LIC Retro Diner Open 24 Hours Since 1946: Court Square Diner

Court Square Diner, at 45-30 23rd Street in Long Island City, is open 24 hours, seven days a week, and it has fed this corner of Queens since 1946. It sits right beside the elevated 7 train, a block from the Court Square subway hub, and since a 2009 renovation it has worn an all-new retro look. For a retro diner that will serve disco fries at 4 am or a baklava at noon, this is the one in LIC.

The diner's history fits in a few lines, and the owners tell it plainly on their website. Court Square Diner has served the Long Island City area since 1946 and has had only three ownerships in that time. The current owners, Steve and Nick, have run it since 1991. In 2009 they renovated the building with the chrome retro styling you see from the street, which now stands out against the glass towers around Court Square.

The diner also sees itself as part of the neighborhood's arts scene. Richard Mazda, executive director of the LIC Arts Open, has said that in 2011, the first year of the festival, Court Square Diner gave the biggest donation. All the baking is done on the premises, and the chef changes the special of the day daily, which the owners call one of the secrets of the diner's success. Ask what the special is before you open the menu.

Because the doors never close, the room changes shape around the clock. Early mornings belong to commuters stopping for eggs before catching the 7, E or G trains, and lunch brings people from the office towers around Court Square. Late at night the booths fill with people finishing a shift and anyone heading home from Hunters Point. Weekend brunch is the one time a short wait is common.

The unwritten rule is simple: order fast, eat, and let the next group have the booth when the lunch rush is on. Counter seats move quickest and suit solo diners. The diner also runs a delivery service 24 hours a day, seven days a week, which is a strong backup when the room is full. An honest tip: the overnight hours are the calmest time to linger over coffee and pie without anyone eyeing your table.

Start with the disco fries, which come with melted cheese and gravy for $8.95, or $9.95 with bacon. Breakfast is served all day: golden brown pancakes cost $10.95, Oreo pancakes are $12.45, and two slices of French toast made on the diner's own challah are $10.95. The Monte Cristo sandwich is $19.95, and waffles with chicken strips cost $17.45, a hearty choice for a 3 am craving.

The burger list starts with a half-pound burger at $8.95, and making it deluxe adds $5.00. The Court Burger is $15.95, and the Patty Duke Melt Burger is $17.45. The Reuben sandwich costs $17.95. Skip the steak at night; the 16 oz broiled NY strip is $30.95, and the Greek plates are the better order for the money.

The Greek side of the kitchen holds up well. The chicken souvlaki platter is $19.45, and the moussaka is $18.95, a full casserole portion that reheats well if you take half home. For dessert, the light and creamy cheesecake and the baklava are each $6.95, both baked on the premises. The banana split royale costs $10.95 and comfortably serves two after a late dinner.

The fountain is where the diner's prices feel most like 1990. An egg cream costs $3.95, one of the cheapest in the city for a drink made the old way. A regular milkshake is $6.95, an extra thick shake is $7.45, and the extra large is $7.95. If you only stop in for one thing on the way to the train, make it the egg cream, drunk at the counter while the 7 rumbles overhead.

The children's menu is for dine-in only and is not available for takeout, so families who want the kid portions should sit down. For office lunches, corporate events and holiday parties, the diner caters across Long Island City and asks for one week's notice. That lead time makes it a practical choice for a team breakfast in one of the nearby office towers, since trays come from the same kitchen that bakes the cheesecake.

There is no reservation system for regular tables. Groups larger than six do best outside the lunch rush, and the booths along the windows are the ones to ask for if you want to watch the trains. Walk in, find a seat, and the coffee usually arrives before the menu does. If every booth is taken, the counter stools are the quickest way in for one or two.

The Court Square station, served by the 7, E, M and G trains, is a short walk from the door, which makes the diner an easy stop between Manhattan and the rest of Queens. After eating, walk to MoMA PS1 on Jackson Avenue, the contemporary art museum housed in a former public school, then continue toward the East River through the new towers of Hunters Point.

At the waterfront, Gantry Plaza State Park has restored loading gantries, piers and one of the best views of the Midtown skyline, about a 15-minute walk from the diner. On the way back, look up at One Court Square, the green glass tower that dominated the area long before the residential buildings rose. Late at night, the walk is short enough to end with a slice of pie back at the counter.

Address: 45-30 23rd Street, Long Island City, NY 11101. Hours: open 24 hours, every day of the week, with delivery running around the clock. No reservations for regular tables, catering needs one week's notice, and the children's menu is not for takeout. Baking is done on the premises, and the special changes daily. Ask Karpo APP to plan an LIC art walk around your diner stop.