Niko's Diner Restaurant in Binghamton, New York is a Local Favorite

Niko's is one of the best kept secrets in Binghamton, New York. It is located at 522 Court Street on the city's East side. Anyone in town could tell you how to get there. It is family owned and operated, and it shows. The food is excellent, the selection is vast, and the portions are ample. Prices are very reasonable for the size of the portions they dish out. All the deserts are homemade.

Niko's is very clean and the décor has been updated in the last year or so. The restaurant side is big and bright, with windows on both long sides of the room. Sun lovers like me can get plenty of vitamin K while they are enjoying the delicious food. There are live hanging plants in the windows, giving Niko's a pleasant, breezy atmosphere. The carpet in the dining room looks fresh and clean, and the ladies restroom is always clean. I'm sure the men's room is too-my fiancé has never complained.

Attire is casual, but you can dress up and feel comfortable, too, as the dining room/banquet room has cloth tablecloths. The chairs are padded banquet chairs.

You can sit immediately on the diner side, or wait for a waitress to seat you on the restaurant side. If you just want to drop in for a quick bite at breakfast or lunch, Niko's diner side is perfect and has the choice of counter or booth sitting, which ever you prefer. The diner side has lots of windows, too.

I never knew about Niko's until two years ago. Our office had a party in the restaurant/banquet room. We had eight picky people with special requests on just about every dish and the waitress didn't bat an eyelash. All the orders came out of the kitchen correct and the total wait was under 20 minutes.

My fiancé is now a convert and we eat there regularly. Our food usually comes within ten minutes of us ordering it. We have eaten at Niko's over fifty times since that office party, and neither of us has ever had a bad meal. My favorite meal for lunch or dinner is the Buffalo chicken wrap. I highly recommend it!

You can order just about anything from breakfast foods to lobster. The most expensive item on the menu is the 6 oz. tenderloin and 7 oz. lobster combination. It will cost you around $33. Most of the other entrees are under $20, and lunch typically runs under $10 a plate. Breakfast is even more reasonable.

If you are ever in Binghamton, perhaps visiting a son or daughter at Binghamton University, have a meal at Niko's. It's off the beaten college path, so perhaps your children won't have been there, but it's well worth the trip. It will take you under 15 minutes to get there from the college, even if you run into traffic. You don't need reservations ever, but if you have a group of five or more, it's best to call ahead: (607) 724-9600. They serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner, seven days a week from 7:30 am to 9:30 pm.