Eatery: Ellen’s Stardust Diner-NYC
Address: 1650 Broadway, New York, New York 10019
Website (if applicable): www.ellensstardustdiner.com
Type of food: American
Our Rating: 10/10
Re-visit: 10/10
This is not your ordinary dining experience where you go in, get a table, order food that it is brought to your table, you eat, pay and then leave. Well, ok maybe you do all that here, but Ellen’s isn’t a hugely popular eatery in New York City because it is like other restaurants. You can just go to eat, but you can do that in almost any eatery in NYC for far less. Here you come for the dining experience. The wait staff of Ellen’s are all Broadway hopefuls, who wish to one day be on Broadway. Matter of fact, many if not all of the wait staff currently at Ellen’s will get onto Broadway or a touring Broadway show. But you are here to read a review of this diner, and for me to explain what makes this place such a special one to go eat at in New York when there are literally hundreds of places to choose from in this City.
First, if you are from a small town like me, this place is pricey for the type of food that they serve. This isn’t a knock at them for being expensive, after all they are centrally located within walking distance to many of the shows on Broadway and Times Square. After finishing a meal here you can easily get to a Broadway show by just walking 5 to 10 minutes after finishing your meal. There were just 2 of us in my group at this restaurant, and the bill came to about $90 with tip included. Yes, they added their own tip, so be careful if you don’t want to tip twice. Yes, this is your typical greasy American food diner where you can get similar fare for far, far less probably anywhere else in New York or where you may live. As I said, they are pricey, but try also to understand that they are more expensive due to their location and the ambiance of this place. What I appreciated about eating here was the central location to Broadway AND the unique environment created by their wait staff.
What else can I tell you that sets this place apart from the other eateries in the city or in Times Square that are also centrally located to Broadway shows? Remember how earlier I causally mentioned that the diner has a wait staff that are full of Broadway hopefuls? That’s it! Well that is actually a huge part of the appeal of this place, and one of the biggest reasons you just may want to eat here rather than some other restaurant in NYC before going to see your show on Broadway. The wait staff all take turns picking up the microphone and singing songs to the patrons of Ellen’s Stardust Diner between making sure that you have everything you need. The patrons get to pick from 2 different wait staff members and the member who gets their name shouted the most gets to sing for the patrons of Ellen’s. The wait staff will either sing a song from a Broadway musical or another contemporary song that you hear on the radio in your car. Their motto at Ellen’s is “From Burgers to Broadway”. At the time we went to visit Ellen’s they mentioned that in the last year 20 of their staff members had auditioned for either a Broadway show or a Touring show and been accepted. This is what sets this tiny diner apart from the rest, not the fact that it’s a pricey diner in New York, but that it has a huge staff turnover problem. The truth is the wait staff are amazing and extremely talented singing wise. Well, if you want to be on Broadway you have to be talented singing and acting, and when you go you have a chance to listen to the up and coming stars of Broadway. I cannot say anything about the acting chops of the wait staff, although one gets a hint of their comedic talents from their banter, what I can tell you is that I would not hesitate to return for more of the same atmosphere they provide here in spite of their pricey food.
So what is the wait-time like for a table at Ellen’s Stardust? Well we showed up at the diner for dinner on a Tuesday night at about 4:30 in the afternoon and waited 45 minutes for a table for 2. They do not exactly take you in the order that you are lined up either. They may take a party directly behind you simply because they can accommodate them. Do not be upset by the fact that they may just do that. This policy in no way means you will get bad service or no service at all once you are seated. We had a party of 6 behind us who got seated before our party of 2. It could just have easily been the opposite way, with our party seated before a larger party ahead of us. Oh, and if you are thinking of getting a reservation to try and avoid this tussle, let me assure you this Diner doesn’t take them. Don’t even think about calling in advance, just plan on arriving earlier than you need to eat and waiting for a table like everyone else does. Once seated, we selected our meal, were served by considerate staff and entertained by talented young Broadway hopefuls the entire time we waited for food and ate and paid our bill –all within an hour of sitting down.
In closing, I hope that you will go visit this little gem of a place. It is centrally located to all the Broadway shows, which are within a short walking distance. I enjoyed the food, and even if greasy American fare is not your preferred choice, you should go for the entertainment value, as the wait staff provide their array of outstanding singing abilities. You simply cannot find another diner like Ellen’s anywhere else in the US that I am aware. I will be honest, it is the wait staff that makes this diner unique, not its food. No one goes to Ellen’s just to get food. They go to Ellen’s to be entertained by the singing wait staff while they eat. Full disclosure, I have come here twice, and will definitely be making many more trips to this Diner when visiting New York City in the future. I think it is important to support those who make it possible for us to enjoy Broadway shows, and because this diner is full of up and coming Broadway stars. This diner is where many of the stars on Broadway currently got their start, singing for people in this very diner. So, if you have time and are visiting New York City I encourage you to go to Ellen’s and then go take in a Broadway show afterwards. You won’t be disappointed, I promise.
Thank you for reading
Jason
