First went to Zafi's AT LEAST 45 yrs ago as a little kid. When I saw they were still open I made my way. Great to see family still runs it. Surprised by the many bad reviews but I can only tell you about MY experience. Breakfast was just as solid as always. Waitstaff was cool, and welcoming and prompt. It's comfort food. Its community. It's THE LOWER EAST SIDE luncheonette food as I have always remembered. Coffee nice and hot, tap water cold as ever. I guess I just love the place. Breakfast specials, to burger deluxes, it's comforting to see them still rocking. Neighborhood place, where everyone says hello and you will probably run into someone you grew up with. read more

Zafis Luncheonette - Blah - Diners Near Me - New York, New York

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Great spot! I enjoyed the $8 deal- potatoes, 2 eggs any way, and coffee. This place was bustling with energy and going there is a real new york experience. read more

The best diner. We had eggs any style with toast home fries and a side of bacon. The bacon was perfect. Just the way you want it. Crispy. read more

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A classic spot on the LES that matches its name - luncheonette. Classic, fresh diner food served to me at a counter with a swivel stool. The veggie omelette was excellent and also lives up to its name - platter. The timely but barely communicative service is New York. If you find yourself near Grand Street and are hungry, you won't go wrong here. read more

Zafis Luncheonette - Veggie Omelette platter - Diners Near Me - New York, New York

Re: Zafi's Luncheonette at 500 Grand St LES: Frequent errors with orders! Thumbs down!!! NOT GOOD

Had my first meal of the new year here. Loved it. It was crazy but the staff were friendly and attentive. Very good food at a good price. read more

Zafis Luncheonette - Awesome breakfast spot - Diners Near Me - New York, New York

A true New York style breakfast! Hear the griddle sizzling in the background, smell the aroma of fried eggs and bacon floating in the air, bringing in a nostalgic breakfast experience~ read more

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Breakfast staples from eggs, bacon and home fries, to pancakes to French toast. The service is fast, the customers are locals, and the ambience is good, old-fashioned, traditional, timeless and affordable. A rarity in this great neighborhood. Hope it lasts forever! read more

I got served moldy food, and they argued with me, being very rude about it also, firstly, I ant a Mami nothing, I'm a dude get it right jack ass, don't come here if you don't want to get sick. read more

Zafis Luncheonette - I just got this today. And heads up for any one coming here. I don't want any one getting sick, my community deserves better than this. - Diners Near Me - New York, New York

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An outstanding place to eat . The crew is a neighbor. I highly recommend this restaurant especially if you've been going there for years .

Yeah this place is still here. Small tables and counter seating, but it's narrow. They could use a little bit of a spruce up. Family run, but really only the counter lead. The rest of the staff is hired help. Used to be a father son business. They are nice enough. Pretty plain menu for a diner. Used to be a little better I think. Service is adequate for the size of it. I ordered an omelet, I think mushroom and cheese. I always make sure they don't put American cheese on an omelet. I prefer real cheese on an omelet. The omelet was very overcooked beyond country style and they put American cheese on it. I'm not one to waste food, so I ate it, but I doubt I'll go back for a while. That cook needs some help. read more

It's nice to sit in a diner feeling luncheonette and get a BLT in the morning. The BLT was cooked right there on the grill in the front. You can smell the bacon being cooked and getting place lettuce and tomato. So simple yet so good. read more

Zafis Luncheonette - The Reuben is a perfect neighborhood Diner sandwich. Flavorful and perfect with a pickle.Follow us on Instagram: Bigfoodie.littlefoodie - Diners Near Me - New York, New York

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This place never gets any better and try my hardest to support local business but this one keeps failing. I just ordered from them, please explain to me how you just slap a load of butter on my croissant that is barely even toasted??? The cook is horrible and does not known about putting effort into what he is dishing out. Unbelievable. I truly need too stop wasting my money here because the results speck for themselves. The only good thing about this place are hardworking delivery guys who are always full of smiles and have a great charming attitude. They are the ones who keep this place going. read more

Zafis Luncheonette - a half eaten sandwich - Diners Near Me - New York, New York

If i can select a "0"rating I would. i cannot post until a star ratin has been selected. I was treated very unfairly by an old Latino male. Clearly he had an issue with my darker complexion. after experiencing this horrible behavior, i was a bit reluctant to consume the food. Zafi's should come with a warning regarding darker complexion customers. I will never frequent this place ever again. i will advise family and friends not to eat at Zafi's. unfortunately, some will disagree, due to positive treatment. " as long as its not happening to you its ok, until it does" read more

It's been a mainstay on Grand Street for as long as I can remember, and it's somewhat of a neighborhood gathering place of a bygone era of LES. As far as Greek diners of yesteryear are concerned, it's pretty on par with the rest of them in New York City. Counter service, familiar faces, food ranging from pancakes to dinner foods. Nothing that will blow your socks off or end up on your social media feeds, but straightforward food that should do the trick when you need it. read more

My boyfriend and I stopped by here since it was close by. It was a little over noon and breakfast was over but they were nice enough to accommodate. Breakfast option was inexpensive. You can't go wrong with eggs, hash browns, sausage, and toast for less than $8 bucks. read more

