Skylight Diner

I am from chicago and i visit new york (manhattan) very frequently because i have an uncle who lives there. he has taken me to MANY restaurants 5 stars and everything- gotham, etc. SKYLIGHT has THE WORLDS best penne ala vodka, as well as many other dishes but it is my favorite thing to eat ever... so if i go there for a week 6/7 times i eat there and 3 times a day! hahah seriously, its freaking AWESOME!!!! :)
i wish i could have it shipped to chicago

Pros: open 24 hours

Posted 07/18/08

I've gone to Skylight Diner twice and I loved it both times. The food is amazing, very cheap, and they have lots and lots of choices. I had the tuna burger and it was absolutely delicious, but I had to take half of it home because the portions are HUGE. The only complaint I have is the service. Both times that I went there was only one waiter, and although they do come around once to ask you how you're doing, it's hard to get a hold of them when you need something. The great food and friendliness makes up for all of that though. Definitely go if you're in the area!

Pros: Huge portions, cheap, great food

Cons: subpar service

Posted 07/04/08

After seeing this Diner win for Best in some catagories, I had to try it. My friend & I go to breakfast a lot & were looking for a great place to return to. This was NOT it.... Forget parking, or plan to pay $25+ for a garage spot if you have a car. After the nice hostess seated us, we had an indifferent waitress who didnt even check if our food was OK or ask to refill the coffee once. She only came back to give us the bill. The food did not come out timely at all & was average or less than average quality. I had high expectations & boy was I let down. Maybe its better at lunch, but I wont be back to try it & would NEVER recommend it & I am in the service industry. Had the service been better, I would have overlooked the average food & tried it at least once more to be sure this was not a fluke. I am being generous to give ONE star.

Pros: Nice decor, reasonable breakfast price

Cons: Moody unattentive waitress, average food, food did not come out fast, no parking

Posted 06/24/08

I don't usally go out of my way to write a review on a website about a diner, but Skylight earned it. I recently saw the car show at the Javits Center and all the walking around made me hungry. One of my friends told me about a diner a few blocks away and said the food was good and I should go there. My friend was wrong. The food was not good but it was great. Being a big fan of diner burgers I was happy to find that the burgers offered here are some of the biggest I've seen in any diner. The bacon on my burger probably weighed as much as the burger itself. It was cooked to perfection, the sides were plentifull and all for a price less than most diners in manhattan. I was surprised to be served as quick as I was since I wasn't the only one there from the car show. The service was good and my waiter always made sure my drink was full and if there was anything else that I would need. My only gripe was that paying for the check took a little longer than usal since there was a line at the register. I guess that's a good thing since long lines mean good food in the diner business. I recommend this Diner to anyone who has an appetite for good food and doesn't like paying up the wazoo. I know were I'm eating next time I'm in manhattan. Good job Skylight.

Pros: Big portions but not big buck$

Cons: None

Posted 03/24/08

Sorry to say that my review contradicts all the others here. I went to the Skylight Diner because of the awesome reviews and I was bitterly disappointed. I went on a Sunday night, the place was busy, the food was average and the service was terrible. Rarely will I not leave any tip at all, but I didn't leave one last night. The french onion soup was horrible, there was very little broth and it was all wet bread covered by a layer of cheese. Probably the worst I've had. The philly cheese steak was average- very greasy but passable for diner fare. I mean, I don't expect 5 star cuisine when I go to a diner. But the worst was the service. Maybe beause I was alone and wait staff don't feel they need to be courteous to just one diner (not that THAT'S an excuse!) but my waiter was terrible. He never once came over and asked how everything was or if I needed anything. He just plopped down the plate and left, never to be seen until he rudely dropped off the check. Meanwhile, I needed a refill on my soda, I had no ketchup or condiments on the table for my fries and I wanted to order a side of gravy...but he never came over and I couldn't get his attention. Truth be told, even though I was still hungry, I wanted to get the heck out of there. When I brought my check to the cashier, I expected her to ask, "How was everything tonight?"...because it's the right thing to do, but nothing. I was waiting to tell her how disappointed I was. Maybe the staff or management has changed- I noticed some of the reviews were from a few years ago- but I will never be back. And I will tell all my friends who frequent the city never to go there. In fact, I'm going to email the establishment and tell them what a horrendous experience it was. THIS IS THE BEST DINER IN NYC??? I can tolerate average food, and average service, but there's no reason why anyone should go out, spend their hard earned money and be completely ignored. Shame on the waiter and shame on Skylight Diner.

