Galley Diner

Any place you have to queue with locals to get in has got to be good! Small and I mean small by today’s standards, friendly, sit at the serving bar and watch the food getting prepared before your eyes. Great breakfast tehn walked over to the beach to walk it off! Worth a visit

Old School Bostonian Vibe! This is the last of a dying breed. I am from Echo Park, Los Angeles, and I rebuttal gentrification. This place is great old school, Boston Vibe! I had a plate over easy eggs, English muffin, and linguica.

THIS IS THE BEST BREAKFAST PLACE IN BOSTON. OLD school diner, fresh, delicious food, great coffee. Everythinh is made fresh on the grill on from of you. Just GO. You're welcome.

If you're getting breakfast in Southie...scratch that, if you're getting breakfast in Boston, it should be HERE. There are very few joints left that evoke the immediate sense of comfort when walking in - it's good and honest food, and great prices, with incredible staff. The corned beef hash, breakfast sandwiches, omelets, and coffee are something you go to bed looking forward to eating them in the morning.

I went here with a few of my co-workers to have breakfast...This place has so much old school memorabilia, you think you was at the museum. I had 3 eggs scrambled with cheese with home fries and raisin bread...The food and the service was by far one of my best in a long time. I do recommend you go during the week because it tends to get crowded on weekends.

Great food. People, and prices. I had the carved of the bone ham with 3 over easy eggs. Just a perfect get going breakfast. Chef Paul is a great chef. He will make you anything. 12 23 21. Food is still great.

Absolutely the best food,friendly people, regulars knew each other, small local neighborhood diner.

Hands down best diner in Southie and in my experience Boston. Family run, lovely service, great food. Packed densely along the galley bar and full of history. Great spot.

Second review on this place... it never misses!!! Went for lunch this time a little before noon and there were spots available at the bar. Ordered The Works - Rumpy's Roast Beef with lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle, hot peppers, mayo, and american cheese... delish! They pack the roast beef in there so that they make it hard for you to bite the sandwhich (I'm kidding, they just add a lot of roast beef). Also comes with some Cape Cod chippies, a necessity on the side of a sandwhich like this. The service is always good and friendly, it gives you a classic hometown diner feel. Definitely coming back for more Rumpy's Roast Beef!!

Very old school Southie diner obviously run by a family who greets everybody in the place by first name. Tiny space, a counter and maybe five tables. Cheap excellent food. Highly recommend to anyone looking for coffee and a plate of eggs.

Excellent classic American diner. Consistently good. A Boston favorite. Amazing breakfast with a warm environment

Loved this little place! Took a risk going on Father's Day, but we got there early enough to have only a small line. Tried the French toast and linguica (both delicious) and my other half had the hash omelette (outstanding homemade hash). The place is tiny but well worth the visit. Everyone was so nice to us and they kept asking us if we wanted more coffee and water. My new favorite place in Boston to go for a diner breakfast! Also, you can take the #9 bus to Castle Island to get there.

Love this place. Friendly service where they remember you. Delicious food. Great prices. Great find!

I recently finished "Kitchen Confidential" by Anthony Bourdain, and was inspired to look up places that he ate at on his show, 'No Reservations', during the episode in which he was visiting Boston. I think he went to the Galley Diner in 2013? Anyway, things can change in that amount of time, and I wasn't sure what to expect nowadays. When it came to the staff, they were fantastic. They were quick to accommodate our party of six, and were all very friendly. This is a family owned and operated business. Sadly, their patriarch passed away a year or so ago, and it is now the matriarch and her two daughters running the place. I don't know any of their names, so I'll call them mom and daughters... Mom was very attentive to everyone in the place. There is a counter that seats 10 or so people, and then I think I remember 4 or 5 tables that seat 4 people each. We had 2 at the counter and 4 at the table. The coffee kept coming, and the food was hot and fresh. Everyone in the place was so friendly. You really felt like you were in one of those old school diners where all the locals are meeting for breakfast, giving each other laughs as they get ready to start their day, and enjoying the food and company around them. One thing they state they are known for is their hash browns. I think our entire party agreed that they weren't anything to write home about. I had a very standard breakfast of eggs, toast, sausage, and hash. It was a ton of food, all very reasonably priced, and I only ate about 1/3 of it. The hash seasonings tasted ... funny. Other than that, the rest of the food was as expected. I took 2 stars off for the food because I don't feel its anything special or overly delicious, but I did love the atmosphere of the place. All of the cooking was being done by one of the daughters, right behind the counter. The decor was kitschy and fun. There were Three Stooges cut-outs and signed photographs and a "Cheeseburger in Paradise" sign. They have souvenirs to purchase like Galley Diner coffee mugs (I loved their coffee mugs! Just like old fashioned diner mugs), sweatshirts, koozies, etc. They have a guest book to sign. If nothing else, stop in to have some comfort food and buy a souvenir. The small business deserves our support, for sure. Maybe skip the hash though.

