Close your eyes, put on a blindfold, think of a diner, and have your friends walk you in to the state. Then take off the blind fold and open you eyes. You'll see exactly what you imagined. The diner to eclipse all other diners. Food is always what you expect. The staff is super friendly. You won't be disappointed. read more

Went here on Thanksgiving with my boyfriend for breakfast. Spent an hour listening to our server complain (and argue) that another young waitress took her table. Then she started arguing with the manager. Food was mediocre at best, and the breakfast was pricey. But wow, what a way to ruin someone's holiday - I felt bad for the entire staff because they have to deal with this woman. So unprofessional. read more

I really really liked their meatloaf and they gave me extra gravy when I asked :D I was worried it wouldn't be available during breakfast, but they said everything was available anytime! I found the fold down booths at the front super cute and I found the service quite good. The chicken noodle soup was a little salty, but I still really enjoyed it with crackers crumbled in. It is admittedly standard diner food overall, but the meatloaf is definitely 7/5. read more

I always walk by this place and I finally tried it. We got there 10 minutes before they closed so we quickly ordered. I ordered the chicken pot pie special, which was super big and very yummy. This place is also super cheap, which is a plus. If you want comfort food, this is the place! read more

I hadn't been back to the diner since the fire- the new interior is bright and shiny. Classic diner style, classic diner food. We got the chicken and waffles and a plate of cheese fries with Gravy. The waffles had great flavor, the friend chicken was crispy and tasty (more breading that meat) and the fries were our favorite- we kept the gravy and dunked the rest of our lunch in it. Perfect place for folks who fear vegetables, don't' worry, no fruits or vegetables will appear on your table unless you go out of your way to ask for it specifically. The place was slammed for Sunday brunch on a holiday weekend, with a line out the door, so we were amazed when we were seated in less than 15 minutes. Our wait staff was SUPER efficient and pro. I've never been served so fast in a place that slammed. A tribute both to the staff and to the management for staffing right for a holiday weekend. read more

No one can review the State Diner. It's like reviewing the planet of Venus - or the institution of love - there aren't really adequate words to describe it. The State Diner is a throwback to a simpler time - and if you've been around Ithaca long enough, you probably remember that simpler time. A time without Walmart and Home Deport. A time when a cup of coffee and a slice of pie was a good enough reason to skip 8th period math class. A time when finding food at 3am while drunk was your most important mission. The State Diner is timeless, and the breakfast platter you order today will be identical to the one you got in 1987. There's something very comforting about a place that never changes, even when the rest of the world around it keeps evolving. read more

I have not one good thing to say about this establishment. In fact, if I could give it negative stars, I would. I should also say, it is not vegan-friendly, but at times I've had to suffer through a meal there because of the company I was with. My latest, and hopefully last, time there was this morning. We sat down just after someone had wiped down the table, and it smelled so overwhelmingly of bleach, my eyes watered and my nose burned. Then, it took a disproportionately long time to get someone to bring us our drinks and food. Our server never checked on us to see if we needed refills (we did). After a very lengthy wait, we got our food, and one of the people I was with said, "We thought you might have forgotten about us." Instead of saying "sorry about the wait," possibly an appropriate reaction, the waitress just ignored the comment. The appropriate condiments weren't on the table, and the wait staff actually "shushed" me when I asked for some. She rushed away before I could ask for a refill, and when I tried to get her attention, she held up her finger. I finally was able to ask her for a refill, but it took so long, I went to the counter to get more soda. After I returned to the table, she confronted me: "I HEARD you ask for a refill." I told her I didn't appreciate her rudeness. Meanwhile, we'd probably been there 45 minutes, and my companions had not ever been asked if they wanted a refill on their coffee. With all that drama, the food is not worth it - it doesn't taste even marginally good. It seems that asking for food in a reasonable amount of time, with the condiments appropriate to the food, and a decent amount of civility is a minimum standard for restaurants. You cannot expect this if you go to The State Diner. read more

I have been to this place twice already. Friendly staff. It's a very typical American diner atmosphere. The chairs fold up and there is a coat hanger next to the table to hang your coats. The food is alright. It sure isn't mind blowing but decent. My only issue is that this place is over priced for a diner. Kids eat free on Tuesday but on any other day a meal from the kids menu will cost you $9.00. I am use to paying between $6.00-7.00 for a kids meal. Even an adult meal cost lower than this. Oh well.. I will only come back on Tuesday. read more

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The breakfast spot we wanted to try was closed for the day so we set out to find another diner. We decided to check the State Diner out and were seated almost immediately. It was already busy so I guess we lucked out! Our service was pretty quick for it being as busy as it was. They didn't refill our waters but checked on us a few times. My friend got chicken and waffles which were piled high and delicious! I got a ham & cheese omelette with hash browns & toast. The hash browns weren't as well done as I would have liked but the omelette was extra cheesy & the toast was perfect. The building was made to look like an old restored train car, or maybe it was one? Either way, cool place to check out. The seats in the booths were flip down seats, like you might see at a baseball game (only cushioned). I would recommend walking around the neighborhood afterwards, lots of murals around the city to see! read more

