Julie’s Diner
By Michael Massuci, Jr.
Being born and raised in Syracuse, I have been fortunate enough to stuff my face with sunny-side up eggs, pancakes, waffles and coffee from many Central New York diners.
Frittatas are my favorite. Mmm… .
Most have had great service, character and food — worth coming back to. Yet, Julie’s Diner has stood out to me over the years because of something else: the family-like environment.
Don’t get me wrong, the food and service is fabulous too. But the first time I met the waitresses, the cooks and the owner Kristen Macko, I felt like I was sitting at a Sunday night dinner with my entire family at somebody’s home. It was that fun.
Regulars get treated like extended family. Most customers are known by name. The waitresses even know what customers order day-to-day and week-after-week.
Why to go: Julie’s Diner is more than just a breakfast diner, it’s an “everything” diner: breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert (and I would recommend the chocolate cake.) Next time you go, order waffles topped with strawberries, the creamy baked potato soup or the turkey club sandwich. You won’t be disappointed.
The Scene: Be prepared for busy weekends and weekdays. This diner has a consistent flow of customers throughout the day. Except for the prime-time breakfast hours on the weeknds (7 a.m. until about 10 a.m.), the diner still provides fast service and does a great job getting customers a table and their food.
The crowd: Parents, grandparents, entire families, etc. are the standard type of diner customers. You may get lucky and see Syracuse University’s assistant basketball coach Mike Hopkins, who has been a regular to Julie’s Diner for a long time now.
Prices: Julie’s Diner is very, very affordable. There are some breakfast specials that are even $2.99 — a price you won’t find at most Syracuse diners. The lunch special, which is usually about $5.99, tends to be such a large plate of food — customers can’t leave the diner hungry.
Location
3800 Brewerton Road
North Syracuse, NY
(315) 452-0091
Had older waitress, wont mention her name but she had ling curly blond hair, and she was beyond rude. My daughter touched the hanging lamp while I tried to order and she just about flipped out on my mother and I telling us the lamps were so dangerous and highly breakable. Then she kept going on about it and was rude even before that taking our order. Snapped at my mom about her order and was very short and rude. I decided to cancel our order and as my Mother left she told her that I wasn’t controlling my child. Never been so insulted by someone who was there to wait on me in my life. I returned and told her she needed to learn not to be so rude and shebsaically accusd me of being a bad mother because my daughter touched her lamp????? If they are so dangerous, why are they there in the first place? Maybe someone in Health Department should be called?