Do NOT pass on this diner! Place is busy but wait time went by quick. They texted us when our…read moretable was ready. Cool eel named Elmo lives there when you are waiting to be seated. Menu is filled with options which made it hard to pick what to order which is an awesome "problem" to have, we all ordered breakfast and were not disappointed! I decided on the pancake/french toast flight and picked three flavors. I chose Cannoli French Toast, Reese's Pieces pancakes, and the loaded pancakes for a savory item. Cannoli was my favorite but they were all good, loaded even has an egg on top however you like it!Portion size is huge and everything tasted great!!!! They had a good challenge listed on the menu but none of us were up to the challenge! Service is amazing, and they even have a waitress warming up coffee, which I highly appreciate at places. The diner is busy but it was not too loud to hear your party and everything ran so smooth. All the servers were nice and seemed happy to work there! Menu price was shown using your card, they had a cash discount available if using cash which is a nice option! I wish I took pictures or everyone else's food but didn't. The drink options seemed amazing with make your own flights or their specials. The next time I am in the Syracuse area I will be going here to try more! Don't be afraid of the busy parking lot or wait time, it's worth it!! Also reading about the name and reason for this diner made me feel all the feels for the owners recovery, how can you NOT support a place like this??!! We will be back and can't wait to try more off their menu.

I alway think that diner food is diner food and usually good. This is no exception. Good friendly…read moreservice and spacious. I would recommend the food here but the prices are way too high... e.g. 2 stack of French toast 2nd chance 10.40 Stella's (more or less opposite) 6.99

Nice busy local place. Lebanese influenced selections and very strong breakfast menu. Coffee…read moreservice to tables and Friendly engaged owner takes orders at the counter and serves. Very welcoming and personable; this is an easy local place to go.

originally planned on going to rise and shine cafe across the street, but upon arrival we were told…read moreit'd be an hour plus wait. so we looked around and said screw it why not moms. now i didn't know that moms what cash only until stepping into the front door. the shop is small and quaint but its homey. there is an atm; however, when i went to use it i was only allowed to take out $20 and nearly everything on the menu if you're going with a friend is more than $20. i do like that there's no tax on it, all of the prices are whole numbers. the sandwiches were okay. i think i got something called the spicy? eggs were fluffy but i forfeited mine because i hate eggs. the bread is fluffy yet dense as shit. basically it's like if wendy's breakfast was a corner shop

When visiting new areas I always seek out a fun brunch-style breakfast joint and/or diner that…read moreseems to be popular with the locals and I recently came here when in Syracuse. I sat at the counter and my server was great... very friendly and happy I was there. I got there around 7:30AM and it was basically dead, but by the time I left, there was a steady line of folks coming in. Their menu has all the typicals that these places have, many things I enjoy. I tried their corned beef hash (which I requested well-done with jalapeños added), scrambled eggs with cheese, and I also got a side of their breakfast potatoes with sausage gravy on top. The food came out quickly and was piping hot & freshly made. The quantity of potatoes for a single side dish were HUGE! Definitely enough to share. The scrambled eggs were PERFECTLY made! I'm an egg snob, I never want any over-cooked egg visible (no brown) and these were perfectly colored and tasted great. The corned beef hash was good as well. Overall, I enjoyed this visit and I would most definitely return!

I was craving a little sweet and a little savory this morning and what better place to get that…read morethan Stella's? I got the sausage gravy over home fries for the first time and I have never had anything like it - it was warm and salty and had a nice crunch with the cooked home fries. The pancakes were obviously delicious as well. We got helped right away by an amazing server and our food was out within 15 minutes! There were a lot of people but the noise level was great and everyone seemed to be having a yummy and amazing time.

There is nothing I don't love about the Gem Diner. When I was growing up, it was the Little Gem;…read morenow it's built up so much it can no longer be considered little. But the old original dining car is still the heart of it, and my dining companion & I were lucky enough to be seated there. As a kid (60+ years ago!), my Dad would bring me there on Saturdays for lunch. He'd lift me up onto a counter stool, then he'd order a hamburger "with a slice of raw onion as thick as the burger" & a cup of black coffee. I'd have a platter of French fries & a Coke. This time I was there for breakfast, and it didn't disappoint. We both ordered coffee, still served in heavy ceramic cups. We also both had the traditional breakfast - 2 eggs, hash browns, a breakfast meat (crisp bacon for me, sausage links for my cousin), and 2 slices of buttered toast ($14.95). Everything was delicious & all the staff were friendly & attentive. It's so nice when your great memories match your current experience. I definitely recommend this Gem!