What a cute little diner! I was here for campus recruiting, and was recommended to this place by the desk girl at the gym I went to. I got a club burger, and loved it. I followed it up with an ice cream sundae and a rice pudding, because I had nothing to do but eat in that town. The waitress was nice, food was delicious, prices were reasonable. I had a good time, considering I was a total noob in the town. And I had no idea what else there was to do. read more

Waiter seemed miserable with her existence. Diner itself was in a deplorable state. And to top it off the food was worse than mediocre. My buffalo chicken wrap was soggy and filled w tomatoes instead of chicken. AND the dinner had bad coffee! I was just shocked. Afterwards my dining partner and I took a walk (bc our stomachs were so unsettled) and found a whole row of great restaurants on the Commons and just north ( on Aurora). One upside (so we thought) is that it's always open unlike a lot of other places we walked by. Don't go here. read more

A really great diner. My Belgian waffle was so good it didn't need syrup. Scrambled eggs are extremely good too. An amazing diner.

Been here on two occasions, once for a western omelet and the 2nd time I had the liver and onions. Pros: -good sized breakfast for a reasonable price -Nutella is an option put out on the table -open 24 hours -unpretentious and helpful waitstaff -let me order a dinner entree at 10 AM in the morning Cons: -cold (wasn't heated well) -front booths were uncomfortable (I had to make my coat into a pillow for my back because there only is a cushion for the top of your back, so you sat kinda bunched.) I'd go here again. read more

This is a fine diner if you are really craving some traditional diner food but this is not the place to go if you are looking for a nice breakfast/brunch. My boyfriend and I came here today for lunch and ordered a cup of their award winning chili to start and then a BLT for me, a turkey sandwich for him and a side of fries to share. The chili was pretty good... It wasn't the best chili I had ever had or anything but it was definitely a good cup of chili. It was good that we had that to start though because it took a half hour for our sandwiches to come out after that (which is crazy for a diner). When the food finally came out, I was a little disappointed - they REALLY skimped on the bacon on my BLT like there was a piece and a half on each side. It was still a good BLT but darn I wish there was more bacon! The fries were really good but they came straight from the fryer to our plate so they were sitting in a bit of grease. But whateva! The fries were perfectly crispy (possibly the best part of the meal?) My boyfriend liked his turkey sandwich and had no complaints. UPDATE: we returned and the service was much quicker during lunch. The chicken and rice soup was good but a little too salty. Definitely a fine place to go for traditional diner food and also a good fast, cheap option. Will have to return and try breakfast for a more complete review. read more

The State Diner - Turkey club - Diners Near Me - Ithaca, New York

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Delicious breakfast! Had the meat lovers omelet, potatoes and toast. A really cool place to go. Great atmosphere! Got take out but would dine in next visit. Keep up the good work! read more

It is what it is. For diner food, it's not bad. The advantage to places like this is 1. Their affordability 2. Their late-night hours. We made it in around 10:15, but I'm fairly certain they're 24 Hours. There was certainly no rush as we ate. My buffalo chicken wrap and fries were tasty. The fries especially were crispy, well-done without being brown, and I would say they were the best part of the meal. The chicken inside of the tenders was appetizing, though there wasn't a wealth of it there. The wrap fell apart on me, but that comes with the territory. Their buffalo sauce was flavorful, but not especially noticeable within the entire wrap. It's a local haut where men gather to watch tv and talk to one another at night. Their staff is incredibly friendly, and our waitress knew the menu inside and out. They cook the hot food right in front of you, and our chef talked to us a bit too. read more

We were in town for the weekend and wanted to go to Lincoln Street DIner after reading so many positive reviews...but they were closed. We ended up at State Diner and we were not disappointed. It reminded me of a Waffle House in the south- a loud, greasy dive that hasn't been updated in years but serves awesome food and has great service! We were a party of 5 including 1 child under 5 and were seated right away in a big booth. We ordered pancakes: 2 blueberry and the 3rd plain, chicken fingers with fries, and scrambled eggs with Canadian bacon. All were awesome- the pancakes were big, served with fresh fruit and delicious by all accounts. The eggs and CB were good as were the chicken fingers. The Canadian bacon was fresh, definitely not the pre-packaged over-salted version in the grocery store. This was the real deal. My only disappointment was that potatoes are not part of breakfast and had to be ordered as a side. I learned this when my eggs were delivered to me potato-less, which set off a mild panic attack for me- I love breakfast potatoes!! I asked for a side of them, which the waitress brought before I even had a chance to taste the eggs. I'm glad I ordered them- they were fantastic! A great breakfast, reasonably priced and fast, friendly service. I'd definitely go back and highly recommend! read more

