Not impressed, typical diner feel very narrow but the portions were solid and the food was ok. I played it safe with a cheeseburger deluxe.

Didn't expect it but, EJ's Luncheonette was actually fantastic. It has a great vibe to it. The greatest Southern Country Breakfast in the world, never had anything like this. Not to mention, the service was very good and the staff was very welcoming. Overall I would go to this place again and again. read more

Not a bad diner spot. 3 of us showed up around 10:00am on a Sunday and we waited less than 5 minutes to be seated. The food was good but some of the prices are too high- nearly $12 for a plain grilled cheese?! When all was said and done I paid $23 for 2 eggs with sausage, and a coffee. No complaints on the food itself although my eggs did seem slightly cold. It was a good portion size and it didn't take too long to come out despite how busy it was. They have gluten free French toast, pancakes and waffles. The home fries are not gluten free since they are fried in the same oil as some other items. read more

EJ's Luncheonette is so awesome, I wish I could hang here every single day. Positive vibes and ambience. Everything was very flavorful and yummy. But above all I enjoyed the customer service. Enjoy EJ's Luncheonette and good luck. read more

Service was terrible, I got my dinner salad after my entrée. Ordered the salmon which was beyond dried out. I used to love EJ's but no more!

If you haven't stopped by your missing a great opportunity to have some of the best comfort food around. Great fresh food with exceptional food. You can't go wrong. read more

Went back with three friends for brunch the other day. I ordered a waffle which was tough and rubbery. As mentioned in earlier review the prices for like kind food are overly inflated and $4 for an individual bottle of maple syrup is ridiculous. My three companions had a variety of ordinary breakfast entrees; the tab; around $100. Really think their dinner entrees are a better value, since had a pretty decent steak for a diner type place with sides for around $24 and my companion, a good burger. read more

This place was an every weekend event for me. Loved them; until they opened and expanded their outdoor seating. Now wait time is 45 mins + 1.5 hrs for food. The kitchen cannot handle the orders, you literally spend 3 hours there (and not in a good way). read more

Cute homey diner for American food! EJ's is so dependable, and it's not spectacular...but I love coming here whenever I am craving a diner-ish day. And in the lovely neighborhood of Upper East Side! And, I love that they kept the classic diner theme with its decor and vibe. I decided to get the salmon burger with fries, with a glass of wine. So decently priced, and I was surprised how good the burger was!! Great aioli sauce and yummy bun! And the salmon was very moist and tender. Pretty good quality for diner food! Service is great! Staff are so attending and friendly. I highly recommend trying to take the window booth, since it's such a fun place to eat and people watch residents of UES. read more

Stopped on during a business trip and was very happy with everything Paola, our server helped us with the specials and she was spot on with the decisions. Prices were good as well as the service. Will be back next time I am in NYC. Ask for Paola, she will steer you right read more

Discovered EJ's on a walk with a friend while visiting NY. The breakfast was delicious and the service outstanding! I'm going to make it a point to eat here in every NY visit. read more

One of the best Cobb salads I've ever had. But we were there in your closing, and it was difficult to flag down a waiter or waitress, but they were very nice but maybe we were there too close to closing time. I think we got there about 910 on a Monday night, but everything was very fresh read more

The service was amazing. We stopped in on a lazy Sunday stroll. We wanted a few drinks and quiet spot to pass the day. Had a chance to meet the owner who came by to introduce himself. Great staff, wonderful menu. Def recommend. read more

Solid neighborhood joint. Nothing extra ordinary but always fast and good. My faves are the tuna melt and French toast.

It's clean inside while still maintaining the ambience of a diner. I was eyeing the salads and pancakes on other plates, will have to try them next! They also have outdoor seating. read more

EJ's Luncheonette - Diners Near Me - New York, New York

Started outdoors on a beautiful day but the fellow with whom I had a lunch date preferred indoors so he picked a table at the front and we moved there.....it was 11:45am so we could do that. I had a terrific hamburger. He had a terrific BLT. We sat and talked for an hour. TERRIFIC. I always knew EJ's was there but never went before as I'm not one for breakfast or lunch very often read more

EJ's is a long time favorite. If we can't make it in to eat, we always look forward to the nightly blue plate specials. Delivery is always on time, food is always amazing. read more

