Golden Reef Diner

I usually visit here once a month for breakfast with my kids. Overall, it’s your typical run of the mill Long Island diner in terms of food. I think it’s a little pricier than most however.
In my opinion the 2 things about this diner that take it from 3 stars to 4 stars are: their specialty pancakes and their «homemade» gelato.
The pancakes are deliciously sweet and filling. They have a great variety of flavors such as Oreo, pumpkin, red velvet, blueberry, chocolate chip, Nutella filled, and even more. I have tried all of the flavors above and they are all equally delicious and SWEET!
The gelatos are kept in a case in the front, as soon as you walk in, you will see them. They are colorful mounds of creamy deliciousness. The flavors come and go with the seasons overall but they seem to have a few constants. I have tried the coconut – super yummy – and the lemon – refreshing.
This place is worth a visit.

Today I went to the Golden Reef Diner and I got Nutella pancakes and hot chocolate .
The service was fast the hot chocolate came first but the presentation was horrible .It was horrible because some of it was spilled on the side of the cup and it was over flowing the waiter put whipped cream and little chocolate chips on the hot chocolate it made a mess on the cup .Next came the pancakes, they are fluffy, and full of Nutella. I only ate one because it’s really fulling but delicious .I give it 4’s because of the Hot chocolate, we were siting in a corner, the waiter did not check up on us and there was not enough water.

Took my mom out for dinner here tonight. It was great, and not too expensive. We both got soup, she enjoyed the French onion and I got matzoh ball– wasn’t too salty like other places! I got a side salad as well, which was huge! The waitstaff were super friendly and brought us our food quickly. I am glad we decided to come in for dinner. We will be back soon!

This place is the fucking bomb. I don’t know why people have to whine about it. Fine, I don’t care much for the salad, then again, perhaps you ought to just ask for dressing on the side, but DUDE, this place is fantastic. Poached eggs are always on point, so are their omelettes, the stuffed clams are simply delicious and the gelato, oh my goodness, don’t get started because it’s through the roof fantastic. And surprisingly enough when I asked for a margarita, I got a FANTASTIC margarita. Imagine my surprise! You’re gonna like the way you eat, I guarantee it ;)

after my doctors appointment I’m starving so my aunt suggested we make our way to the Golden Reef Diner located in RVC. We walked in and were greeted nicely by the manager. He let us pick which booth we wanted to sit at because my aunt is older in age and wanted to sit closer to the B.r. Next we get seated then the waitress walks up and greets us. She took our orders for the drinks and asked did we need time to order (mind you! We just walked in and sat down. We didn’t even get to open the menu booklet yet) We told her that we would need more time to look. She came back. My aunt asked about a burger, what sides can you get with the burger. As she’s asking questions the waitress is getting annoyed. As she’s taking my order she’s rushing me.
So I ordered the stack of pancakes deluxe (3pancakes w/​bacon, eggs, sausage, ham) and a side of French fries.
The waitress brings the food out to the table. I was extremely disappointed my pancakes looked almost burnt (last time I checked pancakes are supposed to be golden brown) the bacon was over cooked and one piece not cooked well (not a request) the eggs weren’t scrambled as I requested. When I saw the food it front of me I immediately lost my appetite! I KID YOU NOT!
I will never return to this place! And I don’t recommend this diner AT ALL!

I use to come to this diner twice a week when I was a teen. The service is horrible and the food is disgusting. My friend and I ordered the burger Deluxe both caught food poisoning. I will never go back there.

We waited for 15 mins for water & for our waitress to even acknowledge us. The waitress was very rude & did not know the menu. She kept saying they didn’t have certain things when it was on the menu. Food was gross and my pancakes came burnt. The waitress had the worst attitude. She threw our food at us and rolled her eyes when I asked for a straw. We asked for our food wrapped up and was annoyed by it. Truth be told we just wanted out of there. I will not be returning to this dump. It has potential but they need to step up their customer service!!! We only tried this place out because Mitchell’s closed. This is no Mitchell’s.

Have come here a few times, food is typical diner food which is okay, the only problem is the staff. In the few times I’ve been there I have had a few nasty waitresses who have ranged from unpleasant to downright aggressive. Going here past midnight is a gamble.

I had no idea they had delicious gelato here!!! On our way back from nj my friend mentioned the best gelato being here. Of course there was no question we all had to come here right away so we did lol. So good I can’t wait to come back for more flavors. Amazing.

