Central Diner

Diner · John F. Kennedy International Airport District

Central Diner

Diner · John F. Kennedy International Airport District

1

Arrival Level, Terminal 4, Queens, NY 11430

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Central Diner by null
Central Diner by null
Central Diner by null
Central Diner by null
Central Diner by null
Central Diner by null
Central Diner by null
Central Diner by null
Central Diner by null
Central Diner by null
Central Diner by null
Central Diner by null
Central Diner by null
Central Diner by null
Central Diner by null
Central Diner by null
Central Diner by null
Central Diner by null
Central Diner by null
Central Diner by null
Central Diner by null
Central Diner by null
Central Diner by null
Central Diner by null
Central Diner by null
Central Diner by null
Central Diner by null
Central Diner by null
Central Diner by null
Central Diner by null
Central Diner by null
Central Diner by null
Central Diner by null
Central Diner by null
Central Diner by null
Central Diner by null
Central Diner by null
Central Diner by null
Central Diner by null
Central Diner by null
Central Diner by null
Central Diner by null
Central Diner by null
Central Diner by null
Central Diner by null

Highlights

Airport diner serving breakfast, lunch, dinner, and beer, plus desserts  

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Arrival Level, Terminal 4, Queens, NY 11430 Get directions

centraldinerjamaica.gastro-america.com

$$

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Arrival Level, Terminal 4, Queens, NY 11430 Get directions

+1 718 751 4756
centraldinerjamaica.gastro-america.com

$$

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Last updated

Aug 25, 2025

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NYC Restaurant Closings, May 2025 | Eater NY

"The retro-styled diner at JFK Terminal 4 has closed; Diners of NYC confirmed the permanent shutter after the spot had been temporarily closed last year." - Nadia Chaudhury

https://ny.eater.com/2025/5/2/24419727/nyc-restaurant-closings-may-2025
View Postcard for Central Diner

Raj S

Google
Went for a quick bite and coffee .. coffee was good .. mozzarella sticks was average .. fries had very less salt and wasn’t that crispy . Hummus dip was good . Was a bit cold though ... they also had a small bar with beer and other stuff .. service was ok .. could have been better .. overall an average experience

Luiz Cent

Google
The definition of a diner. Understaffed and over priced. Ordered cheese Quesadillas got chicken. The server blamed another employee. Was never asked how I was doing and you have to tip 15-20%. My water wasn’t refilled and nobody working there wanted to be there.

Daniel Nunez

Google
Simple sandwiches and burgers, the good is not good it’s better to eat inside, passing security. The host and waiter look mad and were not very nice, they need to improve the service. I don’t recommend this restaurant. Mc Donald’s it’s cheaper and better than this.

Sanjay Gupta

Google
Good for quick bite while waiting for flights. It was my first meal in the USA so I remember this. I got down and was waiting for my friend. I ordered one grill chicken sandwich which came with fries. It was too big for me. I was hungry so I ate in like minutes. It was one good sandwich. But after that I did go there for 2-3 times, I am not sure chef has been changed or what, I did not get the same sandwich again. I guess if you don’t have an option then you can go there.

Paul Kuang

Google
Quality of food was decent but it was completely bland. No seasoning whatsoever. The food took over 30 minutes to be served. Home fries were cold and not much. Decent service. What more can you expect from an airport diner?

Maribell de Jesús Álvarez

Google
The service is excellent. The onion soup and the original moscow mule was amazing. But the classic hamburger hasn't a good taste and the ketchup has a strange flavor. The mozzarella sticks need be melted inside.

Werner Greffrath

Google
Server ran around in a mad dash, turning his back on you while taking a order. Orderd a simple coffee, did not ask for regular or large. Came with a large. Slamming glasses on tables and throwing refils at customers. Maybe he was having a bad day but really no need to act like that in a full diner. On the plus side, the food was good and there was not really a wait.

Erica Fishel

Google
For late night/ early morning dining at JFK there aren’t many places. Central Diner was pleasant enough. I got the four cheese grilled cheese and a glass of Chardonnay. Service was a bit slow at the beginning but picked up. Would definitely recommend it for a place to sit and stay awhile if you find yourself waiting for a flight.
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Tyler C.