Great family owned hidden gem! Mary is a great cook. Definitely worth the visiting when in Southie.

Exceptional service & very friendly people. Great food. Warm environment with a large menu selection.

We have been going here for years and this cute little hidden gem never disappoints. It's a Southie staple and you get the best food and service. It's a family owned business and they really care about their customers. I always get the veggie and cheese omelette with multiple rounds of coffee. They have mastered the art of corn beef hash and home fries like no other. The prices are cheap and the portions are huge. I can go on and on about how great this place is but you should just try it out for yourself! P.S. we even bought their t-shirts because that's how much we love this diner!

Regular diner food but it was the best thing ever after a night out. I had bacon, eggs and toast with jelly, and it was all good. Really nothing special but I recommend this place if you are nearby. Very cool interior and friendly staff!

I came here because I'm a big Anthony Bourdain fan and it was on an episode of No Reservations. I really enjoyed this place, the service and food. This place is very tiny but I love that. Maybe approximately 20 seats but we didn't have to wait on a snowy day on a Friday. I had the Southie which was sooo good. I'm also a corned beef lover so I've had a lot of different corned beef for breakfast. The portion was very generous and priced fairly. The service was very quick and friendly. They could tell I was from out of town so they asked me to sign their guestbook. People write a little note and sign it. Anyway, I'd definitely recommend this place if you're in the mood for some quick diner food and good service. I'd definitely come back here.

After trying to find breakfast spots in South Boston (or Southie to the Boston-ites), my two former college roommates stumbled upon this place. Little did we know what we would get ourselves into. Small, local, busy, tons of photos of famous people.... those were my instant reactions. In an era where gentrification is seeping through all our cities and suburbs, it's a bit refreshing to find a place that's locally owned and has that local charm to it. Unsurprisingly, I came to realize that the late Anthony Bourdain profiled this place, so that adds to the credibility. Now to the most important point - the food. The three of us focused on the same item - pancakes. One of my roommates & I got the chocolate chip pancakes while my other roommate got the blueberry pancakes. They were amazing and perfect for a Saturday breakfast! Granted I can barely get through a stack of three pancakes, but it was still worth it. The service was actually pretty good too. It was nice to see some kids (HS I think) serving the patrons. All part of that local charm. Highly, highly, highly recommend this place to anyone in the area.

Yum yum yum! A great hidden spot in Southie. I got the vegetable omelet and a chocolate chip pancake. Both were delicious. I loved this spot for many reasons. It's what you see is what you get... you can watch the food cooking at the diner bar. The menu is not too big and not too small. There are some unique items like kielbasa and a few other interesting sausages. The service was great, and the coffee was exactly what you want when walking into a diner. I recommend to anyone in the area! You might have to wait in a short line but it's so worth it.

Super fast service and food hit the spot. Classic place-even when we stay downtown we head out there to eat the morning after a night out.

Just moved in right next door and am looking forward to being a frequent customer. It has a perfect diner vibe with excellent and thoughtful service and the food is top notch. I never bring diner leftovers home but these were too good to leave. Thanks Galley Diner team!

Wow! My dad has been coming here for years and we finally came to join him and enjoy breakfast. This place is so homey and immediately I felt welcomed. The waitress even remembered my name! We got the veggie omelet and the southie omelet, filled with hash. The hash was delicious and some of the best I've ever had, and wrapped up in an omelet it was just delightful! The wait staff were fantastic and we will surely be back!