Fantastic place for breakfast, they do an awesome job, good coffee, great service. This place is packed on a Sunday morning but I am always quickly seated and served. The gelato… To die for

Biggest ripoff out of any diner I’ve ever been to and I lived in New York City for over 30 years. Horrible service, mediocre food and a complete ripoff. $ 12.65 for 2 eggs, home fries and bacon. I will never go here again.

This diner is excellent had salmon with spinach and avocado and quinoa. Delicious!!! Service was good too! Their prices are fair considering the large portions!

I only came here for some gelato but it was the best gelato I’ve ever had. I got half pistachio/​half stracciatella and received a large portion for $ 5.30. Would definitely recommend to any gelato lovers. Looking forward to coming back and trying the food.

Here for breakfast, this well-​staffed diner should have no issue with service. That being said, here’s what I noticed:
Like most people, I have a list of complex instructions just to prepare a simple eggs and bacon breakfast. I ran through mine and the lovely young pleasant waitress says, «you said scrambled?» [thought I was in trouble]
Two other customers sat down after I ordered, on either side of me and were taken care of by the more «veteran» waitress. Surprise? They were both served quickly before me. [figured I was in trouble]
I was brought my food shortly thereafter and the young lady looked at me and asked quizzically «is everything alright?» Now she was polite, but the look told me that she gets frequent complaints. I’ll get to mine, but I don’t send food back or complain to servers except in extreme circumstances. [knew I was in trouble]
The food:
My toast was almost bread, barely a tan and cold. I needed to take two nearby napkins to blot my bacon that looked as if it came right out of the frying pan. Eggs were dry and tasteless; why is it so hard to make scrambled eggs? And the potatoes, which I ordered «well done,» were soggy, but at least they had onions in them.
All in all, big trouble!

Expensive, low quality, poorly staffed. Moot what a dinner should be on Sunrise highway Long Island.
Parking lot dangerous not much good to say. Diet Soda $ 3. Grill cheese with bacon $ 7 w/​o chips? Potato chips that expensive? Really?
Obviously no value, avoid.

I went with my wife for dinner yesterday to the Golden Reef. I was there once before and did not like it. We were seated quickly but the prices were absurd like 19 for a chopped steak with a choice of a soup or salad. We then ordered two burgers which were at best average. Service was average. On the way out the cashier said how was the food. When I said not so good she shrugged her shoulders and took my money. This is not a very good diner at all. The price to value ratio here is way below average. I will not be returning here in the near future.

UGHHHH I want to do give it 4 stars because service was impressive and I love the bustling atmosphere but my omelette coming out lukewarm (almost cold) is such a big no no! I mean, that’s what I came for all the way from Great Neck, people!
This diner is seriously packed to the core, but they had space for my friend and me when we dropped by on a Sunday around 11am for brunch. He had been here before and recommended one of the omelettes, and wow do they have quite a selection. Waitress was very friendly and helped me construct my own omelette (spinach, mushrooms, tomatoes, swiss). I know I know, it sounds so good it should just be made into a special, right?!
We also got coffees, which they refill for free — yippee!
Overall I give it 3.5 and I’d return if ever in the area again.

Holy pancake heaven!!!
The food really is good, great diner food, and its clean.
Our waitress was great, even with the Sunday morning crowd.
Be prepared to wait, and it is a little pricey by diner standards.

I think this place has an identity crisis. It’s a diner in Rockville Centre, not Midtown Manhattan. There’s no reason they should be charging the prices they do. $ 15 for a panini with fries? You can get that for less anywhere else.
Don’t waste your money on typical high-​priced diner food when there are so many great food options in Rockville Centre.

My friend and i stopped here for breakfast on a Saturday morning and it was busy. By the time we left, the place was packed. I was shocked how crowded this place was for a diner.
I ordered the egg plus with sausages and it came with a choice of several side items. I had the home fries, fresh fruit and toast. I think I was supposed to get hot tea but it never came which was okay since my body was still recovering from our long hour hot yoga class that was just a few blocks away.
My friend had pancakes, eggs, sausages, ham and bacon which she said was good. I wanted to save room for the gelato that is visible as soon as you walk through the door. I ordered a small size of chocolate and mango gelato and it was delicious.
I enjoyed our meal and the service was cool. Apparently a lot of people enjoy this diner because it stayed crowded. It was pretty shocking to see the parking lot was so small but they did have valet parking. I would definitely return and check out lunch or dinner.