It’s a lazy Sunday. As you roll out of bed at 2 p.m. after a night of partying, you can feel pains of hunger in your stomach. It’s time to start your day at the place it may have ended: a Binghamton diner.
Whether living on campus or off, a local diner can be the perfect restaurant for a Binghamton student on a budget. Besides being inexpensive, diners offer a variety of items that are quickly made to order and provide a place to recover from a hangover and recap the night before with friends.
The Skylark Diner of Vestal is a short trip down Vestal Parkway. Past all the chain restaurants, this small gem offers a traditional diner setting complete with counters and dessert display cases.
The Skylark is the ideal diner for students living on campus craving pancakes at anytime of the day. Stacy Secreist, a waitress at Skylark Diner, said they like to create a friendly place for everyone at the 24-hour restaurant.
“A lot of waitresses have been here for a long time so we are like a family here,” Secreist said. “We create a family atmosphere for the students away from home.”
Walk into The Park Diner on Conklin Avenue in Binghamton and your nostrils will fill with the scent of french fries and bacon. After being seated, you will quickly notice the large back window providing a view of the lovely Susquehanna River.
The large menu from The Park Diner offers items ranging from pancakes to veggie burgers to please even the pickiest eater. Angela Martino, both a BU student and a hostess, said the diner has almost anything you could want.
“Students like the Park burger and milkshakes,” Martino, a junior Spanish major, said. “Mostly on Sundays all the SUNY kids come in with their friends to eat.”
Most diners are open all day and night, and The Spot Restaurant is no different. The Spot Restaurant provides hot food no matter what the hour.
Located on Upper Front Street just past Regal Cinema, the Spot Restaurant can be a place to get a snack during an all-nighter break.
Stella Dimatos, a manager at the Spot Restaurant, said that the diner offers some lunch specials that students can take advantage of.
“We offer a free cup of soup with any sandwich at lunch time, but our desserts are what are really popular,” Dimatos said. “We have a wide range of desserts that people really like.”
A short walk from the State Street bars is Chris’ Diner. It may be easy to miss if you are not looking for it. Across the street from Merlin’s Bar, Chris’ Diner offers students a place to recuperate from their Saturday night. Mika Yoshida, a senior psychology major, said Chris’ Diner has become one of her favorite eateries in the area.
“At Chris’ Diner, you always see someone you know,” Yoshida said. “It’s fast, delicious and cheap.”
If you are on the West Side, Danny’s Diner may be the diner for you. On Main Street, close to Cyber Cafe West, Danny’s Diner is another small location but a favorite to BU students. Erica Meyer, a junior chemistry major, said Danny’s Diner is a place to get some good food.
“I always get the breakfast special at Danny’s Diner,” Meyer said. “It’s like home cooking, like food my dad would make for me.”