#InauguralReview #ChelseaSquareDiner Since 1980 by Founder #JohnLapsatis and #MannyBoumakis #368West23rdStreet at #NinthAvenue #Chelsea
Say yes please to the Chicken Salad sandwich on Rye and the Grilled Center-Cut Pork Chops, Peachy's favorite two items this inaugural visit!
Note all pictures as always are unedited!
You excel like John and Manny, or we do not publish.
The truth is your dinner will look exactly this terrific.
It's not who you know, it's WHOM YOU KNOW and we finally now DO know Founder and Owner John Lapsatis, founder of Chelsea Square Diner along with his co-owner, Manny Boumakis, son of original co-founder John Boumakis. Located at 368 West 23rd Street, Chelsea Square Diner enticed us with their Traditional Eggs Benedict! Peachy Deegan nearly never eats breakfast for dinner, but when you do this as well as they do, it's a win. Three poached eggs are a triple threat with super smashing Hollandaise Sauce on a perfect toasted ENGLISH MUFFIN!!!! Peachy likes to call them IRISH muffins like her Irish Dad. We do not see nearly enough English (IRISH!) muffins on menus across the board and we were happy to see them here. At age 13, John Lapsatis tells us he began working in restaurants and his ebullient personality is another major reason why you should visit him in his element: he has 57 years of experience and Evia (island) of Mamare (city), Greece is New York's gain. In 1970, John arrived in New York. He suggested we try the pancakes and they were outstanding, especially the fresh fruit. Chelsea Square Diner impressed us with its authenticity across dishes.
Every successful restaurant in Manhattan from the most casual to the stiffest white tablecloths absolutely must have a commanding cheeseburger, and they do at Chelsea Square Diner! The meat is sourced from Master Purveyors and it's 100 percent pure beef weighing in at 8oz. We count over a dozen choices which might inspire us one day to start a column only on burgers of the very best Peachy's Picks. We started with the second on the list: Jumbo Cheeseburger, because in the world according to Peachy Deegan, all hamburgers must be cheeseburgers. Chelsea Square Diner makes them even more exciting with the multiple cheese choices: Amercian, Mozzarella, Swiss, Munster or Cheddar. Peachy picked Munster because she used to live there and it was delicious on this perfectly medium-rare exactly as ordered burger. It's normally served with coleslaw, however, we asked for a green salad instead and they rose to the occasion with utmost hospitality. As you know, we have a column devoted only to salads of the very best Peachy's Picks.
We like their menu verbiage.
Boring places might just title a section: Sandwiches.
Boring places might just title a section: Sandwiches.
Here, it is titled: Overstuffed Sandwiches.
Details matter!
And, pictures speak louder than words: you can see it is for sure overstuffed! Gladly!
The Chicken Salad with lettuce and tomato was exactly what we wanted: just the right amount of mayo with the chicken and lettuce and tomato on RYE. WE LOVE RYE! We hardly can find rye anywhere but we found it here. And, they repeated their salad side as we asked instead of French Fries and Coleslaw.
It insisted on close ups! Enjoy some Chicken Salad sandwich glamour shots before Peachy makes it history, delicately devouring it!
We count seven salad choices on the menu outside of the Cold Platter Section, and Avocado Chicken Salad called Peachy's name. A generous portion of moist, juicy chicken marinated daily in a proprietary special herb fashion measures 12 ounces and perches pleasantly upon a bed of mixed greens, tomatoes, almonds, chickpeas and cranberries and the vinaigrette was accurately placed on the side as we ordered. Our favorite entree we tried was the Grilled Center-Cut Porkchops presented perfectly complete with applesauce! They ravished our appetite in their carnivorous merits and entrees here are served with soup or salad, potato and vegetable. We chose spinach and mashed potatoes and they hit the high notes on each respectively, and from the sides they are our top two choices also. We cannot remember the last time we featured pork chops done as well as this!
We are huge fans of fish, and the Broiled Filet of Sole is a classic here, reveling in lemon butter sauce and baked sweet potato and green beans sing backup solidly. John tells us the flounder filet weighs in at 11 oz, and dinner specials do change daily. All items we ordered are featured on the regular menu. 150 seats all inside await you! Finally, the Roast Half Chicken is sure to have universal appeal that boasts stuffing underneath, and the broccoli and baked potato rounded out the stellar performance.
Chelsea Square Diner impressed us on our first visit there, and we look forward to seeing what they do next!
What Grok says about Chelsea Square Diner:
Chelsea Square Diner (also known as Chelsea Square Restaurant) is a beloved classic 24/7 Greek-American diner in New York City’s Chelsea neighborhood.Location & ContactAddress: 368 West 23rd Street, New York, NY 10011 (at the corner of 9th Avenue)
Phone: (212) 691-5400
Instagram: @thechelseasquaredinerHours
Open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week — perfect for breakfast at any hour, late-night cravings, or early-morning refueling.History & Vibe
Opened in 1980 by John Boumakis and John Lapsatis, the diner has been a neighborhood staple for over 45 years. It’s now co-owned by John Lapsatis and Manny Boumakis (son of the original co-founder).It blends classic American diner fare with Greek family recipes (think spanakopita and moussaka made in-house). The atmosphere is pure old-school New York: wood paneling, checkered tablecloths, a long counter with stools, hanging mugs, framed celebrity photos on the walls, and that cozy, unpretentious diner charm that feels like a scene from a classic NYC movie.
