Plainview Diner

After eating here for about as long as we live here, tonight will be our last for the foreseeable future. We always go in with our two children and I’ve asked for just a platter of chicken fingers as our kids do not like fries (I know, nuts!) and they are always given juice and a cookie at the end. Tonight, I paid more for 2 small cups of apple juice than I could purchase a package of ORGANIC juice boxes for ($ 5.00? really? My mom’s soda was less!) and was charged for a cookie that is basically always given out ($ 3.25 for a diner cookie? Next time, I will drive through Panera for $ 1.25 less!). We had 2 glasses of water for a table of 5 and had to take tissues from my purse because we couldn’t get napkins (bear in mind, we had two small children with us-​typically, places know we will need the napkins eventually). My father almost went behind the counter to get his own refill of coffee. It was not very busy at the time, either. When we tried talking to the man behind the counter, he was unfazed. I suppose there is an old enough/​snobby enough clientele here in the area to keep them going, but we will find somewhere else for no cook Friday, as I don’t need attitude served with dinner.

Around 7:30 last night Bonnie G. and I decided to take a short hike and go to Plainview Diner for dinner. The diner is always busy during dinner time and we caught the tail end of that chaotic time and were seated immediately. Since the re-​do of this place a couple of years ago it has a nice aura and lots of TV’s to catch any game. We sat in a booth and were served by an octagenarian named Grace… a very sweet white haired lady who took care of us. We started with a gratis dish of great cole slaw and a couple of half sour pickles which were very tasty but albeit, no chick peas or something more interesting. Bonnie ordered a Chicken Salad Platter and I a MR hamburger Platter.
The food prepared is all fresh… specifically, the Chicken Salad was terrific… chunky and not sloppy with too much mayo. The lettuce and tomatoes as well as the hard boiled egg et. al. were all crisp fresh and made the salad a hit. My burger was terrific…6 oz of fresh ground beef cooked to medium rare perfection. The fries were crisp and the lettuce and tomato went so well with the juicy burger… The food was a hit! And the price point was reasonable…

Best diner on Long Island (but I have not been to all of them) — very consistent food. «Newsday» mentions it in list of 10 best pancakes on the Island. My wife always gets salmon and she is fussy — tells me it is always cooked just right and never over cooked or dry. Portions are large so do not over order. I am simple and generally get omelette, or pancakes, or hamburger — very consistent. Once I had a hot turkey sandwich — too much brown sauce.

Went for the first time around 1:30pm this past weekend after visiting the American Museum of Armor and Old Bethpage Village Restoration.
The outside and inside of the diner has a 1950’s retro feel and is really nicely decorated. I found out that they renovated this diner about 3 years ago. The lighting fixtures, walls, and even the fabric used on the backs of the booths give the diner a nice vibe.
We were a party of 2 and we were seated right away. We ordered two sodas which came right away. Then we ordered two Reuben sandwiches. I ordered a turkey Reuben and my girlfriend order the pastrami reuben. The waitress brought two bowls of coleslaw and pickles to our table first.
Our sandwiches were open face sandwiches. However the menu didn’t mention that. That was fine with me because I usually eat Reuben sandwiches with a knife and fork. My girlfriend later told me she was a little disappointed that it wasn’t a sandwich. I enjoyed the turkey Reuben and tried my girlfriends pastrami Reuben which I thought was very good.
I couldn’t finish my sandwich so the waitress brought me a container and a bag. As I was leaving and driving through the parking lot, our waitress stopped me because I forgot the leftovers in the diner so she brought them out to us. I thought that was very nice of her.
I enjoyed this diner. The place is nicely decorated, food was good, bathrooms were clean, and the waitress was friendly. I’ll go back when I’m in the area again.

I’ve been to this diner two times over the past year, and have had the same experience both times of having a rude waitress. Its always been a women, and I thought I would give it one more try today. Its one thing to be tired, stressed, or forgetful, but to be overtly rude is not acceptable. Especially on Long Island where diners are a dime a dozen.
The sad part is that the food is good. Better than your average diner fare, but you need customer service and good food to become a stable in a community. I hope they make some changes in the way they train their staff.

Plainview Diner is a gem that the locals go to for food regularly. The service can be slow at times, but the wait staff is good natured. The sole fish is very good with a large portion. We all look forward to ending with a large cookie.
Turkey burgers and eggs are also very good among other dishes.
Great family restaurant.