Almost always crowded. Lines outside the restaurant. Try to come at off time. Nice staff. Food is good. Reasonable for Manhattan pricing. We like the crowd. When the place is packed, it can be very noisy however. If you have not tried it, you should at least go there once and judge for yourself. It's a popular sometimes touristy place. read more

Do you like cold mediocre food? A hot glass to go with your warm beer? Slow Service? If you said Yes to any of the above then you've come to right place. We waited 25ish minutes for a table which in NYC is actually not bad at all.. They squeezed 5 of us in a small corner booth... I ordered coffee and OJ.... got coffee... waiter forgot my OJ...We waited forever for our food. Steak was cold... eggs cold.. French fries cold tasted like the food just sat back there. Highlight of the meal.. Maple Butter that came with someone else's breakfast. Can't say that we plan on going back here. read more

This place is delicious. Everything I have tried has been the bomb. I take people here whenever they are in town because it's an absolute gem. read more

Such friendly staff. We came in with a cranky girl and they went above and beyond to help us all be comfortable. The food was great. Ordered the reuben, huge plate. Really good fries and guacamole. For me food is obviously an important part of the experience but with kids the more important part is how we are treated. So thank you Jenna and the staff for being so kind and understanding. read more

Correct me if I'm wrong, but EJ's is a pretty well-known place, having been even noted in popular literature (Something Borrowed--Emily Giffin). Yeahhh, I read "Chick-lit" from time to time. Aside from my tangent, this place is ridiculously close to my work and it's been on my list of "must-try" places. EJ's has that classic diner look combined with a cafe kinda feel. Every time I walk past here, it always has a crowd. So I figured it must be good! I went with a co-worker and did my research a bit beforehand. I heard of their famous Crunchy French Toast which I was dying to try. I'm usually not a big FT fan, but they used Challah bread AND I could get Blueberry Compote on top. Win. The waitress was super friendly and quick. We only have a limited time for our lunch break and made it back with minutes to spare. My french toast was DELICIOUS. The cornflakes on the outside really gave the bread that extra texture it really needed. Then it doesn't get soggy with the syrup! But to be honest it didn't need the syrup. That blueberry compote took the dish above and beyond. Will definitely be back for the breakfast foods since that's what they're know to be best at. A bit pricey but well worth the $ since it was just so darn tasty. read more

EJ's Luncheonette - Their famous crunchy French toast with blueberry compote. - Diners Near Me - New York, New York

Mediocre diner with high prices. We had the cornflakes French toast and pancakes, both were really dry.

Sunday Brunch: Be expected to wait. My favorite thing for breakfast is Eggs Benedict with hollandaise on the side. Their hollandaise sauce was delicious! The poached eggs were cooked perfectly. Service was prompt. It IS a good hangover cure. Lots of parking nearby. read more

EJ's Luncheonette - Delicious! - Diners Near Me - New York, New York

My boyfriend took day off so we decided to start with breakfast out. Someplace close and someplace good. We chose EJ's luncheonette as it was both close enough and we've already been there so we knew what to expect. We got regular coffee and fresh squeezed OJ- take large as it's delicious! Coffee was served in the original EJ's mug which I think it's great. We shared EJ's special- two eggs any style you want (we got scrambled) with applewood smoked bacon served with home fries. Eggs were a little too overdone for me, bacon was cooked perfectly- was crispy and tasteful. We added whole wheat bagel with cream cheese to the order and after an hour we left full and happy. Service was nice - happy to help and patient- it takes me a while in the morning to decide what I want;) Good beginning for new day! read more

EJ's Luncheonette - Coffee with milk - Diners Near Me - New York, New York

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I love love love their salads... EJs Luncheonette is one of my favorite lunch locations on the UES. And they serve breakfast all day long, Everything on the menu is tasty, it's inexpensive, and the service is great. I've tried numerous items off their menu and I must admit, it's all very good. No wonder it's nearly impossible to get a seat here during the afternoon. Place is always packed. I really like the old school feel of the place, with their booths and the milkshake bar. Gives you a true 60s feel just stepping in there. Service is always very friendly and attentive, and they always have smiles on. I'm not very fond of their outdoor seating area, which is usually pretty frigid with the massive air conditioner overhead. I took away a star for their downstairs bathroom, which could be kept a lot better. Foods to try: Any salad! Cobb, Granny Smith, Asian Salmon. Nice large Portions -Lentil soup and French onion are both on point 10/10. French onion is French restaurant quality. Yummmmmy topped with lots of melted cheesey goodness. Oh and before I forget to mention... It's a Cash only establishment.. So bring that Moola read more

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Takeout was delish!! French onion soup was best I ever had. Great sandwiches, can't believe this place only has 3 stars.

