Raceway Diner
“My favorite thing here is the greek soulvaki and their disco fries.”
“The Raceway diner is BY FAR my favorite place for a late night bite.”
“They accommodated my special request for grilled chicken and turkey bacon bacon for delicious breakfast and healthy meal.”
Raceway Diner
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Has TV: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
PokéStop Nearby: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
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Everyone here is so friendly and caring. The service is always good and the prices are average diner fares. I love this place and come here all the time for a good breakfast or late night picking.
The food here is delicious. I have to admit I usually come here for breakfast compared to dinner but always have good food. The service is quick and good. Like every other diner, some things are made better than others. I love the Raceway.
Went to this diner after an event at the Empire Raceway Casino which is very conveniently across the street. We were sat right away which was nice. Service was fast considering it was after 1am and there were a good amount of people there.
I ordered the Patty Melt with curly fries. The sandwich came open face which was a little annoying, but not a big deal. The "sautéed onions" we're sooo oily and all cut up so lazy. There were all clumped up and over cooked. The meat was actually cooked the way I ordered it, which was nice.
I definitely couldn't finish it because the sandwich was just too oily. The onion rings were actually pretty good. We asked to pay the check separately in which ended up being such a confusion.
This place is just okay. I'd probably order something different if I ever go back.
This review is only based on their burgers.
We came here late at night after some time in the casino. All 4 of us ordered their burgers and I wanted mine with curly fries.
When the food arrived, mine burger was paired with regular french fries and not the curly fries that I wanted. The waitress told me she would get me the curly fries right away and to keep the French fries too. More fries yes!
Our burgers were fresh, juicy and delicious. And so were the regular fries and the curly fries. And I appreciated the waitress noticing her mistake and correcting it right away.
Overall, come to a diner and stick to simple things and you won't be disappointed
Well as far as diners go, this is pretty much standard with your options. Plenty of omelette, basic egg/sides dishes to choose from, and some lighter fare for the health conscious individuals. They get quite crowded on weekends with Empire Casino being across the street, so expect a wait if you're looking to sleep in a bit before going.
I'm not sure if they offer other meals throughout the day like most diners I'm accustom to (offering breakfast, lunch, or dinner items all day long) but only the breakfast menu was available on my visit.
Service was excruciatingly slow but I'm willing to give them a pass since they were functioning at full capacity. The waitress was friendly, and the coffee kept flowing. The side of bacon was crispy, as ordered, and quite the generous portion. I asked for cheese with my spinach omelette but it was left out
We're considering making this our weekend diner. So far, no real complaints and its an easy commute to get to.
The diner is across the street from the Casino, it is usually crowded. i will say that the parking lot is a little tight and I can see parking being a but problematic. Its off of a busy road too.
Anyway upon entering, we were sat quickly which was nice. We had a 9 month old with us so we need to be relocated twice. The first table, they directed us to would of had the high chair in the main aisle with staff going back and forth with plates *hazard). So then we were seated int he back room along the windows. It was a small two seater table but the baby's chair was out of the way which was our priority. Then out of the corner of my eye, I saw the booth in the back corner of the room open up. I gestured to the bus boy who showing him the baby and he quickly ran over and turned over the table for us. I appreciated his rush of service. He even moved the high chair for us which was great.
Next, the waiter came over right away. He offered us beverages and we ordered two hot coffees and two waters. They were brought over right away. He also brought over fresh milk! Thanks!
We were at a loss of what to order. There is literally everything you could want on their menu. I ended up ordering the chilli bowl with cheese and red onions, with a side of fries. The chilli was pretty good and filled me right up. I wasn't expecting such a big bowl. My fries were a little crunchy and stuck together. Not really soft enoughtto give the baby more than a fry or two.
My boyfriend ordered a bacon cheeseburger with a side salad instead of fries. He must of loved the burger because it was gone before I got to really see it. His salad was all romaine lettuce with a slice of red onion two green peppers two tomatoes and two cucumbers. He was not wowed with the salad and was a bit disappointed. I thought it was fine, ceasar dressing was more of a vinegarette was really my only caution. I thought for a diner salad it was fine. I'm sure he'll get over it.
We did loose our waiter, which was a little frustrating. I had to ask a bus boy for more water and napkins. While we liked being left to eat and tend to the baby it would of been nice to get checked on atleast once. We almost forgot we didn't pay at one point….but we paid!
The people at the diner were overall very friendly and the service was pleasant. We will definitely go back.
So now it's "Best Diner 6 Years in a Row" – uhm, by who? No source on who "voted", if any. What I find funny is that when it changed to "5 years", it was November of 2012 – and now that it's changed to 6 years in July 2013, it makes me think that either a year just got shorter by 4 months or that sign is complete and utter falseness.
A place that needs to lie about being voted best at anything is undeserving of any business. Post a source if it's even legit – though I seriously doubt that it is. There are plenty of other worthy eateries or diners in the area. If you're coming from the Empire City Casino, check out the Claremont or even the Argonaut. Another 2 miles there is an Applebee's, Friday's, or the Cozy Corner – to name a few – all a better bet than this place and chances are, if you got an actual legit voting system in place, would probably fare a lot better than this below average diner.
Anyway, I certainly wouldn't call this the "best diner" – I wouldn't exactly call this a good diner either. I'd probably call it an "ok" diner if I bothered to go in there anymore. I'm from the area and I refuse to come inside this place again.
