Austin House Diner

- 72-04 Austin St, Forest Hills, NY 11375

Introduction / Overview: The Quintessential Forest Hills Diner

The Austin House Diner stands as a classic, enduring fixture on the Forest Hills culinary map, embodying the all-encompassing spirit of a true New York diner. Located on the bustling Austin Street, this establishment serves multiple roles: a traditional Diner, a dedicated Breakfast restaurant, and a source for Fast food restaurant convenience. It is the definition of a neighborhood staple, catering to Locals, Groups, and Family-friendly crowds with its comfortable and extensive array of menu options, ensuring a choice for every palate, mood, and time of day.

The appeal of the Austin House Diner lies in its vast menu versatility. It is a place where you can order fluffy Pancakes and a hearty Corned Beef Omelette for breakfast, a Triple Decker Sandwich for lunch, and a sophisticated Broiled T-Bone Steak or Shrimp Francaise for dinner. This extensive range of offerings ensures that no matter what you are craving, the diner has a classic, comforting answer. The atmosphere is generally characterized as Casual and Cozy, providing a welcoming and relaxed environment highly valued in the dense urban setting of Queens.

Patrons appreciate the logistical benefits, including its reliable Table service and availability for Late-night food. Furthermore, the diner is noted for its Great coffee, a crucial highlight for any serious New York breakfast or late-night spot. While the style of the cuisine has been noted by some reviewers as "old school"—relying on traditional preparations and perhaps some pre-prepared components for speed—the core items, like eggs and French toast, are confirmed to be made fresh, upholding the fundamental quality expected from a beloved neighborhood establishment. The Austin House Diner is built on the promise of familiarity and expansive choices.

Location and Accessibility on Austin Street

Austin House Diner is prominently situated at 72-04 Austin St, Forest Hills, NY 11375, USA. This address places it squarely on one of Forest Hills' most desirable and accessible commercial avenues, ensuring high visibility and easy integration into the daily routines of area residents. The location is an ideal meeting spot for both local friends and family groups.

Accessibility is a clear priority at this location. The diner provides essential features that ensure comfortable patronage for all:

• Wheelchair accessible entrance: Facilitating easy entry from the sidewalk.
• Wheelchair accessible seating: Providing comfortable and accessible seating arrangements within the dining room.

Parking in this busy part of Queens is accommodated via Paid parking lot options, which are highly convenient, and readily available Paid street parking. These solutions are vital for customers driving into the area, offering practical options for both quick stops and longer, sit-down meals. The neighborhood location and robust accessibility features confirm the diner’s status as a convenient, go-to destination for the Forest Hills community.

All-Encompassing Services Offered

As a classic New York diner, Austin House Diner offers comprehensive service options designed to accommodate customers throughout the day and night, regardless of their schedule or preference.

• Dine-in: Featuring both Seating and full Table service, patrons can enjoy the cozy atmosphere and the extensive menu in a relaxed setting.
• Takeout: The convenient option for grabbing any item—from a simple Bagel With Smear Of Cream Cheese to a full Breaded Veal Cutlet Parmigiana—to enjoy at home or on the go.
• Delivery: Full service is available, bringing the entire diner menu directly to customers in the surrounding Queens area.
• No-contact delivery: Offering a preferred, safe transaction option for those utilizing the delivery service.
• Late-night food: The establishment is a reliable source for food long after most other restaurants have closed, catering to night owls and shift workers.
• Children's Amenities: Designated as "Good for kids," the diner provides High chairs and a specialized Kids' menu, ensuring a comfortable and easy experience for families.
• Meals Covered: The diner is a popular choice for Breakfast, Brunch, Lunch, Dinner, and Dessert.

The ability to serve all meals, combined with multiple delivery options and a comfortable dining area with a Restroom amenity, makes Austin House Diner an incredibly versatile and reliable resource for the diverse residents of Forest Hills. The acceptance of Credit cards, Debit cards, and NFC mobile payments also ensures quick and hassle-free transactions.

Culinary Features and Operational Highlights

The key strengths of Austin House Diner lie in its staggering menu depth, its commitment to classic diner fare, and its operational reliability, which make it a beloved local institution.

