Good sucks... service sucks... you pay $6 for a milkshake and you get two sips. Fries were sitting out, we said we didn't want them, so he brought more out and said he had them drop new fries in case we wanted them. After we were done eating. I believe he redropped the same fries. Never again. read more

We had high hopes for this diner as a backup to our favorite Jack's diner...FAIL. I ordered chicken tenders and fries and hubby ordered the Texas burger. My lunch came with a garden salad that was basically a half a head of iceberg lettuce, 3 cherry tomatoes, a handful of sliced red onion, and two slices of cucumber. I ate the tomato and cucumber and left the rest. I put the plate and an empty coffee glass at the edge of the table and even though our waitress passed it by at least four times the empty plates were never picked up. Hubbys burger came on two slices of bread. The burger was the size of a McDonald burger and the only thing he liked was the French fries and coffee. You can't really get chicken tenders wrong but there were huge chunks of grizzle in the tenders and both dipping sauces I ordered were gross and I ended up eating the chicken plain. Our waitress hovered while we were deciding on what to order and came to the table three times in 5 minutes to see if we had decided though we both had the menu open in front of us. Whe we were ready to order I closed both menus and put them on the edge of the table. We then waited at least another 5 minutes before she came by tofu ally take our order. When the food was done she dropped it off at our table and didn't come back to see if we needed anything else until we were almost done. As a foodie and regular to eating out I wouldn't suggest this place to anyone. read more

The Gateway Diner - The salad - Diners Near Me - Albany, New York

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We have been coming here for years. I grew up in the area and always loved this place. The menu was huge and all the food was excellent. We come back every year for breakfast the last day of our Thanksgiving visit. It was so disappointing this time. The menu was much smaller and none of the food tasted that good. We left a lot of it untouched. It was sad. Even the bakery case in the front didn't look good anymore. read more

I HATE this diner now, went last week for breakfast on NOV. 12th sat, and the food was disgusting! New cooks maybe?!! Or owners, so i am not goin there any more!!! EVER! WAY TOO MANY GOOD DINERS OUT THERE, to waste money here at westgate. It sucks!!! And this is an honest review so youve been warned!!! read more

Since the death of the previous owner, this place has worked tirelessly to "clean out the cobwebs". #1 The place is cleaner....and it shows #2 The quality of the food has been improved. They keep making changes. #3 The staff is more organized, but you know how it is..you will find bad service in the best restaurants costing three times the money. At least here, if you tell the server, they will do their best to correct the problem. It might not be white tablecloth service, but heck, neither is the price. The private dining room is just the right size for business meetings, funeral memorial meals, and organizational dinners. You can't find a better place for a breakfast meeting space at twice the cost. I agree, the customers seem to be part of a reality show in taping, but that's all part of the fun. The new owners really seem to be trying to make changes. It takes time, and I for one, am willing to keep trying this place and see what will happen next. read more

Cold overcooked food took nearly 25 minutes to arrive, delivered by a waiter with a personality so uninteresting that I kept thinking he was a buss boy. He apparently wasn't interested in us either, as he pretty much ignored us the entire meal. That was probably the best thing that happened. Coffee was gas station quality, sausage had the a texture and taste that reminded me of wood pulp, fruit salad out of a can, "homemade" corned beef hash so blend you'd think it was oatmeal, cold hard greasy toast... I mean, they did not even try at all to earn the whopping 38 bucks I had to shed for this disappointment of an experience. Then I get up to pay , wait in line for a couple of minutes and when it's my turn, the guy interrupts the transaction as I tried to hand him my card so he could answer a question from the hostess. In other words; I don't care about you or your money, please don't come back here. Noted. I wouldn't recommend this diner to anyone remotely interested in a good experience of any kind. P.S. Pay a guy 100 bucks to clean your dirty windows, it's pretty pathetic. read more

Bad service, food half cooked, tried to charge me for orange juice when it come with meal plus they didn't ask me what I wanted to drink ( apple, cranberry, grape,orange,) the prices are high for what you get its not worth it. read more

Stopped here for breakfast. Food was average at best. Definitely nothing to complain about but I've had better. Service was good.

