Central Diner
“Big delicious meal after a long flight.”
“The boneless chicken wings are just delicious and the red velvet cake with cheesecake frosting was amazing!!!”
“This was a surprisingly nice find!”
Central Diner
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Has TV: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
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Came here to grab a quick cooked meal before a flight. Upon coming in the staff looked at us but didn't offer to seat us until I requested to eat. After being seated we had to wipe down the table and seat ourselves and then wave down a waiter to give us a menu and then wave him down again when we were ready. We had some time to eat but not a lot of time so we were trying to speed things up. We put in our orders: one western omelette and one 2 eggs with bacon. The food came out quite quickly, in about 5-10 minutes but the food quality was not good. The potatoes were cold and the omelette and eggs had a very dry bland taste to it. Overall don't eat here unless you have a choice, grab some food before hitting the airport to catch your flight!
You walk in, so excited to see this mirage off a restaurant right in the center of the lower level of jfk. You've been walking for ages in 13° temperatures, you have no choice but to sleep at the airport for your layover because everything is crazy out. It's the middle of the night. Everything is closed. And here's a diner.
It's cute, and fairly empty. They allow you to seat yourself as it is empty tonight.
You choose a booth for you and your traveling companion and you order hot coffee while you peruse the menu. She brings the coffee, and it is really really good coffee.
The waitress returns and asks what you've decided and you'll have fries. The waitress then turns to say "that's it?" With a look of disgust. The diner is empty yet she continues with "6 paying customers could sit at this booth, but you want fries and coffee?" Then walks away.
Then the restaurant gets even more empty as you leave. Tossing 6$ on the table to cover the 2 small coffees.
Ok so here i am at the airport waiting for a family member who arrives in 2 hours. I was super early because i had the fear of 'holiday traffic' in my mind since it's the friday starting memorial day wknd. Plus i came early as i wanted to make sure i got a parking spot near the exit. So of course what i do is look for a place to sit and have a bite and do some work, answer an email or two… And it had to be where i was, on the street side of security.
The food is okay, it's an airport diner. People were eating burgers today. I asked the smiley waitress what she recommended, and she said they make the burgers fresh to order. That was all i had to hear. I didnt want any heated and reheated or nuked-up food. It was ok. I'd go with a burger but skip the mushrooms (rubbery). Lettuce, tomato all ok. The fries are standard string fries and they all taste better hot. Those kinds of fries are condiment suckers so i made sure i stopped eating them when they went cool rather than squirting more mayo-ketchup on my plate!! I got my food in less than 10 minutes, and the people around me are happily eating burgers too. The internet is not free here but it's not anywhere in term 4. Yes this placed is way overpriced, way! Burger fries and a soft drink for $20. It's a seller's market. But hey if you want to eat something and sit down here you go. Service was excellent, with smiles and speed, from both the waitress and the food runner/busser guy.
Are here because we were too early to check in for an international flight. Definitely wouldn't recommend it, but if you have to eat in the international terminal before going through security it's the only sit down option.
The food wasn't horrible. I had a grilled cheese and tomato soup combo, my friends had a BLT and a tuna melt, both which came with fries. We all thought the food was decent.
The service on the other hand was horrible. I understand it probably sucks working here, but our waitress wasn't even responsive when j would ask her questions. She would just look at me. It was difficult to get waters and have her bring the check.
The drinks were pretty expensive, even for New York and an airport terminal, so beware. This is definitely not a place to go unless you have no other option.
When I go to the airport to pick up a friend or relative (mostly my mother who visits me every so often), and their flight is delayed, I find myself looking for a cafe or a diner to feed my boredom. Accordingly, when this 24-hour diner opened a little less than two years ago, it was a welcome addition to the arrivals area of JFK airport's terminal 4, where there is an acute dearth of dining options.
The first time I went there was exactly a week after they opened, and everything looked promising. The food was really tasty, and the service was very cordial. The meatloaf sandwich consisted of a generous slice of very flavorfully seasoned all-beef meatloaf and crispy onion straws on Texas toast. The crinkle-cut fries were crisp on the outside and soft inside. The orange creamsicle cake was moist and fluffy, and the cream cheese frosting was layered in just the right proportion to the cake. I actually felt like I'd be looking forward to going to the airport to receive guests, and hoping that their flights would be delayed!
My subsequent visits, however, have all been a major let-down. The meatloaf sandwich is no longer offered, the fries are limp and bland, and the orange creamsicle cake does not taste fresh anymore. Service continues to be friendly and gracious, however.
I had liked this diner so much on my first visit that I wanted to believe that each of the half dozen of my subsequent visits was an off day that the kitchen was having. Fool me twice, shame on me; fool me half a dozen times, my head must forever remain hung in ignominy!
This must be what betrayal in love must feel like!
The service was the worst I've ever experienced. It's like they don't like people.
The food was actually good and the menu was decent and diner-like. Desserts look amazing but we didn't try them.
We had to leave. Waiter was worse than rude.
This place is really bad with what they serve!! I'm not sure if they care at all about the quality of the food here as their aren't many options once you leave the security area of the airport and arrive down in baggage claim. If I would've known how bad it was here I would've happily chose McD before heading down to eat here.
First off the food here is expensive compared to what you get and not worth it at all. I ordered a house salad and the lettuce was very dry even with the dressing on top. It seems as if they never had rinsed it before serving or had been sitting around for a long time. My wife had gotten the fish and chips which was terrible. The fish tasted not fresh at all and had been frozen before. Not even sure what kind of fish, but it was bland and not seasoned plus it seemed as if it could've come straight out of a box.
My mom had gotten the turkey dinner and the turkey came out as cold cuts made for a sandwich. Not even an actual turkey was served!! Her mashed potatoes looked as if they were processed and had a weird yellow color to it. My two nieces had the mac and cheese and they both didn't like them as they tasted bland with no seasoning.
If ever I'm going back to JFK airport again, I'm definitely choosing a fast food option instead at least then I know what I'm getting without being ripped off and eating something that won't make me regret about later.
I was hungry after our 6 hour flight and we ended up at this diner. Honestly, even if I were starving, I wouldn't want to come back here. This place is super slow and the quality of food isn't great. Nothing was flavored correctly, and the portions are small (it was a bit pricey). Fries were flat and non-salty. We got the ruben, chicken fingers, and soup. Not recommended at all.