse? I've had a lot of poor experiences at this restaurant but this is by far the worst, the food came out very very slow and the presentation was horrid the "Mac and cheese" was more like a plate of water with a little macaroni along with the fish being completely overcooked. The waitress acted like we didn't exist, couldn't be bothered to come over for a significant amount of time then when she did gave us attitude. Along with this we asked for some extra napkins, it took asking 3 times to actually get the napkins. Then she brought us drinks over, neither one of us asked for them nor did we want them. read more

Over the years we have frequented this diner many times. In the distant past they were really very good. After that things went sharply down hill, both in our opinion and in the opinion of some of our friends. We stopped going here for several years. However, I think folks sometimes need a second chance. So, we gave them one and have returned a couple of times fairly recently. The waitstaff is very friendly. There are sometimes issues of quality and service i.e. food is not hot or takes too long to be prepared even when the diner is not overly busy. It is clear that they have been interested in making a comeback but they must pay attention to the details. There is a competitor diner just a mile up the road who I believe benefited from the aforementioned decline in this diner. That diner is consistently good and always busy. As I noted, these folks are trying but still have a ways to go if they want to retain and or gain new new customers. read more

get rid of the mice and clean the place I do realize they are remodeling now I hope it's better

AWFUL SERVICE. Our waitress forgot about us and it took over an hour to receive anything more than coffee and water. We sat and watched the restaurant go from calm, to busy, to calm again all before we got even a coffee refill. I had to get up and ask the hostess where our food was because our waitress was nowhere in sight. On top of this the food was not great. My omelette was over cooked and my toast was burnt. We just wanted a quick place to stop so this would have been fine if the service was better, but it unfortunately was very bad. When the waitress finally did see us she barely apologized for making us be there for nearly 2 hours. Not sure if this is is the restaurant's problem, or just the waitress I had, but I would NOT recommend going here if you were in a rush. read more

We have eaten at this diner many times mainly out of convenience since the location was near my parents home. I must say the food is average in taste and presentation. The service always friendly and the atmosphere clean and comfortable. Mushroom soup was the board soup special but to our surprise, it came out served as cream of broccoli. The waitress did apologize. The soup was not the best of cream soups My dining mate ordered a tuna melt. The side of potato salad had pieces of uncooked potatoes in it as well as raw chopped carrots. The coleslaw not great. The sandwich was okay but we have had better elsewhere. Other times here we have had better lunches . Coffee was good and waitress offered to refill it . I asked for water without ice but I got ice water We usually found breakfasts were good here as well as some dinners. So over the years eating here we rate this place overall average 3 read more

Western Diner - Cup of cream of broccoli - Diners Near Me - Albany, New York

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This place is great! Fast service, low prices and great food! You won't be disappointed! It's old school!

Service was awful, sat there for an entire hour after ordering without our waitress even looking in our direction or refilling any drinks. Saw five entire tables, one of which had ten people splitting a bill four ways, all sit down, order, receive their food, pay, AND LEAVE before we even talked to another person again. Never returning. Ever. read more

A good, honest breakfast for a reasonable price. Service is prompt and friendly. Typical diner atmosphere.

It's been a while since I was last to the Western Diner. 2019 to be exact. A family tradition to eat here at least twice when we camp nearby in Thompson's Lake Campground. This is a great diner. I love their Monte Cristo Sandwiches and their French Dip Sandwiches. Their soups are fantastic as well. Don't forget the dessert-the Italian Lemon Creme Cake is amazing - I can never leave no matter how full I am without having a slice. read more

I just left the western dinner after having what THEY said was a Thanksgiving dinner. The gravy was from a jar or can, the turkey was sandwich turkey NOT off the bone like someone would expect. The mashed were in a small bowl that I believe to be old and tasted very bad. The dressing was more like mush. The veggies were the only part that was ok ,THE ENTIRE MEAL WAS COLD. On top of this they charged me 14.95,...$ 16 and change with tax. THIS MEAL WASN`T worth $5.00. THEY WILL NEVER SEE ANY OF MY MONEY EVER AGAIN...... BUYER BE WARE !! read more