Well,I'm the waitresses only customer. Here I sit after drinking only one cup of coffee. My b-fast is eaten. My cup has been dry for a while now. The waitresses focus more on chatting with each other behind the counter. They chat,they laugh.. Their coworkers/friends come first. Customers come in at a distant second. Food was good,tho. read more

Food is always great and they have a lot of options. Staff is always incredibly pleasant. However, don't be fooled by the "handicap accessibility". While there is ample handicap parking, there are not handicap accessible stalls in the bathrooms. read more

Re: BREAKFAST: They just charged me $9.27 for two eggs, ham, home-fries, toast, coffee and juice. ($7.55 a week ago was bad enough.) ARE THEY INSANE HERE, OR WHAT??? I don't even want to know what they're gouging for lunch and dinner. NOW MORE THAN EVER, I WISH JACK'S DINER WAS STILL OPEN. read more

In the past year, the new owners have really turned this Albany landmark around. It is clean, the food quality is excellent, and the menu is everything you come to a diner for. The back room is tailor made for business lunch meetings, private parties, showers, or even Funeral memorial meals. No matter if you choose buffet or table service, you will find something to meet your needs without breaking the bank. Comfortable booth seating, and quick service is just what we want when we go to a diner. Gateway makes fresh soups everyday, and all the baking is done right there, so you know it is fresh. Congratulations new owners....your first year is going well. We can't wait to see what surprises you have in store for us in the future. read more

It's the best diner in the area. Okay, well that being said, we have had our ups and downs here. We've been there for breakfast and lunch and dinner. The breakfast was good and they have A BIG choice of food here unlike a lot of the area diners which do not pass the NYC/LI/NJ test of what makes a diner... I don't remember what I had when we ate lunch there, but a few weeks ago we had a late lunch/early dinner. It was horrible. I ordered an open turkey sandwich. The gravy was sickening and I think it was FrancoAmerican or some canned variety. I know this because I am a cook myself and make home made gravy all the time. Right after the meal I was hit with a whopper of a migraine which lasted 2 days. I can't say I blame the food but MSG and too much sodium can cause this condition. The prices are fair to good (even cheaper than others) and there are nice portions. Would we go back? Sure, why not. But the next time I'll just get a burger or breakfast. I also noticed a lot of police presence (eating). According to my husband (who works in Albany) cops like this diner. There also were a few intellectual types having serious professor type discussions next to us. I guess they get people from the college eating here. Some of the waitstaff seemed flaky but they were all nice. read more

I have been eating at the gateway for years. It has been a year since the last visit - mostly because the service and food were declining. So we tried it again. They have raised their prices again, the food was horrible (my daughter didnt eat most of the grilled cheese - usually a safe item) and the waitress was surly and didnt really want to wait on us. I want to be clear, it wasnt busy, it wasnt packed, it was a sunday night. We figured it would be safe to try again.. but no, We decided unanimously that we would not go back again. No matter how hungry we were. PS.. this is not a problem with diner food.. this was substandard diner service and food. read more

The worst food and service ever. Our meal was gross. My burger was frozen in the middle. The fish tasted like it was heated in a microwave. I would not feed my worst enemy this food. The table was filthy, and many of the other tables were not cleaned off. The service was terrible. The server did not bother to check to see if we needed anything. The servers were too busy screwing around by the computer. They were gossiping, and left the tables dirty. I wanted another soda to help drown out the flavor of rotten frozen burger tar tar. I never received one. The owners of this diner should be ashamed. I am really hoping that cockroach I saw on the floor, is a tag along from outside. This place is disgusting. read more

Its a Diner. I always had a good time here with my kiddos. They love all the lights and Diner concept. The food i had was good and or OK. Largely, this place hit the spot. read more

Breakfast today was almost perfect... if the biscuit and gravy was hot, and not forgotten about, it would have been 5 stars. Homemade corned beef hash is great, eggs with pastrami is different and very good, omelet was well made. Toast came out in stages, one very dark, good thing one person liked dark toast. Overall, a very good breakfast. read more

Well, you can see from the bulk of earlier reviews and get a hint of what may follow: barely edible food, not worth price even if it were free, surly service. This place benefits by its location, and so doesn't need good food, good service or good staff. If the owners read this, then this finger's for you. read more

I wouldn't even GIVE this place a star if it weren't mandatory! Where to begin.... I'd been here before with the same people I came with this time and I stopped in with my mom and our friend for breakfast because we were out shopping. Our first encounter was some time back with a nasty outcome after a rude waitress pointedly made remarks about "our kind" being in public.... This time we figured, well we'll try it again. The hostess seated us but wasn't very friendly, and we just shrugged it off with a "hey might be one of those days" kinda thing. Well we get our menus and started looking through, seemed life we were in for a good breakfast. The sever came over, took one look at us and snapped out with a surly "what do you want to drink?" We ordered our drinks and when I tried to ask about the ingredients of an omelette he got really rude. He very blatantly refused to address our friend (who is clearly a gay female) and she had to deliver her order through us! We waited forever to have our food given to us and it came out lukewarm at best and I didn't even get all of my meal. I had to ask twice for my toast, both times met with a glaringly mean look and attitude. Finally when I insisted I'd like to talk with a manager he brought me out burnt toast that was hard as a brick. I don't know if the attitude we received here was because we're all larger women, or if it's our friend's sexuality, but twice we've received terrible service and disapproving stares and served cold food, I can say confidently we will not be coming back. They need a good dose of manner management classes in this establishment and to learn to be respectful to people paying you their hard earned money! read more

