During all the Sturm and Drang surrounding the closing of the beloved Greenwich Village diner Joe Jr. last week, I was surprised that no one mentioned that there's another diner of the same name on Third Avenue and 16th Street.
Both diners were once owned by the same family but operated independently. (No one has yet discovered the identity of the diners' namesake.) The two have had nothing to do with each other for some decades. But the remaining Joe Junior (which spells out the name for some reason) has much of the same classic diner-ish appeal as the deceased Joe Jr. For those aching for their lost Village diner, they may want to give the remaining, estranged sibling a try.
I graduated from Friends Seminary, a K-12 private school around the corner from *this* Joe Junior's in 1986, and I have to say that this place was a huge part of our life. Along with the Gramercy Diner (one block north on 14th street), many a "breakfast" of french fries was had here.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry about West side Joe's, but am glad that this holdout is holding out!
I was surprised, too, Brooks. Before I did my post on Joe Junior Monday, I searched everywhere — figured it would have been already mentioned...but it wasn't.
ReplyDeleteIn any event, I'm glad that it's still here.
when I visited the Joe's on 6th, customers were saying food at "the other Joe Jr's" is not quite as good. But ya gotta be thankful for all local diners..
ReplyDeleteThis is actually my favorite haunt in the city. Real New Yorkers go here, no pretense.
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