Always a good breakfast. The gossiping server is a bit much but, talkers be talkers. We come occasionally as we live in downtown, but the food is always great! Thanks for being a nice place to stop for a meal. Great earlier bird specials too! Give it a try! read more

There's a sticker on the cash register here that says "Eastern Office Supply." Go figure. Anyway, we'd skipped trying the Western (on 20 aka Western Ave.) before now for two reasons. One is there's a pretty skeevy motel right behind it, like RIGHT behind it, and during the lunch rush that's the only place to park. The second is it looks kind of grimy from the curb. Well, the motel's stlll there but the odd coloration of the stones turns out to be fossils embedded in the rock, which the menu informs us is from the Helderbergs and was hand-picked in 1976 when the diner was built. And in fact the rocks are pretty interesting to look at. The inside is a cross between Cracker Barrel and your great Aunt Millie's dining room. It's a bit past its prime and in the country manner, not the classic glass and steel diner ethos. Booths on the outside and a middle aisle, counter in the back. Patronage is almost entirely the senior set: I was the youngest patron in there, and that is saying something. The service was stellar in the hiya hon area; in fact it nearly crossed over into being intrusive, but it most certainly passed the coffee-fill test. The lunch specials are quite cheap for diners: $6.49 for most of them, for more than enough food for lunch (see above about patronage). Food is pretty diner standard; soups slightly above average, salads well below (nearly white iceberg lettuce, ugh). But, all in all, definitely homier and more pleasant than many diners in the area, even if the food isn't remarkable and the locale a bit odd. And I definitely recommend stopping by to see the fairly unique fossil-rocks. read more

People were sitting 1 foot apart at the counter...seating in back room 2 feet apart. Not following NY state regulations. Saft

Quite good. We have breakfast there every time we're in the area and always enjoy it very much. Good food, reasonable prices and decent service. Well worth a try! read more

Great food great service great people good setting Great drinks great pancakes and bacon Strips

Love this diner! How I missed this place though the quarantine! So glad to get back into going to breakfast on Sunday mornings. They have great food and a really good price. Sometimes the stuff is a hit or mess on being friendly but we still go and enjoy our meal. Looking forwardOur Sunday breakfast! read more

RECOMMENDED Looking for a dining destination on 12/26 to facilitate a visit with my wonderful nephew(Z) who works nights my brother chose the Western Diner, literally a minute from his workplace.The space is not modern but is homey. It looks dined in, like an archetypical diner should. I liked its simple decor. Our server, Letha, provided menus upon our arrival and we ordered. Z graciously averted a haughty caution from Mr. Food Critic who advised against ordering an Italian-American dish in a diner. He chose the Chicken Parm. Bro, the breakfast maven, ordered the Bacon and American Cheese Omelet. Mr. Food Critic chose the venerable Hot Open Turkey Sandwich, at $7.99 and accompanied by potatoes, vegetables or soup/salad, a ridiculous bargain. I loved my turkey dinner. It started with a delicious vegetable soup, loaded with vegetables in a perfectly salted,not bland, tomato broth. The turkey, arriving in a light colored gravy was fresh,not dry and very flavorful. The pieces were from the better part of the breast, not those gross pieces attached to the carcass. Fries were fresh, crisp and tasty, covered in the turkey gravy as requested.The vegetables,mixed beans and carrots, though a little soft, were delicious.Z's Chicken Parm,a VERY large cutlet, arrived above spaghetti and generously topped with well-browned and melted cheese. Z pronounced it better than the version at one of his favorite casual pizza restaurants. He, a big eater, could not finish it and saved it for his next meal. Bro's omelet arrived medium cooked as requested. He enjoyed both it and the accompanying home fries. Letha was a pleasant, prompt and efficient server. She filled our coffee cups without being asked. Dinner for three was less than $37.00 before tip!!! We enjoyed our experience at the Western Diner and I think you will too. read more

