Tom's Famous Restaurant

This establishment used to be famous for its mention in a song "Tom's Diner" by Suzanne Vega. It has since become even more famous for its appearances in the TV sitcom Seinfeld, which seems to imply that fictional Jerry and his friends live around here somewhere! The food is very good (and cheap) for a diner. Anything with fries and a milkshake is recommended, though tourists seem to be making the place a bit crowded on Saturday mornings. It has been owned and operated by the same Minasizoulis family from Greece for nearly 50 years; it vanquished its longtime rival on the same block, the College Inn, in 1997. If only it were open 24 hrs! Here's a quote from Merideth Sue Willis's novel Trespassers about it:

"He knew a restaurant called Tom's, which he said had nothing really bad, and the hand-cut steak fries were top quality. It was a diner with big stainless-steel coffee pots and red vinyl booths. I think I had hoped for something darker and more atmospheric, but after I'd looked around at the coat racks, desserts under glass, the steam in the air, I thought, But this is the real New York, this is what is."(p.60)

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