Soho Diner — Restaurant in New York

Firstly I must qualify - I travel a lot internationally and lived in NYC many years ago for a 6 months. This review is my personal opinion albeit with a little professionalism attached.

The over rating for this diner is 4* - whilst I have eaten only breakfast it is not justifiable rating The location / ambience / decor great . It has the feel of a good old fashioned diner - music selection playing was well selected and adds to the atmosphere which is good. But these are the basic ingredients to establish a memorable atmosphere .. it’s more about the staff and particularly the food that wants you going back for more.

So ok start .. unfortunately that’s where it stops .. the reception desk unmanned and the welcome not inviting ..the place has all the ingredients to create a buzz as you enter - a big NYC “hey man - Welcome to SD” doesn’t feature .. it’s more like here’s the menu do you want to sit there or there .. whatever !!!

In looking at the menu and I stress I only had breakfast - it’s very limited for a diner .. I order ordered juice / coffee / bacon eggs / home granola .. let’s start with the best bit / gronola was good .. well presented / good portion / well flavoured and toasted granola / a side of honey would have added to it but that’s just my personal preference .

Coffee was fine .. it’s not a specialist coffee house so diner coffee is diner coffee .. was fresh / light and hot ..

The main event was disappointing - I ordered scrambled Eggs - (it certainly was not scrambled and resembled more an omelette with melted Butter !! I think on top . . Bacon was horrendous .. overly cooked warm / 50% fat .. sourdough toast was slightly warm at best and burnt around the edges .. thrown together on the plate

Everything arrived at the one time and present with “here you go “ .. I had to ask for coffee ask for milk ask for warm toast ..

Altogether sad .. this place has all the ingredients aesthetically to be great .. but severally lacks substance ..

In conclusion this diner is not one I would visit again. There are plenty more diners in NYC - one of my favourite cities in the world , which might not come up to standards in terms of the decor but boy they win hands down on quality of Food / portion of food / pricing / service and atmosphere .. so look elsewhere if looking for a real NYC...

Came to the Soho Diner as part of my Anniversary date and omg this place is AMAZING!!!

NOTE Because this is located in Soho prices can be a little on the higher end. Think $15 for a salad before adding protein or $21 for Rigatoni Bolognese. With that being said the food is INCREDIBLY fresh

we started the meal with Garlic Shrimp this was flavorful and the grilled bread just tosses it over the edge. The Lump Crab Cocktail is sweet and herb-y with the goddess dressing that was served Finally they are NOT joking when they say th e Mean Green Chicken Wings are not for the faint of heart. I barely got 2 down and my partner finished off the rest lol.

Chopped Kale Salad was outrageous... I never in my life thought I would actually CRAVE a salad after eating it but I dream of the amazing taste. There are foral notes along with savory and salty. I'm actually ordering one now as I type this several days after my anniversary because I needed it!!!

For mains I got the 6oz Fillet Steak which was cooked to perfection. [Medium Rare] it was soft and the flavors had managed to permitate thru the steak. It is seasoned with pepper corn so if you aren't a fan of pepper I'd suggest going another way but man was it good, it came with a mountain of onion rings which somehow didn't lose their crisp after sitting on the side for so long!!! My partner ordered the Grilled King Salmon... the perfect flaky texture assisted in carrying out the butter and seasonings throughout. The lemon tahini was so light that there was no way for it to over power the salmon and made the most delicate bite when tahini can be very over powering.

The ambience is very laid back and the lights are kept dim, along with the furniture that looks like it jumped out of the 1950s it's a funky little spot. Not the place you would come just for some drinks but the staff is so inviting you might just stay for drinks to chat it up when they aren't busy.

The Soho diner is DEFINATELY going to be a once a week spot for me because everything is good!!!

Honestly I'd recommend saving up a little and giving this place a shot or come by with like $30 or $40 for a...

Service was awful. Stopped in for breakfast. I had the potato latkes, poached eggs, and salmon. The food was excellent. The diner has a traditional atmosphere to include the old school music. My waiter was awful. After being seated for an eternity, the hostess finally had to scrounge up the waiter. He came over, took my order, brought coffee, and disappeared. He never came back to check on me or refill my coffee. As I sat there waiting, I noticed others around the restaurant with looks of exasperation on their faces. It was clear they were enjoying the same level of service. I saw several people in my section have to get up to find help while I was eating. The only thing I could think of was the Mr. Pink conversation from Pulp Fiction as he explained his tipping philosophy to his companions. I just want my coffee refilled. Finally, I had to flag him down to even get my check. Mind you, that was at least 15 minutes after my cup was empty and no less than 5 minutes after I finished my meal. I could go into more detail on the level of poor service but suffice it to say they weren't busy, and this guy had no clue how to be a waiter. As I left, I tried to make eye contact with the male host/manager, but he was too busy to look up or say anything. I would have thought he'd ask, "How was everything?" Nope. Notta peep. Not an acknowledgment at all. Even when the door swung open and the cold air blew in, not a word from the staff to say goodbye.

Since nobody there cared to ask, I decided to post this review in the hopes that they would go through some sort of refresher training to salvage an experience for their next customer. Great food, cool spot, but poorly trained staff...