Good food and good service, if you're looking for breakfast while in Syracuse University area.read more

Great service and ambiance. This is def a local place. However it was a welcoming vibe. They are…read moreopen till 2:00 and we got there 1:05 but it wasn't an issue. I had a delicious omelette with generously buttered toast and hand cut home fries with the skin on the potatoes. Just very special and a sweet throw back to what I imagine an earlier era would be like.

Stopped in 10:00am on a Sunday. Surprisingly no wait for such a small place…read more We seated ourselves and were promptly waited on. I ordered the Fretta and my partner the breakfast bowl- the dish they're allegedly known for. The food came in a reasonable amount of time and I had no complaints about my fretta- save that it was maybe a little smaller than what you'd expect around these parts. The garlic heel was a nice side. My partner's breakfast bowl was huge and swimming in their pan sausage gravy- she loved it and only ate half ( I doubt I would've done much better). 36 and change for the breakfast so maybe a little pricier than one would expect but the food was good. I would certainly return!

We were really blown away by this diner. I'm not one for diners myself, but this place is a little…read moremore creative with menu options and it's not just the most standard run of the mill mediocre menu options which is what most other little diners seem to offer. The pancakes were phenomenal. I had the garden salad with chicken and it was so tasty! My friend raved about her omelette. We were impressed and will gladly return here. I loved the bright colors inside and the waiter was very friendly.

Looking for a nice place to eat before hitting the highway. This was the perfect choice, clean,…read morebright, well staffed with a very nice selection of classic breakfast and lunch dishes. Has a nice retro feel. Portion sizes were very generous, in fact I couldn't finish! Would come back again next time I'm in the area.

I've been wanting to try this for breakfast for a long time. A couple of Saturdays ago my sister…read moreand I were driving past it and we turned around. I'm so glad that we did. We walked in and it was a homey atmosphere and we were greeted immediately. Several tables were full but we had no problem finding an open table. I love Eggs Benedict but not many places make them well. I was pleasantly surprised at how good these were. The home fries were grilled and not deep fried just like I like them. A very tasty breakfast. They had homemade pie by one of the waitresses so we both tried a piece. I'm a pie snob so it didn't matchup to mine. The crust tasted like made of lard (I like butter) and the cream filling tasted like from a box. Not the worst coconut cream pie I've had but I would pass on it next time. I would definitely come back when in the area for breakfast or lunch.

Great dine in Jamesville. Great food, excellent service…read more Restaurant is clean and nicely decorated, staff is very friendly and welcoming. Service was fast and accurate. Highly recommend Rustons for a great breakfast, will return shortly for lunch. Will update.

My kids and I ended up here after trying another diner that was so busy there was no parking. We…read morewere able to find parking, and 15-20 minutes wait list. They were swamped so the short wait seemed unlikely. But in fact we were seated and provided menus and waters. This is a classic no frills diner. Retro feel with large diner menu selection. I had a combination platter that was huge, bagel egg and cheese, steak and eggs, and we shared a waffle drizzled with chocolate and cinnamon. Everything was tasty and came out in a timely manner. Friendly service, getting the bill and boxes at the end of meal was a bit of a lull. But for a holiday it was overall very accommodating with no reservations! They offer a full diner lunch menu as well.

Went in for a late breakfast (11ish), to a busy little place yet there were a few tables open and…read morewe were seated immediately. Clean place, terrific servers ( thanks Amy!), fun menu. We went savory this time: breakfast burrito and steak-n-eggs. My wife had iced coffee and I ordered coffee with cream. Amy questioned my order and wanted to make sure I wanted coffee with cream. I said, " Yes, absolutely " She brought me coffee with whipped cream. We had a good laugh over my deafness and apparent mumbling. Meals arrived quickly: burrito was big but not imposing. Very yummy, Steak was of low quality and thin , which is always a cook's challenge to prepare. Nothing special but adequate. Eggs were perfect and the sourdough toast was extra delicious. All made for a satisfying meal at a good price ( given prices are elevated everywhere these days). Highly recommend a stop here .