Just came back from brunch at EJ's. This place really surprised me. I pass by this restaurant all the time and there's always a line. So we finally tried it today since it was raining and didn't have to wait long. They had plenty of outdoor seating. We got the nova salmon Benedict, crab cake Benedict, French toast sticks and side of Mac and cheese. Everything was delicious! The prices were just right, plenty of more expensive places on the UES. This is probably my top 3 brunch places in the area. I live in the UES and there really isn't much truly great foodie places to eat at compared to other Manhattan neighborhoods. I'm adding EJ's to my rotation. read more

I've been around the neighborhood for about 3 months now and I've been tempted to check this place out since it's at the corner of my block. I always see so many people here so I assume the food must be decent......well the food was ok; but it's just your typical American diner type of food. The only thing that I would like to praise on is their home fries which are better than your average diners. I ordered their "famous" veggie omelette which came with toasted challah bread and homefries. It's part of their brunch special but I was disappointed to find out that you have to pay an extra $2 to get mimosas. It doesn't even include coffee or orange juice, which you would find at most brunch places in nyc. The place is really tiny but surprisingly, they can seat you really fast. They know how utilize their space by adding table extensions, which makes the place extra tiny. Doesn't that ring fire hazard alert? Anyway, don't expect too much from here. Fortunately for them, this place is probably one of the fewer inexpensive places to dine out in the UES so no wonder there are always so many people here. read more

EJ's Luncheonette - crispy french toast with strawberries and b-a-n-a-n-a-s. - Diners Near Me - New York, New York

Best dinner on the Upper East Side. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner -- delivery or dine-in -- always a good choice.

I got chicken picatta daily special and it tasted like it came out of a can. Not fresh. The Caesar salad side was wilted and the dressing tasted like chemicals plus croutons were soft. The rice and mash potatoes sides were meh/ passable at best. You're better off ordering something more dinneresque.. establishment has finer diner prices but is disappointing. I had to ask twice for a water refill. Go down the block and spend the same amount of money for at great burger/meal at JGs. If I were EJ (who I've met and is nice) I'd tear this joint down and start over. Also super loud teenagers hanging out and being obnoxious. Strong pass from here on out. read more

Salad burger was a pleasant surprise. It was a salad with a burger patty in it. Gave me sweet memories of my college life and ghetto eating on a budget. One star off for cash only and charging $12 for a ghetto salad. read more

NOTE: Cash only! I'm only giving this place 3 stars instead of 2 because they were willing to take back my overripe fruit and not charge me for it. Otherwise, this place was a solid 2. It's your typical diner (albeit reasonably priced especially for the UES). We were seated right away at a cramped table - I had to ask the gentleman at the table over to move in just to sit down. The menu wasn't very pescetarian friendly - mostly meat sandwiches and salads with the occasional egg dish. I ended up getting the lobster cake Benedict, which was good but too fattening for my liking. My mom got the Asian salmon salad which was delicious. The biggest problem lay in my side of FRESH strawberries and bananas, which were browning and overripe. I made the waiter take them back and luckily he didn't charge me, but wtf were they thinking even sending those out? Disgusting. I wouldn't order fruit here. If you don't care about eating healthy or the quality of your food, I'm sure this place is fine. read more

EJ's Luncheonette - "Fresh" bananas and strawberries??? - Diners Near Me - New York, New York

Sorry to report that my lunchtime experience was very disappointing. I chose this place to have lunch with a friend visiting from another nabe. After we were seated and had decided what we wanted, no one appeared to take our order. I had to find the host to make him aware of this and he seemed a little annoyed to have to deal with this. Fast forward to the food. I could have gotten this omelette from any diner especially since there are so many other neighborhood choices that I could recommend. read more