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Fantastic brunch at an incredible price We had a group of four and all ordered different things including chili, BLT, blueberry pancakes, corned beef hash and eggs with sausage. Food came out pretty quick even though they were really busy. Coffee and soda was refilled multiple times without having to ask The best thing was the price at the end. We were happy to over-tip the friendly waitress read more

Western Diner - It's great value - order everything you want - Diners Near Me - Albany, New York

I have often driven by the Western Diner, thinking to myself that I should check it out. Yesterday I decided to finally give them a try for lunch. Their lunch specials are a real bargain; for 6.49 (plus tax) you get your choice of sandwich, a cup of soup, a side of fries, coleslaw, a pickle, and beverage. Here's how mine broke down... Sandwich - BLT (duh, what else??) - 4 out of 5 stars. Bacon was crispy, good amount of lettuce and tomato, but the bread slices were a bit small for all the toppings. Overall it was a very good BLT. Soup - cream of chicken - 3 out of 5 stars. My other option was ham & cabbage, so they weren't exactly killing it with the soup choices that day. I chose cream of chicken and with a little salt & pepper, and some crumbled up saltines, it was good. It was also piping hot which is a must for a cup of soup! Fries - 5 out of 5 stars - crispy and hot, no complaints here. Coleslaw - 0 out of 5 stars. The dressing was watery and flavorless. Yuck. Pickle - 3 out of 5 stars. Average sour pickle. Beverage - 5 out of 5 stars. It was brought to me immediately and was refilled promptly, so no issues there. Additionally, the service was 5 out of 5 stars. The hostess and waitress were very friendly and did their jobs promptly and efficiently. The ambiance was a 2 out of 5 stars. The interior could use a makeover. In sum, I would return but probably wouldn't stray too far from their lunch promotion! read more

Western Diner - Diners Near Me - Albany, New York

Average diner food and service. Been going there for over 30 years with food being decent. They recently updated menus with some different things. I ordered a tried and true favorite the fried chicken. They also updated their fried chicken and it is now awful small pieces with barely any meat. The little bit of meat was dry and the coating was sweet - not in a good way. I reported this and was told yeah they know - don't know why they continue serving it then! Mashed potatoes were cold. Guess I'll give it another chance to see if things improve, but only one more chance. read more

Very cheap and yummy food! Definitely reasonably cheap and affordable. Friendly staff and fast service. Highly recommended! Very accessible too because it's just along the road read more

Western Diner - Diners Near Me - Albany, New York

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Quite possibly the worst diner in the area. Food is gross, service is bad, atmosphere and decor are WEIRD...there are far better options very close by. We were in search of a quick diner breakfast close to our apartment, but it couldn't be at our old standby Metro 20. Unfortunately, the last time we ate at our formerly beloved Metro, there were flies buzzing around our table throughout the whole meal. Probably one of M's biggest pet peeves. So he declared that our last meal at the Metro. Which left us scrambling for some good, quick breakfast. We decided to try the Western Diner which is a few miles further up the road. I thought their coffee cups were cute, and since I usually drink my coffee black with 2 sugars, I dove right in. It wasn't as good as Metro's coffee, but it was acceptable. My husband on the other hand, takes his coffee with creamers. Unfortunately the creamers presented to him hadn't been kept refrigerated as the labels directed and when he mixed them into his coffee curdles rose to the top. M was disgusted. He tried fishing the curdles out, but ended up sending the entire cup back. And our waiter never brought him a new one... And the water is served in mini glasses...another pet peeve of ours. The counter was empty because there were only 2 or 3 other customers there. All older. I have a feeling their core demographic is geriatric. Our meals arrived. YMy French Toast was pretty much neon yellow. I have NEVER seen French Toast that looked like this. And they presented my plate like this....with dirty butter and syrup packets LAYING ON TOP OF MY FOOD. No. Unacceptable. Disgusting. The French Toast had no seasoning, no powdered sugar, nothing. I guess if your main clientele is the elderly you don't have to be too concerned over giving your food any flavor? My husband was already stewing over the coffee incident, and wasn't impressed with his breakfast to say the least. His homefries were burnt and crusty, he described the bacon as "weak ass," his sausages were "crappy pre-frozen Jimmy Dean," and he said his eggs were slimy. He summed up our experience with this zinger: "But only ONE fly in the place...guess they don't like the food either." read more

