Ellen's Stardust Diner...A Fun Blast from the Past

The concept of Ellen's Stardust Diner is a place to give aspiring singers somewhere to show off their talents. So, while the waiters, waitresses, bartenders, and busboys are serving and clearing, they are also entertaining. Each employee gets an opportunity to sing several times during the evening. The diner is 50s retro style, so many of the songs are of that era, but I heard several more current offerings during our visit.

Ellen's Stardust Diner is located at 1650 Broadway New York, NY 10019. Telephone number is 212-956-5151, and the web address is http://ellensstardustdiner.com

Hours of operation are:
Monday-Thursday 7:00 AM - 12:00 Midnight
Friday-Saturday 7:00 AM - 1:00 AM
Sunday 7:00 AM - 11:00 PM

Prices

Entrées range from about $7.95 (sandwiches, soups, salads) to $22.95 (Steak and seafood)

The restaurant takes reservations for parties of eight or more people. This can be done by calling the restaurant or going to the reservation section of their website.

Menu - Breakfast
Go to http://ellensstardustdiner.com/breakfast.htm

Menu - Lunch and Dinner
Go to http://ellensstardustdiner.com/menu.htm

The Décor

The diner is decorated in 50s retro style, a throwback to the typical 50s diner, complete with jukebox and soda fountain. Old time memorabilia surrounds the restaurant, and there are drive in movie "esque" movie screens on either end of the diner showing old 50s movies. The diner has a gallery of photos including pictures of several lovely women called "Miss Subways". These were photos put up in subway stations by modeling agencies and agents to show off their latest beauties.

The Restaurant has two levels, both of which give easy viewing access to the entertainment. There is a souvenir shop as well as a toy train, the largest in the city, called New York Central that circles a track around the restaurant.

Speaking of the Entertainment.....

As I mentioned, the concept of Ellen's Stardust is to showcase undiscovered talents. All of the staff are aspiring performers hoping to get discovered. Throughout the day and evening, each staff member has several opportunities to sing and dance in between doing their normal jobs of serving customers. Some of the singers were really good and some just mediocre, but even the more average ones were still fun to watch. Each performer engaged the "audience" in his or her number, which was a lot of fun. My niece was fascinated by our waitress, one of the better singers, who sang "Colors of the Wind". My niece knew it was from Pocahontis and asked the waitress about it. She told my niece how impressed she, the waitress, was with her knowledge of Disney movies. Now, that is an understatement and my niece beamed at her, completely thrilled with that acknowledgement.

Once during our meal, the servers sent around a bucket for donations. They explained that this money was used to pay for lessons, portfolio photos, and audition costumes for the staff. We were happy to donate a few dollars to the cause.

Now for the downside.....

It's a good thing the entertainment is fun, because the food is mediocre at best, which was something my step-sister had warned us about. I had spaghetti with grilled chicken in place of meatballs. The spaghetti and sauce were average, and the chicken was not good at all. My parents both said their meals were okay but not great. We skipped dessert in favor of ice cream later on in the evening.

The Service

In addition to performing, the staff still has a normal job to do, and from what I could see, they were all great. We were seated and waited on almost immediately upon sitting down at the table. Our waitress was very nice and accommodating, as well. She was attentive and kept an eye on us most of the evening, even though the place was packed. Our food also came out promptly, as did our drinks.

I did use the rest room once that evening, and it was fine; well maintained and kept relatively clean.

Parking

It's New York City. There is no parking. We took the subway and then walked to the diner from our hotel, but if you are driving, something I would never recommend in the city, you will have to find a place to park on the street somewhere. As with any big city, you will pay, and in NYC, you will probably pay more than anywhere else.

Overall Opinion

My family and I really had a blast at Ellen's Stardust Diner. I think part of what was so fun for me was watching my niece and her fascination with all of it. Watching kids experiencing new things is always entertaining.
In spite of the mediocre food, I highly recommend a trip to Ellen's if you're near Broadway in the city. The restaurant is in the theater district and conveniently located near many fun places such as; Saks Fifth Avenue, Radio City, and Rockefeller Center. Check out a map of the city at http://ellensstardustdiner.com/map.htm.

If you're looking for good food, this is not the place to go, but if you want a fun evening of entertainment and nostalgia, where the food is secondary, visit Ellen's Stardust Diner.