This is a charming family diner in South Boston. They are open from 7 am-2pm. You get really good home style cooking here. The home made Potato Fries are really good. The place has an old diner feel and good food.

Anthony Bourdain once featured this small deep Suthie diner in No Reservations. You see a few signs of the visit in the diner and on the internet. But the experience, to me, seems unchanged by the visit. It's still an original. It's true to what it sets out to be: a local spot. Full of regulars. The food is good. It's diner food. It feels like you're visiting someone's home. There's plenty of wacky decorations on the walls. There's maps, newspaper clippings, tin signs. Hints of the past. A vintage approach. I hope this spot sticks around.

Very welcoming staff ! We had breakfast here while visiting Boston. I had the bacon and cheese omelette and some French toast . French toast was nice and fluffy we added fresh banana on top with made it even better My omelette was to die for ! At the end the waitress even asked to sign their guest book, Guest book had signatures from people who had visited from all over . Thanks for the great experience !

Oh Galley Diner. You saved me. You allowed me to enjoy IPA fest without losing my lunch everywhere. Your coffee saved my throbbing head. And most importantly, you sat us quickly so we didn't have to get back into the worst Uber ever to bring us somewhere else for breakfast. It wasn't until after I was inside that I found out that Anthony Bourdain was here. Of course he was. It's just like he was. No frills, friendly AF staff, a little divey but seriously great food and coffee. Small spot so you're definitely going to wait, but luckily, they get you in quickly - our wait was less than 10 minutes at 11am on a Saturday. Whatever you order, make sure you order a coffee and their home fries/potatoes with cheese. The potatoes were perfectly griddle fried, soft in the center and well seasoned. I was real basic and got bacon and eggs with toast but dammit, sometimes you just need a pound of bacon and buttered toast to soothe your soul and prep your belly for a tasting of several hundred IPAs. If you're looking for some serious diner food on the verge of Southie, hit this place up to fill your belly and make your soul smile.

Came here from NJ yesterday! Our waitress was amazing wish we'd caught her name. I had the bomb steak and eggs omelette. It was amazing. Can't wait to go back. I also got a pancake with blueberry and banana. WOW SO FLUFFY. So good

Galley Diner is a true Southie spot to eat. I was solo traveling and decided to come here from Cambridge which is a little bit of a trek, but I was committed. The people working here were so damn nice and welcoming. The food was delicious. I was hanging out and taking my time. This is an awesome example of a small, family diner and I will be back for sure.

I go here almost every week for a weekend breakfast sandwich. If you want a breakfast sandwich you HAVE to get it on English muffin or toast, not a bagel. The bacon, melty cheese, etc is best in South Boston. Grilled muffins are great as well as the corn beef hash

Ended up here for breakfast while on vacation. Had to get the hash, it was excellent. My dad was always a huge hash fan and he would have been raving about it. I had an omelette and home fries and I was full for most of the day from it. Staff was friendly and service was quick. Highly recommend.

Breakfast at the Galley Diner is now a solid yearly tradition. One that myself and my co-workers look forward to. The service, atmosphere here has not changed one bit. You feel like a family as you are warmly greeted and cups of hot coffee are placed before you with a smile. What on the menu is good you ask? There is no way I could ever possibly answer that as it's all good. But it's the people that really sets Galley apart from the rest.

With places like this disappearing faster and faster these days due to Covid and "progress", it's important that we support these cherished gems. I hadn't stepped within these hallowed walls for nigh on a decade and a half, when I'd moved over here from Dot and my buddy Billy D(now-retired MBTA driver) told me that "this is the place we go in the mornings". Hey, if it was good enough for them, it was good enough for me. It was amazing then, and I believe it has somehow gotten better over the years. A buddy and I went in the other day. He got the steak bomb omelette, I got the Southie omelette. HUGE! My buddy's steak bomb looked insane, but it was gone before I blinked. Kid's a maniac. Comparably-sized, my Southie must've contained at least 3-eggs wrapping a crisped, delicious, generous plank of grilled corn beef hash and cheese. Accompanied by delicious home fries and bottomless cups of strong coffee, our meal was the real deal. Our waitress was kind, courteous, and attentive, and our food was served quickly. Can't ask for a better diner experience. Thank you to the staff at the Galley!