I live in the area and finally decided to eat here because it wasn't very packed on a late Sunday afternoon. Food was okay but it's diner food so prices are fair for the area and so is the quality of the food so I wasn't upset about that. My issue is that my husband and I waited 40 minutes for our food while everyone around us got their food earlier than us. I asked the tall blonde waitress where the food was and she ran to the chef and I could tell that she forgot to put our order in. I am not sure how 30 minutes passes by and you notice that one of your tables hasn't been fed. Didn't apologize at all. Everything could've been fixed if she just acknowledged that she made a mistake instead of pretending she has no idea what's going on. We continued to wait and wait and as we were about to leave, of course the food comes. My husband actually really liked his burger and I was surprised to see the gluten free options but it's going to be hard going back after being treated so poorly. read more

Ok, stopped in here on Sunday for breakfast as I was again in the neighborhood. I again ordered The Southern Country Breakfast, as I really enjoyed it last time. Two eggs (Sunnyside up), two slices of turkey bacon, grits, a buttermilk biscuit and gravy The waitress comes back about 15 minutes later and informs us the kitchen is out of gravy and asks would I like to order something else. I'm thinking to myself "How do you run out of gravy at 9:30am for one of your brunch specials?" I ask "How long to prepare some gravy?" She says she doesn't know. I say maybe you should inquire with the kitchen. She does. "10 minutes for gravy" she says as she returns. "All right do it" I say. Of course, the gravy takes longer than 10 minutes. We get served just before 10:00am. And the gravy was watery, not up to par at all. But they did bring out an extra biscuit with extra watery gravy as a consolation.. And she gave us a 10% discount on the bill for the long wait. read more

EJ's Luncheonette - The Southern Country Breakfast - Diners Near Me - New York, New York

We have been coming to this local diner for years, I am surprised I never reviewed it before. Anyhow this is a neighborhood standard. Breakfast is especially good. The omelets are good, the chocolate chip pancakes please my picky daughter. The crunchy french toast is also very good. The french onion soup is very good (although wasn't up to its usual standard the last time we had it). Burgers are good and the poundcake a la mode with chocolate syrup is a yum dessert. The service is friendly, but park your stroller outside. They recently redid the restaurant and it looks great. Be warned. If you want to have Saturday or Sunday brunch here - COME EARLY! There is usually a line that goes out the door. Also this is a cash only joint. read more

Best omelette in the neighborhood! Spinach and feta omelette perfectly cooked. They have very goods salads as well. Best thing is if you opt out of fries they will sub saad instead or fruit. Always great service, only thing that sucks is only cash! read more

EJ's Luncheonette - Salad with salmon perfect! - Diners Near Me - New York, New York

Came here for brunch first time. I love traditional diners and cafes and this definitely has the feel. However, the seatings are quite cram and it was crowded at 3pm Sunday afternoon. I ordered Southern Breakfast for $11. It came with 2 eggs - ok 2 links of apple sausage - 4 stars, moist, sweet and yummy biscuit and gravy - 2 stars, gravy is typical turkey gravy (from a can?) and biscuit looks unappetize. Nothing can beat those from Bob Evans. grit - 3 stars - pretty good with gravy for the biscuit (my way to add flavor to a bland item) A. ordered Steak and Egg for $13. It came with 2 eggs - ok 2 thin slices of steak - 4 stars, surprisingly it was tender and sweet challah bread toast - 4 stars, this is definitely much better than regular white toast. home fries - 2 stars, chunky and dry Coffee for $2.25 - 3 stars, hot but not great. read more

EJ's Luncheonette - Southern Breakfast (biscuit & gravy, apple sausage and grits) - Diners Near Me - New York, New York

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I liked my bbq chicken Parmesan sandwich.. The meat was a little on the dry side. They gave a lot of fries on the side... Which were fantastic with the bbq sauce. Cole slaw and a pickle too, as usual.. This place has an old school diner feeling that you see in sitcoms, quite cool for an upper east side restaurant. Prices are affordable, food service is slow though. read more

EJ's Luncheonette - Diners Near Me - New York, New York