My husband and I come here every Sunday while our daughter is at practice. My husband is very picky about his burgers and never has a complaint here. I love the turkey and bacon sandwiches here, the eggs are also good and the gyros are fantastic. We’ve always had friendly and attentive wait staff and we have never waited more than 5 minutes for a table!

Just ate breakfast here. Ordered a «Spanish Omelette», which I highly do not recommend. Breakfast was extremely soggy, basic egg omelette with liquid salsa inside and outside omelette. Asked for cheese and avocado, did not bring any until afterwards but food was cold. Gave us a side of toast which wasn’t warm, like it’s been sitting out for a while. Server was a lovely woman, very sweet, however it seemed she didn’t have too much knowledge on the food products. Asked about the Spanish Omelette and she told me there’s so many veggies and stuff and it was a «popular menu item». After placing an order she came back to me apologizing that it only had salsa, and when I asked if I can modify the order, I couldn’t because it was already put through. The side of avocado they brought halfway through my meal was the best part about my breakfast. As Gordon Ramsey would say…“bloody dreadful”.

The food is pretty good, however the folks who pick up your orders over the phone are super rude and seem completely incapable of handling any orders that arent directly listed on the menu, such as no buns on a burger, isn’t too complicated.

great food. 80s cozy style. fresh ingredients. tried the Ultimate Panini. fries are good. best onion rings i had on LI. loved the marinara sauce. nice booths with windows. they have screens at each table meant to entertain you while waiting for your food. food came very quickly. clean bathrooms. i was satisfied with my experience and i am picky. ill will return for sure!

Really cool little spot in Plainview — great selection and a great lunch place. Get the Mozz soup and their chicken salad is awesome.

Oh Plainview Diner, with your amazing authentic exterior and proximity to my office, I want so much to love you. You have ample seating and an extensive menu. But your food? Varies from dish to dish, but I have been here with six people when NO ONE liked their meal. Not inedible, but not great. And with more than a dozen of the world’s best diners within 20 minutes, it’s hard to find a reason to visit again.

Sunday, late afternoon, mad hungry. Unilocaled closest diner, ended up here.
If you are really hungry, and really need food, than diner will do in a pinch. If you are looking for good food than keep on looking.
The service was meh. The greeter was nice, but the rest of the waitstaff left a lot to be desired. Rude, inconsiderate, and too cool for you are some ways to describe them.
The food — oof. This is one of those diners where they think it is a good idea to deep fry the bacon. I HATE deep fried bacon. You know this type of bacon — so crispy that it crumbles, and is dry as sand.
Eggs and hash browns were meh, and the coffee was plaid, accompanied by ‘no refrigeration needed milk’ pods. I hate those stupid pods too.
If we weren’t starving, and had another option we would have walked away, but that was not the case.
Avoid if you can and save your self the dissatisfaction of a forgettable meal.

Best diner on long island! I have ate at dozens of diners across the island growing up, and year after year this diner consistently amazes me with their delicious food. Fantastic breakfast spot! Great cannoli! My favorite meal is the ultimate grilled chicken panini… Go for it! Oh, and the matzo ball soup is bangin’

I want to give this place a good rating but I really can’t. Normally if the food is good and service bad I am willing to just leave a good rating but honestly both are poor here. Some of the staff are friendly while some just don’t seem interested. The last few times I’ve been here there has always been a small issue. Usually with the server not hearing something that I wanted.
As for the food; The last time I had a burger here something just tasted off about it. Couldn’t really say what but it was nasty and I had a friend taste to confirm that this was not just in my head.
Basically only come here if you want pancakes or eggs because that’s about all they can cook. I would never get a burger or steak or anything like that here.

Came here on Sunday with a party of 7 for lunch after a morning of pumpkin picking. While it was packed, the wait wasn’t too long. The hostess, I hope, was overworked because she needs an attitude adjustment. There was some nastiness in her tone and eye-​rolling when you weren’t looking at her. But is that what you get in this neighborhood?
After being seated, the staff brought over a «sassy-​seat» for one of the toddlers we had in tow, however it was a bit small and confining, so we opted not to use it. It was not «perfect» like the hostess promised.
All of the food was okay; typical diner food. I had asked our server if I could order a roast beef sandwich to go to bring home to the BF and she just shook her head and offered turkey. I asked for a ham sandwich and she offered a chicken breast sandwich. Do they not serve meat here? I settled for the chicken sandwich.
Good thing I reviewed the bill when it came because we were also charged for two greek salads when we only ordered one. It was resolved with no issue, but be sure to check before you pay!