Ate there this morning and had the most delicious chocolate pancakes! Sweet, fluffy and yum! Check out the beach park nearby once you're done!

I'd say the third time's a charm, but I'm now convinced that every time's a charm at Galley Diner! You know you've found your home away from home when over visits spread by several years, the owners/chefs/servers (this place is family-run) not only remember you from the very first time you visited, but also your kids from round two. My Boston favorite.

Pretty good diner brunch-- I probably could have gone until dinnertime for the portion served. Corned hash was what I considered the star of the dish and very savory, but wish they had cooked it a bit longer as it was fairly mushy and mostly potato, so it's not how I would have preferred it. The actual potatoes were lacking in flavor, so I had to sprinkle a bunch of pepper and ketchup into them. Biggest thing that bothered me was that we were seated awkwardly next to another couple in a small table of 4 because it's so cramped inside, but there were 2 open seats at the counter we would have preferred. Considering everything else aside from the portion, it's a nice place to try at least once, but once is good enough for me.

The real deal. Great, old school diner in South Boston. Ate there twice on my St. Paddy's Week visit to Boston and would want to have breakfast anywhere else. Anthony Bourdain brought me in; the people at The Galley brought me back. Salt of the earth. Mick Toronto

This place has so much character and food! It's everything a real diner should be, honest food at an honest price. The omelettes looked amazing but I created my own breakfast from 3 sides, linguica, grits and hash. It was delicious and filling. It's only a mile or so from the convention center in South Boston so if you want to wander off the beaten track to this charming, divey greasy spoon with the best breakfast and no pretenses, Uber yourself to this destination spot and say hi to Paul, the owner.

Comfort breakfast food, made with heart, and soul, and a lot of hard work. The Galley Diner is a place where you can get a filling breakfast and see the magic unfold in front of ya. The place is small (holds exactly 28 people between the bar and the tables) but is run by a staff full of zest and passion for what they do. Each and everyone of them. Full of character and that quintessential Southie grit (no grits on the menu btw) - which seems to be evaporating with the ever changing skyline of South Boston - the place may leave your clothes smelling of scrambled eggs, fries and linguisa, but your stomach full and taste buds totally satisfied with some hearty, no frills, old fashioned breakfast food. The menu is quite extensive and there are plenty of options to choose from. For my first time, I went for a corned beef hash, with 2 eggs over easy, home fries and whole wheat toast, and regular coffee (as they say - bottomless - like that acronym for free refills!). Felt good being seated at the bar. Watching the head chef work that grill like a pro that he has been - probably for decades, will make you wanna go there again to try something new every time and see how he manages the feat, single handedly, of course supported by the rest of the crew. But he definitely calls the shots and runs the show. In essence: great service, reasonable prices, down to earth ambiance, satisfying meal. The pancakes and some other specials listed on the wall, not the main menu - would be my target - next time I go. Very much falls under the 'indulge in some no attitude, you get what you see, gritty comfort food' category. Thanks guys!

I will be having Galley Diners Eggs Benny for breakfast every day in heaven. End of story.

Awesome diner! The food was comfort style and the portions were plenty! We were seated at the bar and had fun watching the food being prepared. The south Boston accents were fun as well...everything looked great, but I recommend the hash and cheese omelette and the pancakes. We will visit this spot again!

Yummy breakfast! Hash was amazing! Honey had the steak bomb omelette that was tasty too!

Ok not much to say about this place, just that if you visit Boston you have to get breakfast here at least once. It's such a local spot and old school look to it. The food was fresh made so you wait for it but man when it shows up its delicious. And pet friendly for outside tables. I just highly recommend it.

Amazing greasy spoon diner right in Southie. I lived here for months without even realizing it. What a fantastic find. This place is so good and really affordable. It's small, most patrons just sit right at the countertop. But that's the best view of the grill anyway. Mostly locals come in since it's more east of the Southie scene. Well worth it though. Feels family run and staff is friendly as well. They do a nice hash and always have plenty of bacon cooking up. Eggs made to order plus all the usual breakfast diner options. I usually go w fried eggs, toast, bacon and potatoes. Not a spot for brunch, drinks or large groups. But perfect for a hot fresh quick diner breakfast. Love this place and come back often.

