Endangered Diners: 100 years of Chrome and Coffee

For the past quarter century, the region’s culinary identity has been celebrated as a destination for elegantly agrarian dining experiences. That’s great. But temples to an older, greasier food tradition still lay scattered across the countryside. Historic, working-class, no-nonsense, prefabricated diners. With their gleaming steel exteriors, vinyl booths, elbow-warn countertops, and timeless menus, these living pieces of local heritage are worth a pilgrimage. 

Dan’s Diner

1005 NY-203, Chatham

Built in 1925, this century-old Jerry O’Mahony dining car is one of the oldest operating diners in the country. Dan Rundell rescued the dilapidated 18-seat diner (formerly “Moe’s Diner” in Durham, CT) from the scrap heap in 1993, and spent 12 years meticulously restoring it to its former glory. 

The result is a time machine, complete with original tilework, etched glass windows, and gleaming nickel trim. Open seven days a week, Dan’s serves classic American breakfast and lunch in a setting that exists in very few places on Earth. In 2021, Rundell’s brother’s grandson, Austin McComb, took over as owner, operator, and cook at Dan’s. 

“I grew up eating here,” says McComb, who’s lived in Spencertown all his life. “It would be a shame to see this turn into a high-end place with $40 eggs Benedict.” 

Martindale Chief Diner, 

1000 State Route 23, Craryville

The Martindale is a 1958 Silk City model diner opened by diner entrepreneur Bert Cons as part of his Native American-themed “Chief” chain along the Taconic Parkway. With its classic stainless-steel facade and cozy booths, the diner has changed little over the decades. 

Located right off the parkway, it’s easy to get in and out. The iconic and somewhat folk-arty hand-painted sign of the waving chief welcomes travelers off the highway with his trademark blank stare and a malformed hand.

Historic Village Diner

7550 North Broadway, Red Hook

A silver bullet in the heart of Red Hook, the Historic Village Diner is a 1951 Silk City dining car and the first diner in New York State listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Prefabricated by Paterson Vehicle Co. and originally known as the Halfway Diner, it served travelers roughly “halfway” between New York City and Albany. Over the years, the diner changed hands and even changed locations a few times (it spent some years near the Taconic Parkway), but ultimately returned home to Red Hook, not far from where it first operated in the 1920s. Today its gleaming stainless exterior still sports the old name, “Halfway Diner,” painted on the side. Inside, you’ll find a lovingly maintained period interior. The menu is classic diner all the way. The small town cultural touchstone is currently for sale but its placement on the historic register means little will ever change about its looks at least. 

Photo by Brian PJ Cronin.

Oakhurst Diner 

19 Main Sreet, Millerton

This unassuming diner, smushed into the base of a steep village street, is a 1950s Silk City model that’s been given a new lease on life. After operating under various names over the years (locals remember it as the Millerton Diner, then Coach’s Diner), it was revamped and re-christened as the Oakhurst in 2010. The modest chrome exterior and cozy counter might suggest a humble greasy spoon, but Oakhurst’s menu is surprisingly inventive. Alongside classic comfort foods like omelets and club sandwiches, you’ll find vegetarian options and even pho. The family-owned operation sources ingredients from local farms and has turned Oakhurst into a modern gathering spot without losing its classic character.

M&J’s Taste of Home, Formerly Miss Adams Diner

53 Park Street, Adams

Housed in the 1949 Worcester Lunch Car Company diner on Park Street, this spot has been part of the community for over 75 years. Formerly operating as the Miss Adams Diner, it served everything from mill worker breakfasts to comfort‑food staples. Inside, you'll still find the vintage tiled counter, stainless steel finishes, and the original clock above the grill. The diner reopened in June 2024 under new ownership as M&J’s Taste of Home, run by Jeanne and Mark Lapier. While retaining classic breakfast and lunch dishes, M&J’s places a strong emphasis on in‑house baking. The team produces muffins, whoopie pies, raspberry thumbprint cookies, cakes, and other scratch‑made sweets daily. The Lapiers bring years of catering and baking experience along with a focus on kids and family.

Hudson Diner, Formerly the Diamond Street Diner, then Grazin’

717-719 Warren Street, Hudson

UPDATED: On June 14 this historic diner reopened in a limited capacity as Hudson Diner. The new project is a collaboration between Well known Meat Hook butcher shop owner, Brent Young, and Mel the Bakery partner, Ashley Berman. The diner is currently only open for dinner, Wednesday through Sunday from 5 to 10 pm, with plans to expand to lunch soon. The goal, the owners say, is to open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, seven days a week. The menu is elevated classics and contemporary cocktails.

Previously, the Diamond Street Diner was a fixture of pre-gentrification Hudson, a classic 1940s stainless steel diner wedged between taller buildings and named after the city’s historic prostitution district, it was shuttered abruptly in 2009 when then attorney general Andrew Cuomo brought criminal charges against owner of the diner and Stockport town judge James Funk for stealing bail money from a court bank account. (Check out this old article on the arrest written by me, fresh out of college.)

Shortly after the scandal, Diamond Street was replaced by Grazin’. Opened in 2011, the burger shop became the first restaurant in the world to be completely Animal Welfare Approved, sourcing all its grass-fed beef and organic ingredients from local farms (including its own Grazin’ Angus Acres). The new owners kept the black-and-white checkerboard floors, jukebox tunes, and vinyl booths but while the food was technically “better” at Grazin’, it wasn’t better than when it was an old, somewhat sweaty, diner. In 2024 Grazin’ closed, and while the property has a new owner it has not yet reopened.

Closed For Now but Not Forgotten

The Elizaville Diner

573 East Kerleys Corners Road, Elizaville

Also currently closed and for sale, this 1956 Kullman Dutchess diner was relocated in 2005 from its original home in Lebanon, Pennsylvania—where it had served as the Eatwell Diner—to its current spot in Elizaville. Purchased just before a planned demolition, the restored chrome‑and‑stainless classic has a vernacular charm—down to the original counter stools and terrazzo floors. Before closing and going on the market, it served diner-style classics along with cocktails and local beer. The restaurant also gained attention as a film location—notably featured in Jim Jarmusch’s tepid zombie polemic The Dead Don’t Die.

Doves Diner (Hopefully Soon), Formerly West Taghkanic Diner

1016 NY-82, Ancram

This big metal baby began life in 1953 as another one of Bert Cons’s Taconic Parkway diners. With a sleek steel exterior and long counter it’s in near mint condition—though, it did have its neon “Chief" sign removed a few years back.

For decades, locals and travelers stopped off the parkway for classic breakfasts—“The Big Chief” plate of eggs, pancakes, toast, and meat among them. After a modern revival that fused classic diner fare with farm-sourced ingredients, the operation closed abruptly last year and was sold. It’s been reported that later this year the diner will reopen as Doves Diner—a fresh take led by former Kitty’s chef Lauren Stanek and Dew East Farm’s Emma Rosenbush. 

Collins Diner, North Canaan

53 Main St, Canaan

The last Litchfield dining car diner is currently closed but has hardly changed in 80 years. The diner was manufactured by the Jerry O’Mahony Company in 1942—a small, classic streamlined car with a rounded roof and porcelain enamel panels, it was delivered by rail and set down on Main Street, where it still sits today. From the curved-glass block entryway to the twelve-stool counter, the Collins Diner was iconic. For now its future is unknown.