Stopped here one evening just before 10 pm. So, props on being open until midnight during the week. We were seated promptly and given menus.
We were starving so we looked at the menus and quickly decided what to order and closed our menus. And we sat, and sat, and sat. Finally, the hostess realized that no one took our order yet and sent some guy over to our table. We ordered our food and drinks.
The drinks and my matzoh ball soup arrived pretty fast. The matzoh ball soup had good flavor. I ordered a cup and it was much larger than cups at other diners, so I appreciated that.
The hubby and I both ordered sandwiches, tuna salad on rye for me and chicken salad on wheat for him. I found the tuna salad to be rather bland and kind of dry. I was not impressed. My husband said that his chicken salad was a little dry too. My MIL ordered the Spinach & Feta Omelette with wheat toast. The menu says that it’s served with home fries and toast. When it arrived, it had french fries instead of home fries. I guess they did that since it was dinner time, but if the menu says one thing and you’re going to serve another in its place, you should let the customer know that when you place the order. I would have been pretty mad if it was my dish. She said the omelette was good though. It was a large portion, so she had breakfast for the next morning.
This is definitely your typical diner. It has a real retro feel to it, and looks it too. I’ve been to many diners, and most are better than this one. I doubt I’ll be back.

Went here for dinner. Place was empty.
I ordered eggs and pancakes. Food came out quick. Coffee was hot but never refilled.
Eggs and pancakes were fine but how do you screw that up?
The place is kind of run down. Its a staple in the area but that is about it.

I want to give this 4* just because of the harsh reviews. The elusive half star would be awesome in this capacity… so, after a long day, the BF suggested this diner. Since he knows LI, diners and me = off we went.
He was in the mood for a Greek Salad… ok not really. Lettuce with a few cukes and feta, as he does not care for the rest of the ingredients; the waitress was accommodating. I went for the bunless Turkey Burger with an added (2 because they were tiny) sweet potato ($ 1 upcharge) the taters were supercalifragilistic with just a dash of cinnamon. Tasted the raved about by BF cole slaw = yum!!! Had one onion ring and gave him the other. That is love :) Took a sweet potato, half the turkey patty and romaine, tomatoes and pickle to go.
Pretty sure this is solid all around as it is a frequent stop for my guy. Will miss NY diners; as usual, ginormous baked goods, mile high sammies, burgers, steaks, all day Breakkie and Greek specialities abound.
Was very happy with my meal and service. 3.5*

came here on a cold winters night in search of hearty comfort food
the place is bright sparkly and relatively cheery looking there was a smattering of Christmas decorations
there are flat screens on the walls
cute enough lights
we were served by a very friendly waitress
sunny side up, eggs toast and hash browns
can’t be too bad and they weren’t
except for the red peppers in my browns (I didn’t know so I cant blame them)
prices were fine for what we had
they have a big diner menu filled with all sorts of diner foods
I try to limit myself to simple when I eat at establishments such as this

Das Plainview Diner ist ein typisches amerikanisches Diner — genau so wie man es sich vorstellt! Hier gibt es sie — die gemütlichen Ledersitznischen mit Garderobenhaken dazwischen, auf jedem Tisch die obligatorische Ketchupflasche und alles was sonst noch so dazugehört ;-)
Es liegt etwas seitlich vom Long Island Expressway (459). Parkplätze gibt es reichlich vor dem Gebäude.
Das Diner macht innen und außen einen sehr gepflegten Eindruck, die Bedienung ist freundlich und die Burger waren die besten, die wir bisher in New York bekommen haben.
Wer einmal richtig amerikanisch essen möchte und ohnehin auf dem Weg nach Long Island ist (oder in die Stadt zurückfährt) sollte hier ruhig einmal anhalten und eine kleine Pause einlegen.
Man kann hier auch lecker Frühstücken oder eine schnelle Abendmahlzeit einnehmen. Das Publikum ist sehr bunt gemischt. Vom Schüler bis zum Rentner ist hier alles vertreten und die Touristendichte tendiert gegen Null.
Wir können das Plainview Diner uneingeschränkt weiterempfehlen wenn man lecker, günstig und schnell essen will und sowieso in der Gegend ist.