Amazing breakfast!! The portions are very generous and the employees are the kindest, most welcoming people. I live in New York but will definitely be returning here on my next trip to Boston!!

Had a wonderful and filling breakfast. Enjoyed the "Southie" Hash and Cheese Omelette. The hash is very delicious as mentioned in previous reviews.

One of the best diners out there. Highly recommend the corned beef hash. Friendly staff and great food.

Went here with a friend to grab a bite to eat on a Sunday morning. There was a bit of a line, but we were able to be seated at the bar within a couple of minutes. After perusing the menu, we decided to go with the linguica and cheese omelette with peppers added and rye toast, and also an order of the raisin bread french toast. The french toast was good, but nothing special overall. The omelette was definitely much better and we really enjoyed the linguica. I did not really care for the home fries much though as they were not as crispy or flavorful as I was hoping. Overall, this place serves up some decent food at super low prices, but it sometimes can take a while to place your order since they only have one guy cooking. Nevertheless, the staff was friendly and it has a homey feel--just be sure to get there on the earlier side as it's pretty small and gets crowded quickly.

This was our final meal in Boston on the way back to NJ. Usually I hate when people touch my food with their bare hands, but for some reason...I just didn't care. Maybe it was the whole family run thing...or the fact that I felt like I was in a real diner...real diner as in diner built in 1872 diner. I trusted the cooks and the rest of the staff. I trusted them with my food. I trusted them with...with my life. And I'm glad I did cuz that **** was good as ****!!! I felt like I was back in my mamas kitchen when I was a little tyke. There was cereal and oatmeal near the stove top. Everything felt so real and legit. You could watch the staff work together as a team. Take orders, make orders and serve orders. It was like watching the cogs of a machine. A well oiled machine. A machine built for one purpose. A purpose it did so good you'd think the purpose existed for the machine and not the other way around. My breakfast was on point. This was the second diner in Boston we had been to and I was starting to notice a trend. These diners made crazy good meals for cheap. The place is kinda tight, so be prepared for that unless you can manage to get a booth. We sat at the counter and it was cool to see the cooking going on. There is at least one t.v in there if I can recall correctly and parking wasn't a problem. It was a Sunday though so remember that. Before we left, we were asked where we were from by one of the owners. I guess we looked like we were from out of town? We told him Joyzee and he immediately grabbed his guest book for us to sign. I felt like The Situation. GTL* ALLDAY. *=Galley, Tan , Laundry

So, I was in Boston to watch the Patriots game...flew all the way from Hawaii. The first place we went to eat breakfast...the Galley Diner. Apparently a pretty famous TV celebrity came here to eat on his show? I think his name was Anthony Bourdain? Meh, it doesn't ring any bells :P Anyway, came here to eat breakfast when we landed in Boston. I must say, I was pretty pleased with this tiny eatery! Portions were huge, coffee was hot, decor was nice and homey...overall, everything I imagined when walking into a classic American diner. Food: -Corned beef hash -Home fries -Blueberry pancakes -Off-the-bone ham(!!!) Everything was delicious, hot, fresh and plentiful. The corned beef hash was...interesting. It wasn't what I was used too...meaning, I don't usually see corned beef hash with ketchup mixed in it. Aside from the hash, the potatoes were great, pancakes were gigantic and the ham...oh, the ham....probably the best thing we ate here. The ham was cooked, bone-in for hours(?). It was soooooooooooo tender, it melted in my mouth! Great breakfast joint, I highly recommend coming here if you're in the area!