Yelp
Perfect place to sit. Not many sitting places in this part of the airport. Not enough waitstaff either. And plenty of angry people surrounding me, and two requests for a restaurant manager while I waited. I just wanted a place to sit-even if I had to order food. The coffee was great! Although one cup, no refills. The soup and sandwich special didn't include the soup or sandwich I wanted. Sandwiches from the second down to one from the bottom. Soup choices shared on request. No figuring it out otherwise. And the waitress was off to another table. Never did get food. From the statements of others in the restaurant, that might have been the best outcome.
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Marc K.

Yelp
16 minutes until someone came by to check in and offer water or take water. Put in my order for the big man breakfast, hash brown with eggs and toast..... eggs not served as ordered, food cold, and my rapidly dispirited mood even cooler. Waitress came by zero times from the time the remedied plate came back and my finishing it up. Sure, I was fresh off a long red eye and might not have been dressed to impress nor the most fragrant flower in he bunch, but still--stop by once please. She did however offer me a coffee to go, and in doing so avoided a 2-star rating. The ambience does look, feel, and sound like a diner with the cacophony of clanking, ringing and not so unpleasant din of multicultural banter.
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Rodrigo T.

Yelp
So we came to see our friend come in from Milan and we wanted to chill before we fly back to Detroit. So, we go pick out a seat and we order some drinks while we wait. Our friend arrives, we exchange pleasantries and then she orders a drink as well. I had the meatball hoagie and she had the chicken wings. My sandwich was pretty good. Parmesan was the first to hit your tastebuds, then the meatball with a bit of marinara finish. Mwah!!! The chicken wings was pretty good,, the wings very definitely too cute. They were tiny. Anyways, Stephon Curry,, our server that day was on point. Kept our beers filled when it was empty. Our waters filled as well and took great care of us. We saw he got a bit slammed at some point, but I understand. Service usually slows down when the diner to server ratio goes up. Everything was pleasant and would definitely eat here again. Thank you so much for reading my review. I hope this helps your decision making experience. Enjoy your awesome yelptastic day!!!
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Sanjay G.

Yelp
Good for quick bite while waiting for flights. It was my first meal in the USA so I remember this. I got down and was waiting for my friend. I ordered one grill chicken sandwich which came with fries. It was too big for me. I was hungry so I ate in like minutes. It was one good sandwich. But after that I did go there for 2-3 times, I am not sure chef has been changed or what, I did not get the same sandwich again. I guess if you don't have an option then you can go there.
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Raj S.

Yelp
Went for a quick bite and coffee .. coffee was good .. mozzarella sticks was average .. fries had very less salt and wasn't that crispy . Hummus dip was good . Was a bit cold though ... they also had a small bar with beer and other stuff .. service was ok .. could have been better .. overall an average experience
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Cory B.

Yelp
This place is hard for me to review because I really did like my experience here and the times I have been here have not been crowded but the expenses here are way to much for me to give it a 4 stars. First the interior of this place is really nice and properly resembles a 1950's diner. It is open 24/7 and offers breakfast all the time. Music is really pleasant as well and makes this a nice stop for coming off a flight. The food is really good as well. Variety here is really good and for desert they sell Juniors cheesecake. On busy days it can take a while to get your food though so if you see its crowded you might want to avoid it that day. The waitresses and staff here are very friendly and talkative. Again it adds to this places enjoyability. However even with all these things considered because its a airport resturuant they chalk up the prices to ridiculous levels. People who are not familiar with americana diners like this one may not be aware of this either but this loses one of the best charms of 1950's diners... which is the affordable and reasonably priced food. Every 1950's diner I have been too, whether its from upstate new york or New York City has affordable food. This has even been true for locations in NYC which have expensive nearby restaurants. The fact that this place is the exact opposite and has jacked up prices because its in a airport is quite disappointing. Overall everything is fine about this place but the prices on the food is real disappointing for a 1950's establishment.
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Christie A.

Yelp
What can I say? DEFINITELY "diner" quality food. I ordered the tuna melt but I was expecting it to be open faced like usual with like tomato & lettuce & all of the things that usual tuna melts came with but it didn't. But- it was pretty good without any of that stuff anyway! The fries are really yummy as well. The reason I'm giving it three stars is because 1. The couple next to us didn't seem to happy with their food & 2. My boyfriend's chicken sandwich was so bad he took the chicken out & tried to eat the bread, lettuce & tomato.. But that wasn't really a meal so he stopped & didn't have much of a lunch :( Convenient if you need to pass time, but if you plan on going into security, wait & get something better past security!
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Amy K.

