The State Diner

Stopped here while in Ithaca visiting the Finger Lakes. Not sure how old this place is but it was very retro inside. We stopped at lunchtime and this place was packed. They do have way more seating than most diners. The burgers and fries were delicious and the wait staff were very good. Wouldn't mind returning to try something else on the menu.

I've only had most of the breakfast food but the food is home-style and always tasty. I always get their corn muffins... they're warm, just the right amount of sweetness, and cake-like. But the special touch is that they cut it in half and toast the cut edges, so you have crispyness on the outside and soft on the inside. The egg sandwiches, BLTs, and omelettes are good, and the chocolate cake! Oh, and the waffles are fat and fluffy. 😋

Open almost at the crack of dawn. And the servers are good. The menu looks straightforward but is actually mildly confusing. For example, you have to mix and match different items to "assemble" a lumberjack breakfast. The French toast is priced as a singular item, so you'd have to add eggs, sausage, and bacon (all priced as sides) to create it. By that time, you'd find that the chicken and waffles, is the most honestly priced item on the menu (It's not 22, it's 25). I ordered the two eggs scrambled with sausage and swapped the toast for the cinnamon toast. The cinnamon toast was great. The eggs (amazing) came with homefries, which were okay. We were easily seated and there are booths in the back for parties larger than 4; you can probably stick six in there and be fine. Standard seating is flip down booth style chairs. Very interesting place, I'll give it that.