Times Square, New York City
Snuggled in a cosy corner of Times Square lies a retro themed diner where staffers are ‘Stardusters’- the talented performers sing and dance for you . Yes! You will be entertained throughout your meal by none other than the Waitstaff! This refreshingly unique diner, which was made in the 1950s, stole our hearts away at first visit 😀
Located at 1650 Broadway, New York, NY 10019, this diner superseded Ellen’s café in 1987. As per their website, at the time, in order to maintain its retro theme, it had waitresses in poodle skirts.
As it currently stands, the most interesting fact about this diner is that most, if not all, of the alumni staffers have gone on to become famous performers in almost every Broadway and off-Broadway musicals like ‘Avenue Q ‘, ‘Lion King’ and ‘Wicked’. The diner has featured in the movie ‘New Year’s Eve’, ‘American Idol’ and on an episode of ‘The Today Show.’
It was in April 2021, when we first visited New York City. Since it was our first visit to the theatre capital of the country, of course we decided to stay in Times Square for a couple of nights to really get the feel of ‘The City That Never Sleeps’.
We kept walking past something called ‘Ellen’s Stardust Diner’ – it did look pretty good from the outside and saw it open from 7am till about midnight. We often found it to be crowded – so decided to go one morning on a rainy day, thinking it wouldn’t be that thronged.
To our surprise, there was a long line outside the diner with people waiting under their umbrellas- and it was neither summer, nor a holiday season; let alone a good weather day!
We waited patiently for our turn sharing an umbrella ourselves- didn’t have to wait that long surprisingly (Tip for NYC restaurants/ diners- if you need a table for two- you probably will get it sooner than any other party!). Also, we are a couple of city lovers and absolutely didn’t mind waiting outside the diner- given the great location, amidst the hustling bustling streets.
Okay, I am not exaggerating, but I got hit by a super energetic vibe as soon as I entered the diner. This is no ordinary restaurant café- there is light, glitter, music, chatter, and dancing!
They have an all-day breakfast menu, all of it looked tempting 😀 . We ordered a ‘Create Your Own Omelette’, which came with potato tater tots, and Belgian Waffles. A breakfast isn’t complete with a beverage- there are good cocktail and wine options. However, do not miss the specialty shakes there (take a look at the dessert menu)! We tried the Tiramisu shake and it was undoubtedly appetizing. They have a lunch & dinner menu as well – which is served after 11am. From casual fast food burgers to sandwiches and salads, there are a lot of options if you are craving comfort American food.
Soon after we placed our order, a talented staffer began singing Frozen’s ‘Let It Go’ – and we were astonished by her voice and pitch. She was not only singing and performing, but also serving her tables flawlessly. There was drama and confetti which added on to the showbiz put up at the eccentric diner.
Shortly after her act, another staffer came to the stage-like platform in the center of the restaurant. He wore a zebra head mask and started dancing on a beautiful rendition of “Bella Ciao”. Other staffers joined him, and all the diners had a blast with the energy the servers portrayed!
Next was our server’s performance, and he went around signing and performing “I want it that way” from Backstreet Boys, while involving other diners as well!
The café has one more level where diners can get a top view of the performances while enjoying their meals. There a lot of fun props placed at the top level and is equally lively and pleasurable to be seated at.
Diner tip: Do carry some cash to tip the servers aka Stardusters as they come around with a container bucket during/ after the meal. The performers do not earn anything more for entertaining us and they are really talented- so you would definitely want to tip them generously!
Overall, it was a mind-blowing, enthralling experience and we would not only recommend dining at Ellen’s Stardust Diner but would ourselves love to visit the place again once we are in NYC next.
For pictures and videos that couldn’t make it to the blog, checkout https://www.instagram.com/hangryhoppers/ !