Brooklyn Diner

A good friend had visited NYC a few months back and gave me several suggestions for restaurants I must visit. Amongst these, the pancakes at Brooklyn Diner came highly recommended.

Fortunately it was located just off Times Square on 43^rd Street, a 10/15 minute walk from the apartment where I was staying. There is also another branch on 57^th street and a new one in Dubai, which is of course natural progression. For a late breakfast on a Thursday morning, the place was close to capacity, but I guess that’s hardly surprising given its location. Inside is your typical classic American diner style décor except dark woods had replaced the usual aluminium, almost as though it had been melded together with an old English Snooker room.

Interior

The menu itself read well with a wide selection of American breakfast classics and some slightly more adventurous options such as eggs on challa toast with marinara sauce, Italian sausage, roasted pepper and onions and crispy polenta. There were also some healthy alternatives such as oatmeal and fruit plates. However I was here for the pancakes. My friend had raved about the chocolate chip ones but I was in the mood for something slightly more savoury and went for the organic apple and chicken sausages.

My first impressions upon its arrival was that of mild disappointment, the huge triple stack of pancakes was flanked by two emaciated sausages, reminding me of a kwashiorkor child with wasted arms and an oedematous belly. After all in America, renowned for their obscene portion sizes, I don’t think it would have been unreasonable to expect a slightly more appropriate meat-to-pancake ratio. Nevertheless the pancakes themselves were soft and enjoyable but were became a bit of a boring struggle on their own (despite some high quality maple syrup) once the sausages were finished. These were tasty and a bit smoky but hardly memorable.

Apple & chicken sausage pancakes

Overall the pancakes were enjoyable but certainly not worth their $20 (following tax and tip). However, considering the unusually high recommendation from my friend, I can’t help but feel that I may have ordered incorrectly and would be willing to try other dishes from their breakfast menu, which looked far more exciting than my ultimate experience.

I didn’t try much of the food so it’s hard to make a definitive conclusion. I wouldn’t go out of my way but if you’re around Time Square there seems to me to be a distinct lack of quality restaurants, rather themed family joints and tourist traps appear to dominate. Brooklyn Diner is a decent bet; it certainly seems better than a lot of places in the vicinity. You will leave full but prices reflect the location.

Price: Breakfast mains roughly $15-20

Where to go before/next: Once again, right next to Times Square. Maybe head here for breakfast or brunch before catching a matinee performance on Broadway.

Website: Click here

Location: 155 West 43^rd Street 10036, Between Broadway & 6^th Avenue

Nearest Subway: Times Squ 42^nd Street station

Opening Times: 8.00 – 23.00 (Sun & Mon) 8.00 – 00.00 (Tues – Sat)