Just finished dinner with my best girl (she's 6) for New Year's Eve! I love that kids meals are under $6 any time of day! She got the grilled cheese which she only ate about 1/2 of because we opted fot mozzarella sticks as an appetizer (it's a holiday). She reported that the grilled cheese was gooey (that's a good thing by the way as that is the way she likes her grilled cheese). I had the London broil sandwich and I asked for the greek tzatziki sauce as well as the au jus on the side. Not my first time ordering this as you can tell. I order mine medium rare and always get it just right, this was no exception. It was tender and juicy and well seasoned. For desert my daughter requested a chocolate shake which they generously substitiuted without the usual up charge :-). I got the vanilla almond creme canolli cake (to die for!!!) All the deserts are wonderful from pies to cakes to cheesecake! In fact I routinely substitiute their baked goods for my own at family functions (shhhhh don't tell, I'm a busy person). Also, if you haven't had breakfast here you're missing a treat, one of the best breakfasts in Albany! Our server Jennifer was great, courteous, friemdly, fast and efficient! Always make it here when I'm in town. read more

They are not the brightest, I ordered take out breakfast for two. Forgot second order had to wait for it only to see they left out homefries, not going back. Dunkin donuts down the road is better. read more

went there with my mom for Sunday breakfast & when we got seated we noticed our section was only seated with Black people & the whites were to the right of us ... this is 2020 people you gotta do better, let segregation go! read more

do not go here. they were doing construction when we went last and the service was awful. we were in a quickly contstructed back room. we waited forever to get served as there were too many people crowded in and too few servers. there were other really rude dining patrons too boot. it was noisy and the food is just normal diner food. you would be better off going to friendlys. (that is NOT a suggestion. just making an observation.) read more

If you like young men and women serving your food late, then the gateway diner is the place for you. The Food itself was sub-par, the service was terrible, the environment was football fever and had that weird chicken smell to it. The waiter was named john and smelled a little funny, I had the salad with balsamic dressing and eggplant parmigiana with spaghetti. And for desert I wanted the Oreo cheesecake but didn't have any, so I waited for 15 minutes and finally got apple pie with ice cream. read more

Greatest food. I have come here twice and had the $9.99 dinner special both times. As someone who has dined at most of the expensive restaurants in Albany, I can say that both my meals were exceptional. I had the meatloaf and chicken Parmesan as well as the kale, baked potato and spinach soup . Really great and for the price it cant be beat. Even my $5 class of cabernet was pretty good. Wait staff very polite. read more

This past Saturday morning I went to Gateway with a group of friends. The menu was surprisingly short for a diner and they only served breakfast. It is my understanding that the purpose of a diner is to provide customers with a variety of options - from omelettes to chicken parm. My "go-to" diner favorite is grilled cheese and they would not make it. The service was also extremely slow. read more

This can not be the same diner we came to all the time! We recently moved back to the area and came for breakfast this morning. The staff are great, best waitress ever, all wonderful. But.... the food was not up to par from what I remember......cold eggs, bacon and pancakes that tasted like paste. Syrup out of a tiny rip open box! This was not what I remembered.....sorry but will never come back and will never suggest to anyone......way too expensive also. read more

I stopped in the Gateway for a late lunch with some colleagues. I was pleasantly surprised to see the recent renovation...the place looks a lot nicer than it did (still a diner, though). The three of us were put in a booth and we ordered pretty quickly...salads, soup, wraps etc. The food was standard diner fare (though we really didn't challenge the kitchen). I had the chicken veggie soup and chicken fingers. My colleagues both had the french onion soup and one had a Greek salad and the other had a chicken wrap. The good news? Food was fine and the service was reasonably fast. We got quick and free refills on our sodas. My chicken soup (I'm battling a cold) was excellent and I asked for a second bowl. Either our waitress was too lazy to add it to the bill or she decided to not charge for it....at any rate, the second bowl was free. My colleagues devoured their meals...so the food passes muster. The bad news? In the middle of our meal the air was permeated with the odor of ammonia as one of the staff chose that time to mop the floor of the restaurant right next to our booth. Not the most pleasant sensation....rather nauseating actually. She then proceeded to kick the bucket when she got next to our table (literally, not figuratively)...the noise was so loud we all jumped. She giggled and apologized (for kicking the bucket...not for mopping). So...as diners go, the Gateway is fine. Food is standard and acceptable. If you go after the lunch crowd, prepare for the cleaning crew to be in your lap as you eat. It really deserves 2.5 stars, but the free bowl of soup moved them up to three stars. read more

Decent diner, most of the menu items are ok. Service ok. Doesn't knock your socks off, but does the trick if you're hungry and need food in a pinch. read more

Food served sooooo slow, waited for 50 min for only sandwich on a not so busy Sunday.