Yelp
I'm not sure why people rate this so low....what are you expectations?!? This is a small diner in the airport!! This place was good for what it is. My chicken quesadilla was delicious! My husband ordered the burger which was cooked to perfection and the fries were awesome. This place is great! It's a decent place if you need to eat at the airport. Are there better places? Sure, but this was convenient after we grabbed our bags and were ready to leave the airport!
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Brad B.

Yelp
I've never eaten at a 1* Yelp restaurant before, so I had really low expectations. It's not as bad as I was expecting, but it is what it is, airport food. At the end of the day, $10 chicken fingers and fries isn't that bad.
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Valerie W.

Yelp
Not bad at all for an all night comfort food option. Looong story, but just spent the night stuck in limbo at the airport, and this was a fine (only!!) choice for a place to gather your thoughts, eat some reasonably prepared breakfast food, and recharge your phone. Service was fine, my egg wrap was a bit on the greasy side, and my coffee was freshly made, which you don't always find at 3am. To those who are complaining about the prices (my wrap and home fries were a very reasonable $9.99) airport food is ALWAYS more $$, and for what it's worth, I think this place was actually pretty reasonable. No gourmet deluxe, and probably not my choice for lunch or dinner, but a good enough choice (esp. when there is no other other choice!!) Central Diner is your 3am oasis in a sea of NOTHING at JFK Airport!!
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Kashif K.

Yelp
When I go to the airport to pick up a friend or relative (mostly my mother who visits me every so often), and their flight is delayed, I find myself looking for a cafe or a diner to feed my boredom. Accordingly, when this 24-hour diner opened a little less than two years ago, it was a welcome addition to the arrivals area of JFK airport's terminal 4, where there is an acute dearth of dining options. The first time I went there was exactly a week after they opened, and everything looked promising. The food was really tasty, and the service was very cordial. The meatloaf sandwich consisted of a generous slice of very flavorfully seasoned all-beef meatloaf and crispy onion straws on Texas toast. The crinkle-cut fries were crisp on the outside and soft inside. The orange creamsicle cake was moist and fluffy, and the cream cheese frosting was layered in just the right proportion to the cake. I actually felt like I'd be looking forward to going to the airport to receive guests, and hoping that their flights would be delayed! My subsequent visits, however, have all been a major let-down. The meatloaf sandwich is no longer offered, the fries are limp and bland, and the orange creamsicle cake does not taste fresh anymore. Service continues to be friendly and gracious, however. I had liked this diner so much on my first visit that I wanted to believe that each of the half dozen of my subsequent visits was an off day that the kitchen was having. Fool me twice, shame on me; fool me half a dozen times, my head must forever remain hung in ignominy! This must be what betrayal in love must feel like!
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Sallie D.

Yelp
This is the worst diner I've ever been to in my life... (The absolute worst part is thinking about all the less atrocious food - in comparison - inside the security check point that I can't get to.) I had a couple of hours to spare between a drop off and a pick up at JFK and needed a place to work/charge devices while grabbing a bite. I knew I should have gone to the JetBlue food court the moment I stepped in. Super depressing atmosphere. Everyone looks sad to be stuck eating here. Menu is expensive. Doesn't look all that clean. All the food looks OLD. I would be surprised if McDonald's isn't better tasting than this.. Went through the menu and picked the thing you can least mess up on - buffalo wings. Well...Tastes like twigs in buffalo sauce. Super curious about the reviewers who say the food tastes good - must have been starved for hours on their flights and/or totally drunk. Service is ok. Except at the end when the waiter put a big circle around the part of the check that lists the recommended gratuity amounts. When does doing this ever make me want to tip more? Stay away. Better off getting food from a vending machine.
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Daryl O.

Yelp
I liked that this place wasn't busy, I walked in & I was seated immediately. There are chargers along the bar areas & at the tables with the coat hooks so if you're on the other side you're SOL. I was looking to get the Buffalo Chicken Mac & Cheese but after reviewing what it looked like (on Yelp of course) it didn't look too appetizing. Looks like Velveta with cut up pieces of chicken. I had time to kill but not enough to work with that. It was still pretty early in the morning so decided to go with their all day breakfast route & order buttermilk pancakes with bacon. They were actually pretty good. I don't know why I expected the worst but I was happy with my choice. I had plenty of time to sit & relax so I ordered the spinach artichoke dip with chips. They give you a great amount of dip but I probably should have held off on that. The dip was lukewarm & didn't taste very appetizing. They took it back & brought another but it was just about the same. Granted they got a busy & I was just killing time I didn't feel rushed at all.
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Ace P.