Pros: none

Cons: average food, terrible service

Posted 11/11/07

04TH OF AUGUST 2007
SANTA MONICA CALIFORNIA UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
HELLO,
I AM STILL ALIVE AND HOPE ONE DAY I WILL EAT AGAIN IN ``SKYLIGHT DINER``,SMOOTH ATMOSPHERE AND COOL PLACE TO EAT AND RELAX.
VERY GOOD SERVICE,RESPONSIBLE PERSONNEL,I MISS ALL MY EX COLEAGUES SINCE I WAS CASHIER AND HOSTESS IN ``SKYLIGHT DINER``,BUT WHEN THE WAVE WILL BE OVER I WILL BE GLAD TO ENJOY THE BEST CALAMARI IN TOWN!!!
I DIDN`T SUCEED TO SEND AN EMAIL,BUT YOU CAN ACCESS MINE AND FIND USEFULL INFORMATION murmirela on yahoo,passord:mamica/sent emails or on search,place my name and access the site ``CONGRESS``.WOW.

Posted 08/03/07

I've become addicted to Skylight Diner...it's become a standard stop after a game or show at the Garden, I can see why it was rated Best diner...the burgers are the best around, very juicy & actually have a taste, not like some other diners & coffee shops all over the city. kylight Diner is more of a restaurant experience, the servers are always friendly, the menu offers a wide variey, it's clean, and the food is just really good for diner prices...I definitely reccomend this place

Pros: Convenient location to Garden,great food especially burgers,service

Posted 03/13/07

I work very close to this place and tried it out one day for lunch. Although it was extremely busy and we had a party of 8, we got seated right away and the service was pretty fast. Also, on more off-hours the service is really instantaneous. It's frigidly cool in there (this is during a horrible hot summer), they have beautiful pastries & cakes to look at if you sit in the front, and it's immaculate. The food is really the best diner food I've had. The veggie burger deluxe is so greasily delicious that it's better than eating the real thing, the tuna melt is AWESOME, and the grilled shrimp on the shrimp caesar is so surprisingly perfect - better than many very fancy restaurants I've been to. Great place!!!

Pros: Quick, high-quality and delicious food for any place, not just a diner

Cons: Ugly west 34th street location

Posted 08/07/06

If you dont know what a great burger tastes like then you have to stop at the skylight diner.Order up a cheeseburger with a side of fries with melted mozzarella and a side of brown gravy for dipping.It doesn't get any better than that.A great place for the whole family.Especially when you know that kids can be picky eaters. Lots of choices for the kids as well as dicriminating adults.Quality of the food is what you would expect in an overpriced fine restaurant and the service is great.Whenever I am in manhattan I make to stop off for a great meal.

Pros: price, location, service

Posted 05/09/06

Since having my first burger there 3 years ago after the car show I've been a regular at this diner since. The service is great and the food unbelievably good. Burgers this juicy are hard to come by especially in Manhattan were the hustle and bustle of it all usually compromises the quality and service expected. Skylight manages to deliver without flaw everytime I'm in there wether it's after the car show at the Javits, a Knick game at the garden, or after a night on the town at 4:30 in the morning. The rating of best diner in Manhattan is well deserved. Keep up the good work.

Pros: great burgers, great service

Posted 07/16/05

Eating the grilled chicken over fettuccini with pesto sauce reminds me of my trip to my hometown Sicily. Their wraps are mouth watering, all thier food is so good you forget that you're eating in a diner. Not to mention the prices, their food is as good as their prices.....and the atmoshere is warm, friendly and family oriented. The service is amazing......very quick. All this put together creates the diner that was voted best is Manhattan.......the Skylight.

Posted 07/14/05

The food is decent but the service may be slow sometimes. I have ordered a variety of things from this dinner and I can say the they have all been good. We have our holiday party catered by them and the prices for catering are reasonable. The only thing about this diner is the dessert, the cakes are not fresh and taste stale, I would not recommend any of their cakes but if you are not a dessert person then this is a good place to try if you are in the area.

Pros: pleasant staff, good food, reasonable

Cons: need better cakes

Posted 06/22/05