I am always on the lookout for kid friendly restaurants in Brooklyn. Ones with good food, good prices, and which won’t kick you out if my well-meaning preschooler would like to greet every new diner as they walk in the door. Our friends over at Brunch with my Baby have found us a new kid-friendly brunch spot in Williamsburg
by Alexis Barad-Cutler
A week or so ago, my little sister was home from college to visit, and I wanted to take her and one of her friends somewhere “cool” for brunch that would also make up for the horrible army barracks-style fare she had been subjected to since the start of school. Her main request: “I want to eat eggs that don’t taste like peppers and onions,” (a side effect of everything being cooked on the same grill). For the cool factor, we opted for Williamsburg. For the delicious food factor, we went to Diner.
Diner, which is owned by the same people behind Marlow & Sons (situated right next door to Diner), is a restaurant in a Kullman car from the twenties — like the kind of diner you’d find at the side of the road off a dusty highway in an old movie. It is pretty dark inside, with no-frills in decor (if you could call it that), but the food is seriously good.
We were seated immediately, which was surprising for a Saturday during brunch. If it had just been my husband and I, we would have sprung for the spinny stools at the front of the restaurant by the counter. But alas, since we were en famille, we were seated at a nice, large booth in the back, that was kind of set apart from everything else: Good news when you actually want to have a conversation with the people with whom you are dining.
You’re welcome to look up the menu online, but you won’t find much. The beauty of Diner is in the daily specials — which the waiter writes down on the paper table-covering in front of you. I love paper table cloths because that means that brunch becomes an arts and crafts opportunity for Little J, and when I say arts and crafts I mean that he enjoys ripping the paper into shreds until we leave. But for those children who enjoy the ol’ coloring pastime, bring some crayons (the restaurant has them, but I’m told they often get eaten so they may not be in big supply).
On this particular day, I went with my fail-safe order of fries for Little J, and fed him Cheerios until they arrived crispy, hot, and delicious. For the adults, we ordered the Country Breakfast (eggs with biscuits, gravy, and spinach, $14) the Poached Eggs (with watercress salad and toast, $13) and the Pancakes with marscarpone ($13).
To my great surprise, Little J even had a few bites of the poached egg. It probably had something to do with the fact that his auntie was the one feeding him, but still, I’ll take it. The biscuits and gravy were sweet and salty, and satisfying, and I could not stop stealing bites of it from my husband. The watercress salad on my dish had a tangy vinaigrette that offset the rich flavor of the eggs nicely. I cannot speak for the pancakes, as my sister’s friend had finished them before anyone else could sneak a bite. But I guess that is a good sign.
The service itself was not particularly attentive, but the service time from ordering to arrival of food was right within the Toddler Tantrum window. When we left, Little J had not yet started screaming. A plus! There were lots of other little kids there, all with long, moppy hair like Little J. So even though our hair was not dyed platinum blonde or cut into a Joan Jett ‘do, and our son wasn’t wearing thrift store finds, we still kind of fit in.
P.S. My sister was ecstatic that her eggs did not, in fact, taste like peppers and onions.
Last Bite: For delicious, thoughtfully prepared brunch fare of the meat and eggs variety, in a throwback diner setting, go to Diner. It is not a place for romantic, postcoital, newspaper-reading dining; which sucks for others but is a win for you, oh Ye Parents of Small Children. Also, the coffee is really good.
Highchairs: No. No booster seats either.
Stroller storage: No.
Easy access: Yes.
Change tables: No.
Kids’ menu: No.
Diner NYC
85 Broadway (between Berry St & Wythe Ave)
Brooklyn, NY 11211
Phone: (718) 486-3077
Prices: $$$
Hours: Lunch: Mon–Fri 11am-5pm; Brunch: Sat & Sun 10am-4pm; Dinner: 6pm–Midnight. Until 1am Fri & Sat.
No reservations.
Get directions to Diner.
Photos courtesy of Matt E., Valerie C., Raven N., and Loic L., via yelp.
Author: Alexis Barad-Cutler – Alexis is a children’s book writer, publishing veteran and food-lover. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband, her furry havanese dog and her very “spirited” toddler. Her latest book, Who Are We?: An Animal Guessing Game (Scholastic) is available in stores now.