Connie’s Diner Website

Connie’s Diner is a cool little fifties diner in Waterloo, NY, right on route five and twenty. We found it on accident on our way to Auburn one day. It looked way too cool not to go back and check it out one day. And check it out, we did.

     It looked a bit small when we first drove by it, but when we stepped inside, we found a whole bunch of booths on every wall and stools along the bar. It was a Thursday night and this place was packed. Looking at the specials on the white board, we figured this would be a standard priced restaurant, but when we saw the menu, we realized this diner served meals much cheaper than any other restaurant we might have ended up at. The Professor ordered a ‘trash’ plate and I had to try the spaghetti and meatballs, as I always do.

The first thing to hit our table was a small dish of coleslaw. It was absolutely delicious, sweet and creamy, I don’t think the Professor or I have ever had a more delish, of all things, coleslaw. The fried broccoli was next to arrive. Neither of us had ever had this before. We were a bit leery at first. After one bite we couldn’t seem to stop dipping the fricking things in the ranch side. Addicting. I guess you really can fry anything. And what can I say about the mac salad? Awesomeness on a plate. And no yucky huge crunchy onions either.

The Professor would advise to pass on the trash plate hot sauce unless you are a fan of canned hash without the potatoes. And unless you have an iron lined stomach, be sure to order the burgers well done. The spags and balls were not as good as mine (of course) but to be honest, the sauce wasn’t bad and I ate the entire plate (with help from the Professor). The portions left us absolutely stuffed and we couldn’t partake of the amazing looking pies and cakes. Definitely, more than enough food for the price.

The best thing about Connie’s Diner is the atmosphere. The minute you walk up the sidewalk, you know you’re in for something retro. Pictures of old advertisements and pics of old time celebrities line the walls. The tables have personal jukeboxes. I haven’t seen those in years. A quarter a song but we didn’t test them out to see if they worked. There was also the ‘classic’ no nonsense waitress, tiny and weathered, who served up the food with a brash kind of hospitality that kept you secretly wishing she would call you ‘sugar’.

 The only thing missing from Connie’s Diner that I can think of is a man named Al behind the counter wearing a paper hat serving root beers and malt drinks for ten cents a piece.

Next time we head to Connie’s we may skip the dinner and just head straight for the dessert. Highly recommended for a fun night out. An antique lover’s dream restaurant.

Connie’s Diner is also five minutes away from historic Seneca Falls, NY, the home of The Women’s Rights movement. A nice little town to walk off some of those fried broccoli carbs afterward.

-Lisa Storm with Steven Blaqart-