Food was unappealing. I had french toast and was given that hideous corn syrup-based faux Maple syrup. My bacon and french toast were both undercooked. Don't waste your money here. read more

Great service! I had two eggs any style breakfast, which was volumey and satisfying. The waffle was just what I needed and amazing. We were waited by a friendly waitress and the food was served very fast!! read more

On my way home from running errands with the kids I decided to stop in for some dinner. My gut feeling told me not to when I saw the grass was overgrown and what appears to be a seedy motel resides in the back. I should mention that I was HANGRY! So I proceeded. Upon entry, we were promptly seated at booth in the back and given menus and water. Pretty standard stuff. I was not impressed by the old food remains stuck to the menu, but I chose some pancakes. The kids chose what they chose. Then we waited. And waited. And waited. Observed two table orders taken who arrived after us. I looked around, tried to get someone's attention then said forget this and the left. While sitting there waiting I did observe the cleanliness or lack there of. I was under impressed by the staff and the facility. I'm a former server who worked in the restaurant business for a few years, so maybe I have high expectations. But my over all my opinion is that the western diner is a dump with poor service. read more

2 stars instead of because our *new* waitress was accommodating and quick! I usually don't post Yelp reviews unless I feel it's needed. I use to come here as a kid with my parents for a nice quick meal before doing errands around Albany, I remember it always being good and quick... well, things sure have changed! My boyfriend and I came in at 3pm on a Sunday (a slow time for any restaurant-- I'm a server). Three workers were standing at the end of the counter having a conversation, it felt as though we disrupted THEIR conversation so one of them could come seat us (after looking at us three times-- we were about to leave when one girl finally walked over). The "host" was wearing sweatpants and a sweatshirt that didn't cover her belly, seriously nobody wants to see anybody's belly hanging out when they're about to eat. She said follow me, tossed the menus on the table as she did a walk by and said somebody will be with you, as she was still walking... it took 5 minutes for a waitress to even come over to even ask us for drinks. We did NOT get greeted when the blonde waitress finally came over, just a simple "what're you drinking" then when we finally got our drinks (mind you there's a solid 3 tables of 2 in this place right now, with 2 waitresses working). We ordered our food. I got the ham steak & pineapple dinner that came with soup, salad, vegetable, potato, and a dessert, while my boyfriend opted for his "go to": a bacon cheeseburger. When my boyfriend placed his order he was told he couldn't substitute his fries for onion rings, that the onion rings would come as a side order (no big deal). I did get my soup (chicken noodle) promptly, but I would've just sold it as noodle soup, as there was no chicken at all and the noodles were a soggy mess. Then my "salad" came, LMAO. This "salad" was a mix of fresh and brown lettuce with just ONE baby slice of cucumber and one tiny wedge of the top of a tomato (seriously you can't see wear the stem goes into a tomato and change it out before serving it??)... Now to our entrees. My boyfriends RARE burger was well done... not even an attempt at rare, it was completely cooked through, but besides that he said it was okay, but obviously would've been better if it was cooked rare like his asked. His fries/coleslaw (like we were told came with it) never came on the plate with his burger and our waitress never returned or was to be found again after dropping our food. My ham steak was delicious, the pineapple was old/lacking flavor, being pregnant I didn't trust it... that's how funky it tasted. The mashed potatoes compare to the Walmart .70 cent instant ones, nothing great, but doable with some overkilled peppered gravy that was slathered on them. I did really like the carrots, they were fabulous, naturally sweet and a touch of salt! By the time somebody (new waitress) came back to check on us, we were done eating, so we opted for no fries/coleslaw as we just wanted to leaves My dinner came with a dessert so I opted for tapioca pudding... now the pudding did NOT disappoint, it was the cherry on top! My boyfriend opted for chocolate ice cream which he said was just enough! Our new waitress made up for the first half of our experience being dreadful, but I will not be returning here. read more