I used their bathroom 2 weeks ago when i was in the neighborhood and bought ice coffee. Ice coffee with no sugar is excellent. I used to come here ages ago when i used to work across the street. It's a typical coffee shop but on days i didn't want to make lunch, this was my go to for Greek salad or tuna sandwich. I was always fine with either. read more

I absolutely hate writing less than average reviews for businesses as I know some of them depend heavily on reviews for livelihood, but this place was just plain awful. I brought a friend here for breakfast one morning and I was hoping this place would soon be a local spot for me on mornings I didn't feel like making breakfast, but sadly, that will not be the case. Yes, the prices are a steal here, but really you are getting what you paid for. Initially, I thought to myself, "less than 5 dollars for eggs, potatoes, toast and coffee, wow what a bargain!" But then when I started eating my breakfast, I realized the price was too good to be true. I had sunny-side up eggs, and they were barely warm (kind of scary considering Salmonella and all). In addition, the potatoes were soggy and had a slight sour taste (not cool to serve patrons almost rotten food). And to complete out the mess, the butter on the toast was also funky, tasted like Vegemite, wait, that can't be right... What is confusing to me is that at 8AM, this place was packed to the gill with people. How is that possible? Are my taste buds off? I don't think so. I will not be stopping by again anytime soon. Such a shame this place was terrible, I really wanted it to be better...sigh. read more

Word is this little gem has been around for over 40 years! Great value for the money. Quality home made style cooking and attentive staff. If anything is wrong with the food, they graciously will re-do. So it boggles the mind why some just write bad reviews without giving a business a chance to correct mistakes? read more

Zafis Luncheonette - Eggs over easy with corn beef hash. Perfect - Diners Near Me - New York, New York

My family and I have been ordering from Zaffis for over 20 years and never had any problems but this weekend wasn't good. My wife called them on Saturday for a delivery order and they forgot two of the items then on Sunday they forgot three items and the guy Mike was rude It will be a while before we order from them again. read more

They never go the extra mile and their TOAST IS ALWAYS HARD I FEED IT TO MY DOGS . I've ordered from them for over a year now . I always get the same order . Some days it's really good and others it's pretty lame , but the toast is ALWAYS HARD. I've complained to them before about this. read more

Wanted a vegetable soup & grilled cheese. Was ridiculously overpriced and the food was lack luster. Charged me $15 for a large coffee cup of canned progresó veggie soup which was too salty & a soggy grilled cheese with tomato. Next time I'll pass & wait till I get home read more

Writing a review just to shine light on the excellent service and the homey/comfy experience. Every person we came across was super friendly. Didn't have to ask for water, service was speedy and efficient. The credit minimum is $5. We all asked for separate checks and some of us paid by credit card for meals that were $7-10 and it wasn't a big deal at all like other places I've been where the cashier literally says out loud, "Seriously though, just $7?!" before they chuck the pen and receipt at you. I recommend the honey mustard chicken panini. Most other dishes looked good, so if it sounds good, go for it. read more

I come to this luncheonette every morning to get my morning coffee and oatmeal. I always receive a warm greeting, excellent service and great food. This is an excellent family diner that has been here for as long as I can remember. Enjoy! read more

Totally a neighborhood spot for locals, as apparent by the fact that the staff knows most of the people that walk in. The food is your typical diner quality with average prices, but the real winner is the friendly service. The staff will chat with you if you look like you want to talk to someone, but will leave you be if you seem like you don't want to shoot the breeze, which I appreciate. While it was busy when I ate my eggs, toast, home fries, and sausage ($7.95), the staff was still considerate of my experience. Will definitely drop in again for a quick bite! read more

At first glance, the environment was acceptable and felt family friendly. The food over all, was flat line good. My burger was obviously made already. The texture was like a ready made burger. My girlfriend and I ordered two different dishes. A sandwich wrap and my burger. The burger was done first, before a cold sandwich wrap...which is actually weird. Her wrap had disproportionately amount of meat to lettuce... just so much chicken! My burger... dry, and the buns were small! (An avocado cheese burger with bacon.) The bacon was good, but everything just look so dry...like it was made already. And the coleslaw was in a paper ketchup cup, and my cup was already soggy... I will assume from already being made and just sitting in that dish. My assumption is only because my girlfriend got coleslaw with her wrap as well, and the paper cup was not soggy. Even just before we left, it was not soggy. Nice place! But not worth the money for that kind of food. Lovely staff, but the cook can do better. Will we be back?...We probably should have just went to iHop instead. 2 stars only because the price of the food. Its a rip off! They also have a nice bathroom, and it was CLEAN!! Major points for that! Smelled good and the soap smelled nice too :) read more

No one wants HARD TOAST with their eggs!!! Seems like they're making the toast ahead of time for incoming orders..so the toast is sitting there, getting stale and hard and then they're slapping more butter on top of it. So when you get it, the toast is cold, hard and stale!! Good way to serve your customers. Shame, shame... read more