I really enjoy diners and this diner was super good! I will say that I don't enjoy that some of the sandwiches don't come with fries - I don't appreciate when places try to get more money out of you by having you add a side. I've been a few times and everything I've had has been good. Last time I had the turkey club and chili - both really good. The chili has a lot of onions which is a little different for me but it was very good! read more

I'm not a huge fan of diners, especially with all the specialty food options in Ithaca, but I was pleasantly surprised with this place. We had the grilled cheese (with tomato) sandwich and the Patty Melt... both were excellent. Like my fries a little crispier but they were still good. Had a very nice attentive waitress. read more

The omelette I ordered was more like a fried egg on both sides with too many Swiss cheese slices semi melted in between. It was not at all fluffy and light. read more

The State Diner - Was supposed to be a Swiss cheese omelette but was more like a fried egg with cheese stuck in the middle. - Diners Near Me - Ithaca, New York

I visited the State Diner with friends during a weekend trip to Cornell. I ordered the French Toast and Chocolate Milk as my drink. The service was fine however when the food came out I was very disappointed with the quality of my french toast. I was expecting challah bread to be used however their version of French Toast was three small pieces of potato bread dipped in French Toast mix. For $7 this was unacceptable and not a quality breakfast. To make matters worse when we got the check I was charged $3.50 for the chocolate milk when it clearly said $2.50 on the menu. When I brought this issue up to the waitress she gave me a lame excuse that what I had received was a "large" chocolate milk when I was never given the option of small or large and most definitely didn't ask for it. In summary this diner is overpriced, terrible food and a terrible atmosphere. Stay away! read more

My family and I love this place! We were in Ithaca for a few days and went here twice, once for breakfast and another time for lunch. Plenty of options, fast service, and super friendly staff. I highly recommend this place! read more

Truly the outside is deceiving. Stopped for breakfast around 9:30. Inside we were promptly seated and ordered. Served within 5 minutes. Servers extremely helpful. Portions were generous and hot. Maybe slightly pricey but not overly so. Coffee could be stronger but otherwise we'll stop again when in the area. Serious negative reviews probably from competitor on someone you couldn't please at any cost. read more

This place is so good. It's a diner that literally has 5 pages front and back of choices! Breakfast all day. The omelettes are huge and good, come with home fries and 4 pieces of toast. Yum! Side salad is small but good. Chili is good too. If you mix the veggie chili and beef chili it's good! The waitress' are very nice and know a lot about the history of the place. Open from 6am-10pm. If you're a health nut you probably will not enjoy this place but it's truly amazing food for a little diner. This is a must go place. read more

Food is good and cheap. Waiters could get better hands though (tend to drop plates and cups). Would be a 4* but they didn't give me a fork when I asked. Smh read more

The State Diner - Diners Near Me - Ithaca, New York

arrived in ithaca at around 10pm and we were starving, so my friend recommended us to goto state diner because its 24/7 its your average dinner with burgers, sandwiches, breakfast and such...price is inexpensive...the waiter was very friendly and told us they are famous for their greek gyros but i was not feeling it none of the combos come with fries...portions are big but theres nothing special about this place...i guess its good for a late night snack, good thing is that they offer wifi for free for 15 mins tho btw the seating is not all that comfortable here so if your a lil heavy on the waist side then be prepared to suck it in and seat at the bar. read more

The State Diner - Turkey club, some breakfast platter and burger with cheese in the middle - Diners Near Me - Ithaca, New York

Came here for dinner at 8pm one night. Waitress was wicked nice, sat us immediately and took our drink order. The menu here was pretty big but ended up eating the fried chicken with a side of waffles and syrup. The food came out pretty quick. The waffle was medium sized, looked homemade. It was tasty but not the best. The syrup was in one of those plastic small things with the foil you rip off the top. Enough for one waffle, with they had some maple or even syrup in the bottle. Whatever though it was okay. The fried chicken was pretty tasty. I don't know what kind of batter they use but it was very crispy and the chicken was tender and juicy on the inside. It was slightly a bit greasy but hey, it's a diner. The only thing that disappointed me is the portion of the chicken for the price. Could've had a bit more as the size of each individual piece was small. We also had one of their homemade cupcakes on the way out. It was really dry and sweet, though at 8pm at night I can only imagine it had been out all day so I really cannot complain as it was probably delicious fresh. Overall I'd come back to try something new like the burger or something. I definitely do not think it was a bad visit at all, it was good, but for what I got on that day it was just A-OK. read more

