Another iconic New York City diner is closing.
Neptune Diner in Astoria, Queens, served its final eggs and pancakes on Sunday, closing after decades in business. Though the current diner opened in the early 1980s, the building with its red tile roof and stone facade dates back to the 1960s.
The family-run business was unable to renew its lease on a property that was set to be converted into a new housing development.
Customers flocked to the cheap eatery to get a taste of the last dish, with many ordering a second meal to take away.
“It’s really sad. Diners are an essential part of New York City,” said Brendan O’Brien, 36, who was enjoying his final moments in Neptune’s clam-shaped booth. “So many of the diners in Astoria are gone. It’s like, are there still diners I can go to nearby?”
O’Brien’s not wrong: Across the five boroughs, dining options have been declining for years, a trend that’s only accelerated since the coronavirus pandemic hit, with longtime staples like the Good Stuff Diner in Chelsea forced to close due to indoor dining restrictions.
The New York Times report Estimates from 2016 show the number of restaurants in the city has halved over the past 20 years.
Like many restaurants in the city, Neptune was open 24 hours a day until the pandemic. Since 2020, its hours have been limited to 7 a.m. to midnight.
Astoria resident Sabrina Karpe, who visited Neptune Diner for the first (and last) time on Sunday, lamented that just a few decades ago, “there was a diner every few blocks.”
“The city is losing something that really defined it,” Karpe said. “If you think about Seinfeld, where did they hang out? They hung out in diners. It’s such a quintessential New York TV show.”
But for Tina and George Graham, who have lived in the neighborhood for 22 years, the Neptune Diner’s closing is personal. Before she met her husband, Tina said, she would often take friends to the diner on blind dates.
“I’d come in the morning and come back in the afternoon for another date,” she said.
“Right there,” George said with a grin, “this is our landmark.”
Neptune Diner has two locations, one in Bayside, Queens, and one in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, that remain open.