I think Zafis has three reviews so far. And now with mine, it should be four. I agree with the three other yelper's reviews. I've been a customer of Zafis since I moved to the neighborhood back in 2002. I've yet to see a roach, rodent or any other creepy crawler, (yes, the occasional fly). They do their best to rise above the mediocrity of other "diner-like" eateries. They are mindful of wiping the tables and chairs clean after each customer's meal and you are greeted with a happy to see you smile. I don't think I've ever eaten off of dirty silverware that had to be returned or cracked mugs or dirty glasses or anything. For a busy joint, they are conscientious to cover the basics and skillfully keep on top of things like the cleanliness factor. They aim to please and meet your specifications at Zafis. No attitude. Just hardworking staff that knows how to keep things moving . Whatever I've ordered has been consistently fresh, pretty tasty (if an item I ordered was a tad bland- like say mashed potatoes-they topped it with grilled/sauteed onions and that seemed to remedy the meal nicely. The best of all: Zafis is pretty cheap. I've had breakfast items; all good size portions too, from pancakes to eggs and home fries, toast, bialys. I've had lunch items such as: greek salad and pita, turkey burger, veggie burger, vegetable platter, egg salad club sandwich on whole wheat toast, soups etc. It's typical luncheonette/coffee shop food but the food is cooked and prepared with more effort to please the palate, I think. You feel a sense of pride emanating from the staff to stretch beyond the average greasy spoon reputation. I like their coffee- medium to bold and always freshly brewed. Delivery is pretty fast and accurate. They've yet to foul up my orders. Dining in is fun too. They have 6 tables I think and a pretty long counter top. Being in the middle of the busy hustle and bustle and the sometimes oldies playing on the speakers can be cheerful when in the right mood. read more

This dinner is just the place to go for that quick homemade meal. It's been in the neighborhood for years ,the staff is friendly and helpful.I take my family there all the time. Food is very good and the coffee is even better. read more

Great for good breakfast Place is clean, staff is all nice, Oh, you'll like that price! read more

A co-worker of mine orders from here for lunch all the time. The other day, I decided to place an order with her, because I was craving buffalo wings & fries. (Yucky, I know!) What arrived was normal, breaded chicken wings and fries. I called to let them know that there must have been some type of error, and the woman didn't understand what I was trying to say- what kind of buffalo wings come without buffalo sauce?! I ordered buffalo wings and got friend chicken wings. She put a male on the phone, who was very rude and told me that those were indeed buffalo wings that I received and when he buys them, the box says buffalo wings, and so they are buffalo wings. I told him that I've never been to an establishment who served buffalo wings without sauce, and that they should be called friend chicken wings because buffalo wings have buffalo sauce. He asked me if I wanted BBQ sauce delivered and I told him no, I didn't want BBQ sauce or I'd have ordered BBQ wings, and by the time any sauce was delivered, my food would be cold. I reiterated to him that these weren't buffalo wings, and he told me that's what they call buffalo wings, and asked me what my point was. At that time, I realized this conversation was going nowhere fast, so I told him my point was that I'd no longer be ordering from here, and hung up. Seriously, you can google it, or look it up on Wikipedia- Buffalo wings are served with buffalo sauce!!!! read more

I've only been here a handful of times, and have enjoyed each time. They make good eggs, and home fries. I stop here when I'm in the area early in the morning. Very friendly staff to boot. read more

I've been eating breakfast at Zafis every Sat morning for many years. It's the kind of neighborhood place you want to go to and support, such as during the pandemic. The owners and staff are very friendly and know all the regular customers by name, I don't have to order anymore, they all know what I want, exactly how I want it, eg; well done home fries and bacon. They know I like hot sauce and even bring me home made versions to put on my order. I've seen them handle huge breakfast rushes expertly, both in house and to go orders. You can't go wrong stopping by read more

My first time here was 10 years ago when we moved to the neighborhood. My wife had a turkey burger and got the most violently explosive food poisoning I've ever seen. I didn't return until recently, after hearing they'd put some effort into improving the place. I had a ham & cheese panini and was rewarded with diarrhea. Neither of us have weak stomachs. We eat out a lot, never with such traumatic reactions. I love a good diner and I'm not a snob about cuisine. This place is a health hazard. read more

As of April 1, Zafis will remain open until 9:00 p.m. on Wednesday-Saturday.

Good breakfast for very cheap prices . The staff very freindly and hard working !!! read more

I love this local neighborhood gem! I have been going here since I was a kid. The staff knows all the regulars by name and their regular order. The staff feels like family. I love going here for breakfast on the weekends. read more

I dropped by on a Sunday afternoon for some brunch. I ordered two eggs sunnyside up with home fries and salami. (The order also comes with toast, which I declined). I washed everything down with a strawberry egg cream soda. The food was decent. Nothing very special about it. Though this is a diner, so I wasn't expecting much. The total bill came out to be $10 including tip. read more

I've been coming here since youth and have always walked away full and happy. It's your typical NYC diner experience. Come often and you'll get to know the staff on a first name basis. Service is quick and provides little interaction unless you're sitting at the counter. It's affordable and delicious, so what more do you need to know? read more

I really like this place, I remember first eating here 15 years ago. It's still a great spot to sit down, get good service and have really cheap and yummy eggs with toast, home fries, and coffee for $5. read more