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Astoria's historic Neptune Diner is closing as NYC continues to lose its greasy spoons
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
Published Jul 28, 2024
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Ramsey Khalifeh
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Ramsey Khalifeh
Published Jul 28, 2024
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Another iconic New York City diner is closing its doors.
Neptune Diner in Astoria, Queens served up its final plates of eggs and pancakes on Sunday, ending a decades-long run for the business. The current version of the diner opened in the early 1980s, but the building — with its red-tiled roof and stone facade — dates back to the 1960s.
The family-owned business was unable to renew its lease on the property, which will be converted into a new housing development.
Customers swarmed the greasy spoon for a final taste of its fare — with many ordering a second meal to go.
“It's really sad. Diners are such a mainstay in New York City,” said Brendan O’Brien, 36, as he cherished his final moments in one of Neptune’s clam-shaped booths. “So many of the diners in Astoria are gone now, and it's like, is there a diner to go to anymore nearby?”
O’Brien’s not wrong. Diners have been in decline across the five boroughs for years. The trend has only sped up since the COVID-19 pandemic, when indoor dining prompted longtime staples like Good Stuff Diner in Chelsea to close shop for good.
New York City diners like Neptune are going the way of the dodo.
Ramsey Khalifeh
A New York Times report from 2016 estimated the number of diners in the city fell by half in the prior 20 years.
Like many diners across the city, Neptune was open 24/7 until the pandemic. Since 2020, its hours have been limited from 7 a.m. to midnight.
Sabrina Karpe, an Astoria local who visited Neptune Diner for the first — and last — time on Sunday, lamented that “there were diners every few blocks” just a few decades ago.
“The city is losing something that I think really defined what the city was,” Karpe said. “If you think about Seinfeld, where did they hangout? They hung out at a diner. That is like this quintessential New York television show.”
But for Tina and George Graham, a married couple who've lived in the neighborhood for 22 years, the loss of Neptune Diner is personal. Tina said she used to bring blind dates to the diner before she met her husband.
“I would come in the morning and then I would come back in the afternoon for another date,” she said.
“Before me,” George said with a grin. “This is our landmark.”
Neptune Diner has two other locations in Bayside, Queens and Crown Heights, Brooklyn that remain open for business.
Tagged
new york city
queens
housing
restaurants
Ramsey Khalifeh
Ramsey Khalifeh is a transportation reporter on the NYC Accountability desk covering the largest transit system in the country. He was previously a general assignment reporter at Gothamist and worked on the Boston Globe's metro and copy desk. Got a tip? Email [email protected]
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