O’s Eatery: An American Diner

When driving Upstate from Long Island, I gladly choose the Taconic. The pros are the natural beauty, the very light traffic, the saving of a bridge toll (No Tappan Zee) and the absence of obnoxious sixteen wheel trucks. The cons are the winding, hair-​raising, sadistically-​designed traffic lanes in Putnam County and the absence of full service rest stops along the highway. It is the latter factor that makes me glad that O’s Eatery still exists.
On 4/​30, after two hours of driving, I needed a break and breakfast. I chose this quaint rustic diner with the simple «Diner «sign that is visible from the Taconic, entailing an extremely minor detour to a place that gets you back on the road fast.
The interior of the dinner was dim and sparely decorated. My server greeted and seated me with a smile. I ordered coffee and a «loose» Spinach Swiss Cheese Omelet, which arrived only a few minutes after my coffee.
I have to say, like that dude in the old TV show Twin Peaks, they make a fine cup of coffee. My omelet, though, was not «loose» but barely cooked. It was also smaller than I expected. The omelet, though, tasted like a diner omelet should. There were only two waitresses working not only the customers but the cashier station as well. I did not get a coffee refill before I finished my omelet and was, thus, compelled to ask for one with my check. There was no «check back» to inquire about the meal.
Despite the aforementioned deficits, since this diner is the only game in town on that stretch of the Taconic, I would return again if I needed a quick bite and a break from driving.

I gave the place one star for it’s location, and the other star for the charming old school building and nice server. Unfortunately, the food just doesn’t cut it. When I asked the server what was «fresh» and not frozen, she told me the burgers. I then ordered the turkey burger, and they were out of it. I settled for the chicken fingers and fries which were plentiful, but undoubtedly taken from a freezer and thrown into the fryer.
Perhaps 15 – 20 years ago, this would have been acceptable to me, maybe it was par for the course, but after watching hundreds of episodes of Diners Drive-​ins and Dives, I know that many many diners are taking that extra step to cook fresh food. Probably the reason why the place was 90% empty at 7 pm on a recent Friday night.
I hope they take my advice and start featuring more fresh food items on the menu, and making things from scratch, because people appreciate that, and will come for that. Plus, it’s been there since I was a little kid, and I’d hate to see it go out of business!

O’s Eatery is conveniently located right off the Taconic State Parkway. It’s an original diner from when the parkway first opened so there’s a lot of character.
This place is very clean actually unlike most really old diners. The food was great and the service was exceptional. Real locals coming and going too.

Wow. We sat in this diner for 20 minutes without as much as a waitress looking at us. It was like we had turned invisible upon walking through the doors. Others who were seemingly regulars had no trouble getting service… but not us. Probably for the best, the kitchen was full of blue smoke that poured out every time the door swung open. Terrible way to do business and kind of a dump of a place.

A fantastic diner! I come here every year on the way up to Lake George. The food is great, and the scenery is beautiful.

Convenient, great tasting diner that would do well in keeping up the friendliness of staff!
Serving outsiders isn’t much fun, they come in and peep at your world then grumble and complain. But I’ve done it too. Had to serve people I couldn’t stand. Stay positive, tell stories; any stories, the best are your everyday stories, and us out-of-towners’ll listen. We’re interested, too.
Smackin’ great pancakes. Attentive waitress. Loaded, toasty coffee.
We always stop at O’s, right after the Indian sign off Taconic.
Rebel Review: 3 stars.

This diner is the diner par excellence. The décor is classic, the staff is friendly, and the food is darn good. Plus, it’s right on the Taconic and across from a gas station, so it’s convenient as all get out. I drive to Massachusetts from New York all the time, and this place is a landmark.

Food was decent and service was good but this place is nasty…
What it has going for it:
— food was good
— was expensive
— location is convenient (right of the taconic)
— plenty of parking
What it has going against it:
— very outdated décor
— not exactly the cleanest diner I have been to by a long shot
The waitress was nice and the food was surprisingly decent but this place needs a major facelift. I would be fine with the décor if it was cleaner. I will post pics of the bathroom… that says it all. God only knows what the kitchen looks like.
Renovate the place and keep it clean this place could be 3 to 4 stars in my opinion.