Went on Easter Sunday. Surprised they were open which was a mistake for both of us. First waitress was nice but only got us water. Second waiter was a snide, man-boy who acted like he was king of the turds. Ordered the $14.00 gyro platter, which came looking like a steak-um with a glop of tzatziki sauce plopped on it, and an over-oily Greek salad. You can get a better gyro at Arby's now, than at a Greek diner! Chew on that. read more

I was skeptical about trying this place but decided to give it a chance. It's good because it can fit a large party of people. I got the three cheese chicken wrap with sweet potato fries and was pleasantly surprised. The food was delicious and the bread they used for the wrap was toasted the way I like it. They also give you free refills on your coffee. Service was decent. It was quick and the staff was friendly and helpful. It's a very typical diner vibe so if you're looking for something like that then this is the place to go. read more

We come here every time we visit my brother at Cornell and it's always fast and delicious. This time we had the pleasure of sitting at the counter and, let me say, these grill guys run a tight ship! It was fun watching them work together, and seeing how they make the home fries so delicious (the secret is they leave the on the grill in a huge heap forever and it makes them amazing)! read more

The State Diner - Amazing heap of home fries #drool - Diners Near Me - Ithaca, New York

Stopped in for the first time - huge menu with lots of variety, generous portions, and outstanding service. We loved the decor as well. Definitely will be returning on our next trip to Ithaca read more

It's a diner. I mean everything about it screams diner- the size, layout, staff, cook, counters, menu for sure. I didn't expect some amazing meal tucked into a diner, I expect the guy behind the counter to cook my food on the grill top and my (really nice) server to serve it. All that happened. We enjoyed breakfast but weren't expecting the best so our expectations were easily met. Mary is a sweetheart. read more

Very fast, very friendly service. Vegetarian chili was delicious & spicy! Fish fry on Fridays. Cool booths with old-fashioned fold up seats & chrome coatracks. Inside is shiny trolley-car retro styled. read more

I'd heard about this place for years, so when I was in Ithaca for a conference, I had to stop in. It's a neat place--larger than it looks from the outside--and is open 24/7. The only reason I'm not giving it 5 stars is because they were out of coconut cream pie. Diners should NEVER be out of coconut cream pie!!! :-) The staff was friendly and the food came fast. read more

We eat breakfast here every single time we are in Ithaca. The coffee is always fresh, the food is delicious and the menu is huge! Oh- and they always have THE BEST music on! It's a little thing but it really completes the ambiance for me. I gave 4 stars because I think the food is a bit overpriced read more

Came in for bkf. Food was just what I wanted. Typical diner menue. Mary was a gr8 server.

Nice place for Breakfast in Ithaca. Good food! Nice diner feel, nice and efficient service! Nicole did a great job taking care of us! Thanks! read more

We weren't sure what to eat tonight (burgers? pizza? evening breakfast?). But it didn't leave me frustrated because it gave us the chance to finally try The State Diner. I'm not sure how things are when this place is poppin', but the sodas we ordered shortly after sitting down were almost immediately brought to our table. When I asked about the vegetarian chili option for chili cheese fries, I was offered a sample to see whether or not I'd like it (which I did - especially the bits of sweet potato - but since I always eat like that, I thought I'd "go crazy" with a lacto-ovo plate and toast made of processed white bread.). The food was quick to order and made to our liking; my cheese omelette's eggs were dry, and my son's burger was very well done and topped with fresh veggies. I even spotted two Nutella packets in the basket of jam for my toast. Score. But hinting at the service above isn't enough. Our waitress, Kim, was attentive and upbeat. Her co-worker at the cashier served up just enough small talk while I paid our bill. And the cook turned around from his grill just to say "hi". Good people. This was our first visit, and I'm not sure when I'll be back. But I'm looking forward to more so I can justify raising my rating from three to four stars. ....Okay, I'm back to make edits and can't save this review without clicking the fourth star despite that being my first visit. The food was fresh, so it filled us up without forming a brick in our stomachs; and the service rivaled that which you'd find in a more upscale restaurant. I'm a fan! :) read more

This is an awesome little diner on beautiful State Street in Ithaca, NY. My wife and I are in town for several days from Texas, and have made it a point to eat here on multiple occasions once we discovered it. Very clean. Very friendly. A GREAT server named Karina took very good care of us. An extensive menu.. I had Fried Chicken. Diner Fried Chicken. Could it get any better? Crunchy and delicious. Make sure you get the mashed potatoes and gravy as a side. My wife had the Fish Dinner, which was a large portion of fried Haddock, which she said was terrific. You'll be happy you chose this little (not so little, really) place, I guarantee you. read more

EXPENSIVE! Really - my French Toast was $7.25 for 3 slices of grocery store white bread dunked in a scrambled egg. It was an additional $3.50 to add 3 slices of bacon. Will not return and would not recommend to anybody. I could feed a dozen people the same breakfast at home for that amount of money. read more