Washington Square Diner — The Diner Enthusiast

Tucked away in the heart of Greenwich Village lies the homey Washington Square Diner, lost from the buzz of Lower Manhattan, a Prancing Pony in the darkest of Tolkien nights. And within this sacred place awaits mediocre diner food.

The Diner Aesthetic

Beautiful. I’ve always wanted to live in Miss Honey's secluded cottage house from Matilda. Washington Square Diner gives me that same feeling, a cozy throwback hidden in the woods of the city.

The Diner Enthusiast says: “Yes, I am particularly enthused.”

The Service

I was pleased with the attentiveness of the staff. The frequency of water refills was just right. Meal substitutions and additions were easily requested. No complaints.

The Diner Enthusiast says: "I have no complaints."

The Food

The food at Washington Square Diner was disappointingly not up to Miss Honey’s standards. I will elaborate in a few lines below this line. Here's what I ordered.

Cheese, grilled. With tomatoes. French fries.
Two eggs, fried. Over-easy.
No drink.

~Grilled cheese and French fries

The grilled cheese was alright. Good caramelization on the bread, melty American cheese with a zip. The problem was the tomatoes. Look at the image below:

As you can see, that tomato slice is unpleasantly large and uneven. That doesn’t sound like a fatal error, but if one side of the grilled cheese is overwhelmed by tomato, it’s not a good grilled cheese. Now, take a look at those French fries. Those are cold, dry French fries. No golden brown hue, no sparkle. I rest my case.

~Fried eggs

I ordered the eggs over-easy to have a yolk pond available to dip my grilled cheese and French fries in. The eggs in this case served their intended purpose well. I have only compliments for the eggs at Washington Square Diner.

The Diner Enthusiast says: “The eggs showed promise, but, overall, the food did not meet my expectations.”

The Price

The total came to $15.85 before tip. That’s standard for New York City pricing.

The Diner Enthusiast says: “I’m neither enthused, nor unenthused by the pricing.”

Closing Remarks

If you value a diner’s look and feel over its food, then you’ll enjoy a night out at Washington Square Diner. And if you go, don't forget to take a picture of yourself and send it to enthused@thedinerenthusiast.com so you can be featured on the Diner Wall of Fame.

Discussion Points

Diners are not black and white. My goal is to discuss diners, not to review them as ‘good’ or ‘bad’. I’ve left a few discussion points below to help start your conversations in the comments section.

Matilda is a young magician who lives with a nasty family of muggles. Harry Potter is a young magician who lives with a nasty family of muggles. Are Matilda and Harry Potter brother and sister? Discuss
Do you like egg yolk pools? If so, what do you like to dip in them? Discuss.
Do you value diner aesthetic over diner food? If so, why? Discuss.