We stop here every year on our way to lake George. Usually a stop for lunch ends up being about an hour. My only real
Complaint is the wait for food. I think I’m just used to faster service.
I love their pie and baked goods. As for burger and stuff like that it’s not amazing but it does when you are starving.

Needed a quick dinner off the taconic and saw the sign for this diner. Solid diner food with quick service and good prices. Enjoyed the meatloaf platter and hubby had hot open turkey with mash. Recommended if your in the area, breakfast menu looked good to.

This place changed hands and had some interesting items prepared well. Upon our return it has mysteriously reverted to a bad old diner. «Smoked ham» in a cold plate diced into really tiny bits and mixed with lots of mayo. What happened? I think they abandoned it and opened the new O’s eatery in Hillsdale. New owners must be refugees from the nearby dreadful Whitestone Café.

O’s is our regular stop on the way up to Killington. Solid diner food! Kids love the hamburgers and milk shakes. Fried chicken, meatloaf and Hot Open Turkey Sandwich all great. Easy stop off the Taconic! Can’t miss it.

food is pretty good. OWNER VERY NICE. i gotta say waitresses are miserable. young and old a like. i have been there for dinner and for take out. they act like they are being bothered. i am friendly to everyone and know it is a hard job but that is no excuse for their miserable attitude. shame because like I said owner is a very nice guy.

Friendly service and amazing breakfast omelets. A quick pull over from the techonic state parkway, north.

Our family stopped in at this classic diner for dinner on a road trip. It’s so easy right off the Taconic. Burgers and paninis were tasty and well cooked. My husband enjoyed Earl’s Special Chili, which was spicy and smoky. The green salad was a generous bowl of fresh green leaf lettuce and mixed vegetables. The salad deserves a 5 rating.

Classic diner atmosphere. Never had a bad meal here but it’s a diner, I don’t order the steak or fish. Service is always great with a super funny/​sarcastic waitress Candy. Great location right off the TSP.

Not the best Diner around. Owner seemed cool but food is really not up to standards. They reuse things that ought to be thrown away. I’ve learned that if I’m dragged into here the best thing to do is order something simple like breakfast. They can handle scrambled eggs, bacon and toast… Just don’t try and push it much past that point.

They do breakfast right! Omelettes — they’ll do whatever kind you want! (Mine: spinach, mushroom, onion) comes with really good potatoes and toast. I like the rye. And link sausage.
All served up in a sunny diner with service to match. What more could one want for breakfast? Ice cream and pie? Why, yes!
I’ve been coming in regularly the past several months even when I’m not right nearby — it’s reliable for breakfast, which I appreciate.
They have a full menu including dinner which appears to be priced very reasonably.
PS easy on/​off Taconic north and south with gas right across the quiet street from the diner

Solid, quick and inexpensive diner right off of the Taconic Parkway. Service is friendly and exactly what you would expect from a greasy spoon. We ate here after picking the kids up from camp. My burger was medium rare, as asked for, and the fries were crispy and hot. The rest of the family got eggs or pancakes, both great.
Pretty much everything on the menu is under $ 10. Lunch for 4 was around $ 38 inlcuding tax and tip. If you’re looking for quick stop on the Taconic, this is the place.
N.B. There is a gas station right across the street.

After receiving an invitation to return and give O’s another try my wife and I stopped in on ¹²⁄₄.
This is an updated review
I have bumped up the review to 3-​stars:
Food:
2– stars: Half baked chicken — Served warm and moist, rubbery skin and very little seasoning. My wife commented that it tasted like it had been boiled in water. Adding salt/​pepper only made it worse and she didn’t finish it.
4-​stars: Balboa sandwich, excellent portion, meat was tender and had lots of flavor. The sauteed onions were delicious, but I removed half of them from the sandwich as they were over-​powering the other flavors.
Service:
5-​Stars — Our waitress was awesome. She pointed out the specials that were no longer available as soon as we opened the menu’s and was attentive and a joy to speak with.
As I mentioned in my original review O’s serves an awesome breakfast and just seems to be inconsistent with the lunch/​dinner/​specials entrée’s. I would rate them 5 stars on their sandwiches and breakfast choices.
For that weekend breakfast or lunch with the kids or for a quick stop for coffee and dessert I would recommend giving O’s a try. Just look for the Neon DINER sign on the Taconic Parkway.