When I returned to Albany after having spent 6 months in the UK, I came here for breakfast and was pleasantly surprised. They have fantastic breakfast sausages that are just miles away from the nasty little tubes of meat most diners call "sausage." Their chocolate chip pancakes are delicious (and I'm usually an egg girl) as is their corned beef hash. My only complaint about breakfast is that I can't stand to eat maple syrup made from corn syrup and like most diners, they do not offer real stuff. For breakfast, this place is really quite good. Cheap, quick, friendly service and tasty food and coffee. read more

The worse buffalo chicken wrap ever. Wrap was old and tasteless. Waitresses wear very dirty clothes with food on them . Sorry ladies but dried food on your clothes just makes the food more unappealing . read more

Over all the service was okay, but the food wasn't really exceptional, just standard dining fare. I don't eat meat so that left me with the standard veggie burger option, it wasn't spectacular, I'm pretty sure it was just morningstar farm patty. Nothing to write home about here folks. One of my dining companions cannot have dairy due to allergies and asked if the soup (minestrone) had any kind of dairy in it and she was told no. When the soup was brought out to her she found parmesan cheese floating around in it. My other dining companions had their pick of the menu, overall the food was okay in their opinion but nothing remarkable. I would have given this place three stars had it not been for the parmesan cheese incident. Our waitress was very nice, but that isn't enough to make me come back when there are far better diners in the area. read more

My wife and I were headed to Howe Caverns and not impressed with the hotel breakfast in Albany, so we decided to try something on the way. Found this and we were SO glad we did! Best breakfast we've ever had in a restaurant, ever! Inexpensive, good portions, fast service. read more

Western Diner - Newer menu - Diners Near Me - Albany, New York

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When I heard the diner was open again for inside dining I decided to make the trip from Oneonta to have a nice lunch. I get there and the sign says they're open until 3 pm. It was 2:35 when I got there. I get out of my car and a guy comes out and tells me they are closed. I didn't even get the chance to ask if I could get a quick burger or something to go. What a disappointment to say the least. I've been going there since the 80's. They last I know 3pm meant 3pm, not 2:35. Wasted a trip for nothing. Not sure I will be dining there again in the near future. read more

As I am looking through the stars I see the word "Meh" in the description of the two star review. It is a perfect description. There is nothing wrong with the diner. There is also nothing that stands out. It really is just kinda "meh". The diner is close to work, and I was going with a co-worker who did not want to travel far. He had a buffalo chicken wrap and a plate of fries. For whatever reason, he ate all the fries and decided to take the wrap home. I did not even try to understand. I am still trying to eat healthy so I had a soup and salad. The soup was nondescript, nothing special. Seemed canned vegetable with some extra beans added. The salad was nothing special, just like anything I've made for myself. Except for the olives, greek olives, which completely overpowered the salad and repeated on me all damned afternoon. And yet, the place was filled with people who seemed to be regulars. Something in the place resonated with them that I just did not notice. Chances are we'll be back again at some point, it is pretty close to the office and the service was quick. Maybe I'll pick up on what other people see in the place. Until then... Meh. read more

Great value - good portions - good food. This is a great local place - cozy, friendly, fast. I've never had a bad meal. Especially nice as a single guy who really does not cook at home. Breakfast and Lunch can be under $10. Dinner $15. read more