Yelp
This was a very basic place that had several "diner" options and was open after midnight when we landed. Don't look for anything fancy - you get what you ask for. The hostess wasn't kind or friendly to us - maybe she was tired, which I understand, but still also rubbed us weirdly. But alas, we didn't come for good service - we came for survival food after a long cross-country flight. And for that as well, we got what we asked for.
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Naiia Abril M.

Yelp
Terrible food, uninterested staff. Major health risks, look at the rotten carrots I was served with. Food safety dpt needs to pay them a visit!!!
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Danielle B.

Yelp
Not terrible food, but not outstanding. Service was absolutely horrendous. It took them at least 10 minutes to acknowledge me, and 2 other people left due to lack of acknowledgement while I was there. The food was okay, but extremely overpriced. People only eat here out of convenience. Definitely not because of the quality or customer service. The employees were blatantly gossiping while customers were waiting to be served. Those customers were the ones who ended up leaving. Business could be better if employees were adequate. Some of the worst employees I've ever witnessed, and I've traveled a lot.
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Caitlin C.

Yelp
Stay very, very, very far away from this place. Unless your idea of a pleasant dinner is sitting in a booth for an hour, only to be told that they've run out of every single thing your table has ordered. This after half the menu has already been ruled out because "breakfast all day" apparently actually means "breakfast when they happen to have enough staff on-hand to cook it." There are, however, some lovely vending machines down the hall for once you give up on this hopeless establishment.
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Daniella S.

Yelp
For an airport eatery and diner the food is pretty good. They will seat you in a comfy booth and you can order little and they won't rush you out. Ayesha was all smiles and killed as she served me my hard boiled eggs and my daughter some awesome pancakes. The lattes are delish. If waiting for a plane and needing a bite in terminal 4 there are not many options. Go for it and have a good time.
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J W.

Yelp
Had no choice to eat here. Slow service and waitresses complained about patrons in front of my husband and I. My husband ordered a second beer and never got it and was charged. The waitress didn't even offer to take it off the bill and we were so ready to leave we just ate the cost. I also found a hair in my food.....
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Anatoli L.

Yelp
One and only sit down place to eat at the Terminal 4 in JFK airport before going through the security (which is quite shameful compared with most of the other terminals). Also, note that the diner is located in the very busy arrivals hall on the first floor. Everything inside resembles traditional new diner. As we sat down at around 4 pm on Tuesday, we were warned that food might take about 25-30 minutes to arrive - which is a nice (even though it only took about 10 minutes for our order to arrive). I had Jalapeno poppers, which were nicely made and presented, and quite tasty. My niece had fish and chips, and while the portion was generous, the coating was soaked in oil and consequently, very greasy, so she ended up picking the fish from the inside. Service was friendly and attentive. All in all, it was not amazing, but reasonable experience.
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Jess S.

Yelp
I had a long layover in JFK & couldn't check in yet so I had time to kill. Central diner in terminal 4 was convenient for charging my electronics & it was also lunchtime. I had a chocolate milkshake & Greek salad with chicken, which both were absolutely delicious. The service was absolutely phenomenal. Piroska was a god-send. She was so attentive and kind. I visit large cities often & you don't see that kind of personal touch very often. It was definitely appreciated!!!
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Vicky L.

Yelp
I don't know why this diner is rated so low. It's actually really good and our waiter Esther was really attentive and nice. Where else can you get breakfast, top shelf liquor, and juniors cheesecake in one place??
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Arthur W.

Yelp
Delicious burger, crispy fries. Quick service, very clean tables and chairs. Staff was very kind. As a 20 year NYC diner veteran, this diner was better than most. Yes it was small but it wasn't crowded and it did not smell like bathroom freshener, and did not have roaches which is a double win. Would recommend to anyone who needs a burger and fries.
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Rajesh N.

Yelp
Came here after my global travel interview. Been a hectic week and wanted a little me time. This throw back diner is located in terminal 4. The ambience and 50s music immediately put me at ease. The staff lead by Piroska made me comfortable and served up comfort food with a smile. The breakfast burrito was full of guacamole and had good solid pieces of sausage. Hearty with a side of home fries that were crispy. Add a dash of Tabasco and the meal was great. The pies and cakes caught my eye. From Juniors so had to to go a few slices. Recommended for those who want a relaxing bite to get away from travel stress.
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Kimberly S.

