I had my charge & the hunt was on: find a non-greasy, non-sketchy, semi-healthy, semi-respectable place to have breakfast. In Midtown Manhattan. At 3:30am. On a Sunday morning.
‘Easy enough,’ I thought. ‘Most people who go out when they’re in NYC don’t even start heading home* & until at least 3am.’
I did what any intrepid 21st century travel blogger would do: I hit the Twitterverse. “Ok, Tweeps, give me all your recommendations for nonsketchy 24/7 eats in NYC.”
Radio silence.
I Googled “non-sketchy 24 hour restaurant, New York City.”
Nodda.
Hmmm…. I had not anticipated this being so difficult. This is the city that never sleeps for goodness sake! If this was not to be found in New York, it was not to be found anywhere.
Finally, by varying my search terms (mostly removing the “non-sketchy” requirement), I landed on two possibilities, both within a 5 minute walk of the hotel.
I sent them to B. & felt like I had done my duty. After all, it was his fault we had to get up so early anyway (110 mile bike race, start time: 5:30am). I asked him about it that night at dinner. What do you think? Could there be food found that you’d actually want to spend 7 hours on a bike after eating?
He voted for the Cosmic Diner, a typical NYC diner (with a surprisingly respectable website) in the Theater District. They offered a full menu, 24 hours a day. His second choice was the one I had been secretly rooting for (as if my vote counted, since I wouldn’t be eating): Maision, a tres cute French bistro, also in Midtown.
We jotted down the addresses of both & do the casual walk by/sniff test. We had a plan.
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We left for dinner a little early, determined to stake out our early morning meal while it was still light out. First up: the Cosmic Diner. Located on the corner of 52nd Street & 8th Avenue, I was surprised as I peered in the window. It was way nicer than anticipated – like not at all sketchy, full of normal (albeit touristy) patrons, eating normal looking food. The menu in the window was… normal (& normally New York priced!). Promising.
We walked around the corner to Maison. This was my kind of place: super cute patio packed full of happy New Yorkers enjoying an adult beverage in the beautiful early-May air. We glanced at the overnight menu (midnight to 6am) & I could tell the cyclist wasn’t impressed.
Cosmic Diner won. His vote counted more than mine since I wasn’t planning on eating & my only plans for the next day involved a bench & some Starbucks.
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Manhattan was surprisingly bustling as we silently, sleepily, trudged down 52nd Street at 3:30am. Groups of stylish young people laughed on street corners, fueled by alcohol & adrenaline. I wrapped my hand around the cool metal handle of the Cosmic Diner’s door & yanked. As the door opened, a mixture of conversations blared out into the morning air. Holding up two fingers, the clean cut older waiter grabbed some menus & showed us to our booth.
(C) Christina Saull – All Rights Reserved
The restaurant was pleasantly crowded for the early hour: a veil wearing bachelorette next to us, a booth full of hipsters across from us, a table of cheeseburger eating construction workers in the corner. Clearly, we were the only ones who were starting our day, rather then ending our evening.
(C) Christina Saull – All Rights Reserved
The rest of the meal was a bit of a blur of friendly service, coffee, & limited conversation. I noshed on a toasted english muffin with strawberry jam & B ate more food than I could ever imagine eating at such an early hour (probably why I’m not good with the endurance sports): a four-egg omelet, turkey sausage, home fries, & toast.
(C) Christina Saull – All Rights Reserved
As we walked back to the hotel, marveling at finding a non-greasy, non-sketchy, semi-healthy, semi-respectable place to have breakfast food so close to our hotel at such an early hour, we spotted another cyclist getting ready for the morning ride… jamming a banana into his mouth. B. squeezed my hand & thanked me for the good sleuthing.
(C) Christina Saull – All Rights Reserved
(*I think the latest I’ve ever been out in New York is 1am & that’s because we grabbed dinner after a show & then stood in Times Square & people watched**)
(**people watching at any hour of the day, but especially after midnight, is especially enjoyable in Times Square)
Sounds like a great adventure. Glad to know you found a nice place. Never been to either the Cosmic Diner nor the Maison, but perhaps it’s something to try now!
My favorite late night diner in NYC was Odessa down in Alphabet City.
Always on my plate: kielbasa grilled cheese and a vanilla egg cream! I don’t know if they serve the KGC or if the place is any good anymore….
Now, I used to go there back in the late 90s before Alphabet City gentrified, so the sketchiness of the neighborhood was part of the charm.
Rockrose – I think a diner is the quintessential NYC experience!
ephemerratic – kielbasa grilled cheese sounds amazing! Thinking I might have to stop by on my next visit to the city to try that. Do you have any other favorite diners in NYC? I’m always looking for new, cheap places to eat.