Years ago, my parents would take me here (I'm talking about the 80's now) and the owner and staff were usually pretty good. As I got older and would frequent less places with my parents and more with friends/girlfriends, I'd come here if I could help it. Over the years, I noticed the service get less and less appealing. They didn't seem to care much about their customers, aside from a few decent waitresses I would get.
The final straw came in the late 90's, when I came here twice in one week with an ex girlfriend. I noticed one of the "slick" busboys eyeing my girl – though, I laughed at his appearance (open shirt, cheesy gold chain,3 hairs on this chest, and a face only his mother could love) instead of getting in his face. He did it more than once in a way, where an attentive superior should have noticed. Anyway, average meal and we left. We ended up coming back here for some reason later in the week and the same sleazy busboy was there again, back to his old tricks. I brushed it off, though I did give him a nasty look this time (which seemed to frighten him enough to remain in the kitchen mostly). I made the mistake of going to the bathroom and came out to see him sitting in the booth TRYING to talk to my girl. I got in his face and he basically ran off. The nerve. I complained to the "manager" about this and was told that "he didn't mean anything by it". Well, that was it for me with this place. Haven't been back since, nor will I ever come back (lucky for El busboy, because I would've probably cracked his clavicle for him). I don't know if he's still there or not – or if another patron lacked less patience than me and took care of him, but it doesn't change the fact that the ownership on down in this place…..sucks.
The food has always been diner average (some days good, some days blah). The Claremont down the block has far better food. Even the Argonaut about a mile down Yonkers Avenue (both versions) had better food and service.
Their parking lot is a mess, with 3 entrances/exits. It was always a hassle entering and exiting this mess of a parking lot – especially during a busy time.
The banner they proudly display in the front where "someone/some people" called this the best diner for (currently) 6 years in a row is a complete joke. I don't know who actually voted this place "best diner" since they do not identify whom the voters are or what the source is, but if it was a LEGIT voting system, the voters need to really get out more. I'd rather go to the superior Mont Olympus diner on Central Avenue. Hell, I'd rather go to Elmsford to the El Dorado diner than come in here again.
You want better a better place locally go to the Claremont…….¬which is literally 2 blocks down the road. Save yourself this self-congratulating place.
This used to be one of my favorite diners. Not so much anymore. Haven't been here in a while & this last experience reminded me why that is. The food and service used to be WAY better. My boyfriend & I decided to stop in for a very late breakfast on a Friday morning around 11:30ish. The place was busy but not overflowing with customers by any means. I don't know if they've reduced staff or what but the experience just seemed a bit… off. We weren't greeted quickly upon entering. We had to stand there & wait until a random waitress decided to acknowledge & seat us. Then we had to wait a bit before she re-appeared to take our drink orders, one hot tea & one coffee. Those came out pretty quickly but no one bought us any waters. I finally saw a busboy in our section & I had to flag him down to ask for some waters. After our food orders were placed, it seemed to take some time for the food to arrive. Let me back up a sec to when we placed the orders. I almost felt a bit rushed or like the waitress really didn't give a shit. When my boyfriend ordered his poached eggs he had to ask her what comes with the order instead of her saying "it comes with home fries. Is that okay"? He wanted fries instead. We also wanted an extra side but she was so in a rush or maybe more so disinterested, that we almost forgot to order. I really didn't think much of this until I heard her taking an order from the table behind us that she asked them specifically what they wanted & also if that was "everything" before wrapping up the order. And then the same with a customer seated across the way from us. I just looked at my boyfriend shaking my head!
Another odd thing I found is that they were doing some maintenance in our section so there were tables moved out & at one point I had to squeeze past a large ladder blocking the way (in order to get to the ladies room). I felt like the maintenance could've been done at some other less busy time. I'm pretty certain this place is open 24 hours. This was basically right near the lunchtime rush.
Now about the ladies room… that could use some maintenance…
Ladies room: There are 2 small stalls. If you are a plus-sized lady… good luck! The bathrooms need some cleaning! There are water marks(?) or some kinda drippy stains on the inside stall doors & elsewhere. I glanced down to the side in one stall & the heat vent (I think it was) had caked on dirt!! No joke! If there's caked on dirt like that in the bathroom, should customers be worried about what's going on in the kitchen? Just a thought…
There's a long vanity with only one sink (NOT an auto on/off) & one of those old style hand blowers which takes a year & a day to dry your hands, if ever!! I wanted to mention this because even though I'm not a germaphobe, I prefer paper towels to turn off faucets & grab door handles when leaving public restrooms cause ya never know who's doing what or not before ya… The ladies room is in need of some updating to say the least… Small, crampy,& kinda dirty kinda makes one wonder…
Well, at least the waitress got the order correct! I'll give her that. The food was ok. Nothing to write home about! Our "extra "was old fashioned french toast that neither of us could really eat because it tasted weird! Pretty disappointing.
The whole experience seemed a bit weird! The atmosphere is not welcoming or friendly like it used to be years back. This place just seems off now. Another reviewer stated this: Service quite lackluster. Shleppy workers… That sums it up alright!
I would probably dine here in the future due to convenience but unfortunately, that would be the only reason. Oh, and the bill was pretty high for mediocre food! My hope is that management reads the reviews & possibly makes some adjustments! I would be happy to update my review in the future. Until then… thumbs down Raceway 🙁
It's a diner……'nough said. I won't compare it to fancy restaurants, that wouldn't be fair.
Service was fine, food was OK.
In a nutshell, I've been to better diners.