• Expansive, All-Day Menu: The diner offers a rare breadth of choices, ranging from simple Hot Oatmeal and classic Pancakes Deluxe to full-scale dinner plates. Patrons can enjoy Italian Dishes like Breaded Chicken Cutlet Parmigiana, Greek Specialties like Spinach Pie, and serious steaks from the Char-Broiler such as the Broiled Rib Steak.
• Specialty Breakfast Selection: The morning menu is vast, featuring over a dozen omelette varieties, including the complex Lox, Eggs And Onion Omelette, the rich Corned Beef Omelette, and the classic Greek Omelette. Basic scratch-made items like eggs and French toast have been specifically praised by customers for their quality.
• Diverse Comfort Food and Healthy Choices: The menu expertly balances heavy Comfort food with lighter options, featuring numerous Diet Delights (like The Dieter and Cantaloupe And Cottage Cheese) alongside savory staples like Triple Decker Sandwiches and Gyro & Souvlaki.
• Seafood and Steaks: Unusually extensive for a diner, the menu includes full dinner specialties in three categories: Broiled Seafood Dinner (e.g., Broiled Salmon Steak), Fried Seafood Dinner (e.g., Fried Jumbo Shrimp), and elaborate Stuffed Seafood Dinner items (e.g., Stuffed Filet Of Sole With Crabmeat).
• High Marks for Atmosphere and Cleanliness: The restaurant is consistently reported to be clean and, at certain times (like during a Tuesday lunchtime visit), quiet, suggesting a professional and well-maintained environment conducive to a relaxed meal. The service, at least at times, is also noted as attentive.
• Customer Service Warning: It is critical for local users to be aware of the conflicting service reports. While some visits are met with attentiveness, other customers have reported a highly negative experience near closing time, citing staff rudeness, slow delivery of simple orders, and being pressured to leave, which led one customer to rate the staff as "awful." This variance in service quality should be factored into planning a visit, especially close to the end of service hours.

The strength of the Austin House Diner lies in its vast menu and the general coziness of its setting, which provides the classic, all-inclusive New York dining experience beloved by the community, though customers should plan their visit times wisely based on the available feedback.

Contact Information

For New Yorkers wishing to visit, place a takeout order, or inquire about the extensive menu at the Forest Hills location, the contact information is as follows:

Address: 72-04 Austin St, Forest Hills, NY 11375, USA

Phone: (718) 544-2276

Mobile Phone: +1 718-544-2276

Patrons are encouraged to call ahead, especially when planning a late-night visit or ordering complex menu items, to ensure a smooth and efficient experience, particularly given the noted inconsistency in service urgency near closing.

What is Worth Choosing Austin House Diner

Choosing the Austin House Diner is choosing the quintessential, no-nonsense, all-encompassing New York Diner experience that is difficult to replicate. For the Forest Hills resident, its value proposition is built upon its menu depth, convenience, and functional reliability as a neighborhood hub.

First, the menu ensures that no member of a family or group will walk away unsatisfied. The availability of fresh, scratch-made breakfast items like eggs and French toast, combined with gourmet options like Broiled Salmon Filet and various Panini sandwiches, makes it the ideal spot when groups have diverse cravings. The extensive dinner menu, which includes Chicken Marsala and the classic Breaded Veal Cutlet Parmigiana, elevates the offerings far beyond simple "fast food" fare, providing genuine value and choice.

Second, the convenience and accessibility are key draws. The restaurant’s role as a source of Late-night food, combined with its Delivery and Takeout options, means it is a reliable resource at any time of day or night. Its full accessibility (wheelchair entrance and seating) and family-friendly amenities (high chairs, good for kids) ensure it serves the needs of the entire community. The availability of Paid parking also simplifies a visit, a major advantage in a busy area like Austin Street.

Finally, despite the negative reports concerning staff urgency near closing, the overall atmosphere is described as Casual, Cozy, and Clean. The high quality of certain foundational menu items (eggs, French toast) and the consistently rated Great coffee confirm that the core product is strong. New Yorkers who value an incredibly wide-ranging menu, a comfortable environment, and the convenience of a true all-day, all-night diner experience will find Austin House Diner to be an indispensable local resource, provided they plan their visit with consideration for the staff’s closing procedures. It offers a classic slice of Queens dining that embodies comfort and choice.

Austin House Diner

72-04 Austin St, Forest Hills, NY 11375, USA