Yelp
When I was flying back from Amsterdam, I missed my connecting flight at JFK for LAX. It was like midnight and I had nowhere to go, so another passenger that missed her flight and I decided to grab a bite to eat here. Our server took what felt like forever to come take our order. I ordered a basket of fries and she had the tuna melt. The fries were terrible and the tuna melt... let's just say that it did not taste like a tuna melt. When it came time to pay our bill, the cashier didn't seem to understand that we wanted to split the bill by paying only what each of us ordered. After 10 minutes of explaining what we meant, the bill was split down the middle. The only reason why I'm giving it any stars is because their cocktails were nice a strong. Next time I'm stuck overnight at JFK, I'm avoiding Central Diner.
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Mohamed B.

Yelp
Don't go there! Stay hungry is way better. I got a burger (their best seller) that doesn't have any taste. I waited a long time and then the food including fries was cold!! Our server was nice but I tried to ask another one a question as she walked by and she was rude and just said "Go talk to your server" People are waiting for about an hour in here. My wife's fish and ships is no better than my burger. So seriously stay hungry or go to the dunkin dounts until you reach a better place. If you want a drink then it should be fine.
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Gerald S.

Yelp
This review may be the outlier, but our 1:00 am meal @ Central Diner was pretty good. Service was respectable, with a little repartee with our server that showed humor and appreciation of our respective situations, she responded with her "A" game. True, the joint wasn't busy that time of day, but it is still a long shift cleaning house and serving those midnight stragglers. Our order for the Hot Dog Special and standard Cheeseburger, were brought to us quickly, and were about as enjoyable as could be expected. They weren't Shake Shack (available after going through security), but were a step up from Nathan's. Maybe not kosher, but the taste was mostly beef. Load of fries on the sides. Prices were not extravagant. Central Diner filled us and left us satisfied. Certainly a real 3 Star experience.
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Alfredo D.

Yelp
Good place to have breakfast lunch or dinner at the airport and you do feel like you're eating diner food. Breakfast selections are great. I like their egg sandwiches. For lunch and dinner nothing beats a good ol' greasy diner burger. Really great food.
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Jenny L.

Yelp
Worse diner food I've ever had, I feel like they don't even try. I know it's in the airport and people won't have much choice but to eat at limited place when they are hungry but they are paying for the food. Everything we ordered, not even one turned out to be decent. Took them forever to serve our food and we didn't even order anything fancy, mainly all fry stuff and the services there are horrible too. Looks like they don't have enough server there as well. Next time I am just going to starve or bring my own food
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Benjamin T.

Yelp
Thanks Brittany for a great stop in for breakfast. Food was great and the service was too. Everyone had there own personality that shined. Just how I envision it in a dinner on the street corner! Thanks for everything! If you need a meal this is the place to check out!
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Beth M.

Yelp
I had just landed in terminal four. The food was amazing. I was starving and the burger was perfectly grilled with sautéed onions. The fries were great as well. Great stop before or after a flight.
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Gabbi P.

Yelp
OMG, Central Diner was actually excellent. More than anything, Central Diner has an awesome vibe. These guys are certainly serving yum in here. The team is very friendly. I really valued that. Highly recommended this place any day.
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Marc K.

Yelp
The service was the worst I've ever experienced. It's like they don't like people. The food was actually good and the menu was decent and diner-like. Desserts look amazing but we didn't try them. We had to leave. Waiter was worse than rude.
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Ami A.

Yelp
This restaurant is the only option outside the security area at Terminal 4 & JFK. The food was subpar diner fare and the servers seemed harried and exhausted. You are better off getting a bite outside the airport.
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Renata R.

Yelp
Don't !!!! Waste your money! Who says airport food has to be bad? I have been to many airports and had many positive dining experiences. Not this place, and it is a shame as the look of the diner is so classic. The hostess that sat us down and took our order was very friendly, but she clearly needed another set of hands, legs and a second head. She forgot our appetizer and we received the main dish only. There were no refills of water, she never returned to check on us. While waiting I watched the staff, and it was clear that the cooks need to be fired and replaced. They were laughing, and being very short with the staff. The waitress had to almost beg for the orders to be processed. There are people standing around and only 2 people running around. Other airport employees just going behind the counter and helping themselves to drinks and such. Food was terrible! TERRIBLE !!!!!!! Buffalo mac&cheese was greasy and not much cheese, the chicken parm most expensive and most disgusting, meatball sandwich was gross, no flavor and extremely bland. I wish we went to McDonalds instead, spend half the $ and enjoy our food.
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Lori C.

