The Cup & Saucer Diner
New York is overfilled with flashy, archetypal steel-and-glass diners that look like they were transported here directly from the 1950’s. Sadly, as the city has become more and more gentrified, most of them have become carbon copies of each other in terms of quality (shitty) and price (rip-off).
One of my favorite diner exteriors is as unflashy as they come: The Cup and Saucer Luncheonette, nestled in Chinatown at the corner of Canal and Eldridge (as New York Magazine points out, “surrounded by Buddhist temples, a Chinese wedding salon, and a Chinese funeral parlor”).
I love its simplicity: basic sign with the Coke logo. Do you really need anything more? Also, it goes without saying that “Cup and Saucer Luncheonette” is the best fucking diner name ever.
How authentic is it? I have no clue how long it’s been here, and therefore no idea if the sign is genuine or (shudder) ironically retro. But if it’s any indication, the food prices are low, the quality is great, and it’s far enough off the beaten path (note that the rest of the building is boarded up) that much of their clientele are not of the variety who go for the diner kitch (note: this is my experience; any regulars, please correct me if I’m wrong!).
Anyway, I always pass this place often when I’m down near the Manhattan Bridge, and have been meaning to take pictures for a while. To my knowledge, it has never been featured in a movie…and maybe that’s a good thing.
Check it out it you can…Who knows when they’ll start slapping on the stainless steel and raising the prices…
-SCOUT