Love this place. You can get any kind of food you want and the prices are right. Wish I did not live so far away or I would be there all the time. read more

Great mushroom soup! Very pleased with the service. Admittedly new server was great . Desert was included with my guests meal. A scoop of chocolate ice cream was served as an ice cream Sunday with fudge whipped cream and a Cherry on top. This server was great. On passed visits Imust admit it has been hit and miss. So glad we gave them another try, we will be back. read more

Sunday August 5th 2012 11:43AM My partner and I have been going to the Gateway Diner (899 Central Ave Albany N.Y 12206) for years. On the morning of, we decided to have our breakfast at the above diner. We sat at a seat that we requested and had an okay server "Sue S" who could have been more personable and more engaging. I ordered the He-Man (For thoughts of you whom know the diner). To my delight the food came out promptly and I was eager to get started. As I came to the last dish (French toast) I had noticed a small black speck. At first I thought it was burnt toast but after closer inspection it was a dead/fried Cricket! After waiting a moment (trying to control my stomach from vomiting) I took the plat to the counter. At that moment four waitresses came and asked if I was satisfied with my meal. At that moment I slid the plate to them and said NO! They also suggested it was disgusting and took the plate to management. As I wait for management to come out, the bus boy suggested (in a rude manner) that should have a seat and the waiter will come to my table. I thanked him for his suggestion and explained to him that I was fine just standing here. He then suggested a second time and I again thanked him and explained (again) that I was fine standing there. They were pleased to comp me for my meal but still expected me to pay for my partner's meal of $7.21. As I was paying the bill, management came out and apologized for the Cricket in my French toast. At that moment I was able to tell the manager that I have been going there for year and will never be back. Regards, Goliath read more

It's a diner. However, it is probably one of the better ones in Albany. The staff is friendly and they are consistent on quality.

I went to the restaurant based on Cheryl Clark's Times Union favorable review. I did not enjoy my visit. The chicken vegetable soup had minute pieces of chicken and the broth was like water. The Greek chicken was heavy on oregano and not much else and was overcooked. The roasted potatoes were pale and showed no sign of being roasted. The string beans were very undercooked and couldn't be cut with the steak knife that came with the chicken. (They replaced this item.) I then tried the tapioca pudding which was very runny and undercooked. I do not plan to return. read more

Went to Gateway today as it has been good in the past. I had a diner favorite hot turkey sandwich and my guest had scrambled eggs. The only good thing is the toast was nice and brown. The eggs were dry and had shades of yellow and white lie they were put in a fry pan and then scrambled. The turkey was dry and grayish in color with a yellowish gravy ( like sun flower yellow). It was lukewarm and really I could get better from a frozen dinner. The waitress old have cared less. She was prompt and brought us hat we needed, but had no personality. When I asked her about something on the menu she said she cold not newer because she did not eat the food. Really bad dining experience! read more

First off there food was excellent, and the price was fantastic, but what really is great about this place was that we had just ordered our food when my fiance gets a devastating call that someone in the family has passed away, the waitress comes over because she could see we were upset and asks if everything is ok and we say yes. Then after our food comes out and we are done eating she doesn't even hesitate and takes it to the back and packs it up nicely for us then comes back and informs us the couple behind us had paid for our dinner. They really went above and beyond there! read more

Absolutely horrible! Waitress was In a hurry to watch tv and got the order wrong! Food was crap. The blue cheese was so watered down! Overpriced mush! The manager or whatever she was very rude! Don't waste your money! read more

I stopped in for breakfast with my husband and visiting relatives yesterday and was very disappointed. After being seated we were approached by a waitress with no personality and a sense that we were in for a bad experience. I was right . Not only did it take over half an hour for our food, the waitress seemed to be more interested with her phone than refilling our coffee cups. While the homemade corned beef hash was very tasty , the homefries were cold and the portions aren't that generous. . Bad service with less than desirable food , will be looking elsewhere for breakfast next time the in-laws come for a visit. read more

Love this place. Love the 3 course specials. Always have the same waitresses and waiters who treat us like family every time. Courtney is the best!!! read more