Yelp
When you advertise shakes in neon, maybe you should fix the machine. Tried 2x in 6 months. No shakes!!
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Eve G.

Yelp
We were surprised this place received 1.5 stars when in our opinion it was totally decent. Food was standard diner food and burgers were good. Service was exceptional when we visited in spite of bitter complaints to the contrary. Ignoring the fact that it's extremely expensive for what it is and most of their business is from people with layovers this is a decent place to get a burger and a beer. The staff is friendly as well as attentive. Give it a shot they seem to have improved since most of these were written.
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Martha A.

Yelp
After having missed my flight to LAX, Central Diner is one to remember. I really enjoyed having an appetizer and desert. The boneless chicken wings are just delicious and the red velvet cake with cheesecake frosting was amazing!!! Comfortable booths to wait for my flight and to charge my cell. Nathan my server was very efficient and kept smiling even at 3 am.
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Thecandyman A.

Yelp
Worst food I've ever eaten. Just kidding the waitress showed a severe ineptitude for customer service when attempting to take our order. She said "this is too much just sit at the booth"-which had no seats. Within the 3 minutes I spoke to her she rolled her eyes about 20 times and graphically complained when we asked for 3 seperate checks and then groaned when we ordered mozzarella sticks. She got mad when we asked for ice cream and said we couldn't have it and then said "just move" and walked away to finish off this lovely experience. I then proceeded to exit the diner with significantly few brain cells than when I entered.
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Kat N.

Yelp
Ok so here i am at the airport waiting for a family member who arrives in 2 hours. I was super early because i had the fear of 'holiday traffic' in my mind since it's the friday starting memorial day wknd. Plus i came early as i wanted to make sure i got a parking spot near the exit. So of course what i do is look for a place to sit and have a bite and do some work, answer an email or two... And it had to be where i was, on the street side of security. The food is okay, it's an airport diner. People were eating burgers today. I asked the smiley waitress what she recommended, and she said they make the burgers fresh to order. That was all i had to hear. I didnt want any heated and reheated or nuked-up food. It was ok. I'd go with a burger but skip the mushrooms (rubbery). Lettuce, tomato all ok. The fries are standard string fries and they all taste better hot. Those kinds of fries are condiment suckers so i made sure i stopped eating them when they went cool rather than squirting more mayo-ketchup on my plate!! I got my food in less than 10 minutes, and the people around me are happily eating burgers too. The internet is not free here but it's not anywhere in term 4. Yes this placed is way overpriced, way! Burger fries and a soft drink for $20. It's a seller's market. But hey if you want to eat something and sit down here you go. Service was excellent, with smiles and speed, from both the waitress and the food runner/busser guy.
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Luke S.

Yelp
A 3 year old could have made a better chicken ceasar salad. My friends fish and chips were cold on the inside. Go to Dunkin.
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Irene V.

Yelp
After a long flight (or drive in to pick someone up) this is a delightful spot to crash. The energy is old schools diner: casual, perky and fast! Open 24 hours (!) breakfast, lunch and dinner are offered at all price points. I was incredibly tempted by their prime rib special ($32.99). Alas, it was only 10am and this gem only begins at 11am :/ (The signage is motivating. "UNTIL SOLD OUT") The short stack is quite large. Two pancakes fill an 11" plate with a side order of bacon or sausage links. (There's another choice but the meticulous staff keeps scooping up the menu. I can't torture them further by pulling it down again.) Seat yourself. Grab a menu. Feel free to grab a server too. Outlets line the bar and booth area. Checks can be split by dollar amount instead of items. Complimentary wifi is available for 30 minutes. If you only stop outside, at the to go area, know that the team inside is hustling to make things work. (Go Gus! Seriously.) I'm sure all the servers are wonderful. However, I was spoiled by Kia. (So, so very chipper!) Thank you Central Diner!
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Michael K.

Yelp
The service, as so many before me have testified, is that special brand of NY, "I could really give less of a shit". Kind of like the French. The coffee is not for human consumption; it's probably an effective cleaning product or roach repellent. Welcome to NY, nothing to see here.
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Karla C.