In a word: terrible. The stark contrast between my expectation (high, based on 4.5 stars and 50+ reviews) and my actual experience led to incredible disappointment. The establishment itself is akin to a shanty. Filthy interior with faux retro signs everywhere (I think that's in the handbook on how to be a diner). Seats 20 people max: a handful of tables plus counter seats. A couple tables outside but in Boston's weather that's not practical enough to mention. We (a party of two) walked in and spotted one vacant table we assumed we would get. The hostess -- either frazzled or simply unfriendly, I couldn't tell -- asked us if we'd be okay waiting 10-15 minutes for a counter seat, as they typically only seat full parties of four at the tables. Um... You close in an hour. The breakfast rush is over. Counter seats suck, and you want us to wait for one when a table is available now?! If -- IF -- a party of four walks in at this late hour, they can wait instead. No? Thankfully, a woman who seemed to be the manager gave the hostess the okay to seat us at the table. I WOULD HOPE SO. Jesus. Like we're asking for the royal treatment. As we waited for our food I looked around and observed the high-quality ingredients they stock: generic Stop & Shop brand steak sauce on the table, generic oatmeal, generic bread. I'm cheap and not even I buy Stop & Shop's generic brand. Why am I being charged $10 for food made with (literally) the worst possible ingredients?! I also noticed that the fridge was discolored from age and filth. I heard the omelettes were good, which is why we came, but I ended up receiving a Mystery Omelette. Ordered spinach and mushroom; got spinach, mushroom, onion, ham, and potatoes. 1. Meat in omelettes is gross, but at least I'm not a vegetarian; 2. I can't eat potatoes and didn't know they were in the omelette until I'd eaten one. I saw the waitress write down my order. WTF? Egregious error aside, it wasn't even cooked right. Basically a folded scramble. For all that disappointment I think we paid $25-30 for our two egg dishes and an order of corned beef hash (nothing to write home about). Too much for simple breakfast fare, if you ask me.

Great, little, family-run diner! My wife and I swung by this gem one Sunday morning after spending the night in Boston and boy were we pleasantly surprised. We immediately found parking right outside and were seated at the bar with no wait. The decor was awesome - this truly is a South Boston diner. We gave our orders and watched as the cook made each dish. I've been to similar diners but I honestly could have watched this cook all day. The hash was delicious and my wife's omelet was the perfect size. Will definitely swing by here again next time we're in the area.

Great food, and amazingly friendly staff. After seeing Anthony Bourdain tweet about it, my wife and I checked it out. The place is tiny, with four tables and a bar. The hash was the best I've ever had, my eggs were good. The blueberry pancakes were gigantic and delicious. While the food was great, the service was better. Colleen (or is it Kolleen?) never let my coffee get below 3/4 full. She made sure she knew our names and that we knew hers. We will absolutely be going back, and would pick it over Mul's or My Diner, both of which are closer to home. Go there before March when it will be mobbed by people having seen it on No Reservations. It is actually on the West side of the street, unlike the Google map shows.

This is THE breakfast spot in southie. All others don't come close. The hash is mind blowing. It's soooo good, Anthony Bourdain came here and literally said "this is the best hash I've ever had". Does that mean it's the best in the world? You be the judge. The business is owned and operated by a local family and they are awesome! I highly recommend the galley to all who come to Boston.

Probably the best breakfast in South Boston the wait staff are great you definitely will not leave this place hungry this is where all the locals go

Let's be honest... on looks alone, this place is a 5 star place for me. Combine that with the image of "Rumpy" emblazoned outside, and I should have loved this place if they served me toast on a plate, right? Wrong. This is where the shittiness of the service I had comes in. After waiting 20 minutes outside (it's cold in Boston in the wintertime), we waited 30 minutes to get our food order taken, and another 30 minutes to get our food. This is in a place where there are literally a dozen people maximum who can be seated at any time. The food, when it finally came, was pretty much as the other reviews say... I love corned beef hash, and this was good, but nothing to write home about... it's not like they reimagined corned beef hash... I'm pretty sure they just give you a ton of it for the price. Which is usually what I like! But not after as long of a wait as this was. Also, one of my friends found a long hair in her food. Good times. Given another chance, and a stay in Boston, I might try this again. But don't go out of your way... Anthony Bourdain's recommendation is the only thing keeping business to this thing afloat (and something they have to overpromote to bring people inside).

I would go back. I like the local flavor of this place...that means grease on the walls, and local pictures/art. I had the Southie omelette. I can't say I'm a hash aficionado, but it was pretty good. I'd try something else next time (bologna omelette?!) The staff was super friendly. The cook even came over to ask if everything was OK.