Yelp
At JFK Terminal 4. Only place to eat. I came into the diner and a sign read "please seat yourself." So I went to a table with my son that needed to be cleared off because it was a booth. Server said that I need to sit somewhere else with two seats. I told her that we could wait for the booth. She said it was going to take a long time. I said we will wait because we wanted to sit next to each other and had lots of bags that would be in the way. While we were waiting supervisor came and told us that the booth was only for groups of 4-6. I said fine seat us (previous server had said to wait). Two minutes later they seated an Asian couple in the booth we were waiting for even though there were many tables open for couples in half the restaurant. Hmmm server had a chip on her shoulder. I was hoping that at least the food would be good. Expensive too burger $13.99. Ouch! No stars!
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Megan C.

Yelp
If you need to eat and you've just landed at Terminal 4 at JFK, stay inside the post-security area, where there are myriad options and wonderful choices at that. Once you exit the secured area and find yourself in the baggage claim/passenger pickup chaos, Central Diner appears to be your only sit-down choice, and they're certainly not working hard to keep up appearances beyond their kitschy-cute diner facade. There's not a lot of room for your "extra baggage" here, literally and figuratively. Don't expect nods of understanding as you wield your large checked bag around the bar stool area, as I had to do. Seating my lone self at the bar seemed like the best way to get quick service, but the waitress wanted to take my order without me even having a menu, and then was obviously agitated that I didn't know what I wanted. Hilarious. I ordered a Peppermint Patty milkshake, which was featured on their specials board, but the waitress told me that I "couldn't have one because people think it's gross." Hilarious again; I ordered one anyway. Should have listened to the waitress on that one; it was one teaspoon short of being 100% Sysco Food Supply Peppermint Extract, 0% milk/ice cream. An "excruciating" 2 minutes of looking over the menu while the waitress hovered over me like a buzzard waiting its next carcass, I decided on the breakfast burrito, as I needed something I could escape with and eat on the run. I ended up with a breakfast burrito shoved into a too-small to-go container, with grease permeating every surface, sad scrambled eggs, and mushy crinkle fries stuffed inside the tortilla. I picked out what was edible and threw away the rest (along with that God-awful milkshake)...and $21. I get the "attitude" that comes along with NYC...but also what normally comes along with NYC is good eats. This is an airport, not NYC, and the eats were no good. Stay inside the terminal!
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Iris C.

Yelp
Boyfriend and i arrived at JFK around 11pm and were hungry after a 16 hour flight. We asked around and found out that the only restaurant that was currently still open was Central Diner in terminal 4. Our waitress was very sweet and attentive. We ordered two hotdogs and some buffalo wings. The wings were really good, but the hot dog was mediocre.
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Justice K.

Yelp
This is the worst place I've ever eaten at during my twenty years on this earth. Central Diner takes the cake, hands down. No contesting. I'm not even going to bother spending more than three minutes on this review. Long story short: I arrived at JFK Airport at midnight from California. Damn near every eatery in the airport was closed. Mind you, I was starving. Pros: ??? Cons: Harrowing service. Don't even get me started on how long it took me to flag down a waiter/waitress to take my order. Wretchedly over priced food. The food tastes awful. I had a slice of their dry ass cake, which I couldn't even bring myself to finish. The cheese atop of my fries were thick and spongy, horrendous; it appeared old. Soup was also a miss. ON TOP OF THAT, THEY HAVE THE NERVE TO ASK FOR GRATUITY HAAHHAHAHAHAHA
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San-Ju T.

Yelp
JFK Terminal 4 has few eateries At Central Diner to rest my legs and wait for a friend A guy shouts out orders to the kitchen while standing in front of it. So don't sit in front of the kitchen unless you like all that shouting. However, he is the one who knew that my burger was missing the avocado and that I wasn't given utensils. Seems like he is the only guy who knows what is going on. Burger was a little charred. Fries were good. No Coca Cola, only Pepsi but they didn't say so till they served it. Finally someone noticed that my Pepsi was all gone and asked if I wanted another one. I got it promptly too.
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Jeff M.

Yelp
Great way to get used to being ignored by NewYorkers. I sat at the counter for 10 minutes before I decided to leave and eat a cold sandwich from the anonymous vender nearby. What I did see of the food while there was uninspiring. But it's probably the best diner at Terminal 4.