Pig Out Cheap at Ridgewood Eats
I first heard of Ridgewood Eats from a friend’s date’s randomly bumped-into other friend, who said there’s nothing to eat in Bushwick except NEK and Ridgewood Eats. “Uh, no, there are several other places,” my friend objected. “Well, these are the only places close to me,” the ignorant one replied. So armed with the name of the place, we looked it up and set out on that crappy Sunday morning.
Those of you in the Myrtle-Wyckoff orbit are lucky to be so close to this great diner on Seneca and Catalpa. Because it was raining, the Central Avenue Crew had to take the M to Seneca. Otherwise, I suppose the walk down Myrtle isn’t that arduous.
I was expecting an old-school diner, full of faded formica and 60s-era decor. Instead, we found a newly renovated, totally modern storefront. The interior is a bit Rooms-to-Go (lots of cherry wood furniture) meets TJ Maxx (generic Europeanish wine- and coffee-related tchotchkes), but it’s clean and has a hospitable feel.
We were all cold and wet from the knees down after battling torrential gusts outside, and the waitress immediately asked if we wanted coffee. We all replied “yes!” in unison. Having drunk our surprisingly decent coffee, we were ready to tackle the menu.
As 95% of diners in the United States, this was Greek-inspired. Gyros share space with burgers and French toast. On the verge of starvation, the Lumberjack Special caught my eye: challah French toast with ham, bacon, sausage, and two eggs. Aside from the annoying fact that they didn’t have maple syrup, all parts of the meal were great.
The portions are massive — I asked a friend if he had eaten any of his gyro after ten minutes of picking at it, and he said “uh, yeah, it’s half gone.” He commented that the lamb was “well-spiced.” Everyone agreed the place was a good find, but I decided the place needed at least one more try before I bothered reviewing it. So the next week, two of us went back.
Unfortunately for review purposes, we both had cravings for burgers. We even got the same kind: the EATS Super Burger, with sautéed onions, mushrooms, bacon, and Swiss. The burgers are huge, and the cooks know what “medium rare” means. I don’t know if I was fiending for salt or if everything was just underseasoned, but a few shakes of salt made it perfect. We shared a side of sweet potato fries, which were great, but the ranch dressing we got with them was kind of gross, though my company didn’t seem to mind.
For dessert, they have Junior’s cheesecake. It’s no Carnegie, but it hits the spot. The second time we had chocolate shakes, which were rather mediocre. A bit less milk and more ice cream and they would have been good.
Both times we got out for roughly $12 a head, including tax and tip. Its central location means everyone in Bushwick and Ridgewood is within a 15-minute or so walk. You’ll need the walk when you’ve finished eating.
Ridgewood Eats | 9-03 Seneca Avenue | 7am-11pm 7 days | 718-366-3287
I don’t know about the diner (it’s recent), but the pastry shop next door, Rudy’s, is really good and has been there a VERY long time. It even says “Konditorei” on the front, an echo from an earlier era of Ridgewood.
Yeah, I didn’t notice it until I went to take the photo. I definitely will go there next time instead of eating dessert at Eats.
Ridgewood Eats is always packed. Great food. Large portions. Julio and I have eaten there dozens of times. Short distance from where we live. There is no need for small tables in the middle aisle.
I’ve never actually eaten there, but I’ve had that EATS Super Burger and some sweet potato fries delivered to my too hungover to get off the couch ass more times than I can count. I keep the number in my phone, so I don’t even have to find a menu in case I’m still in bed when I order.
OMG _ I always order my hang over food from there - greasy and yummy. The waffle fries are tasty too
This is truly sad. If this is what is considered good food in Ridgewood/Bushwick, then it’s a worse state of affairs than I realized.
Why not Bosna Express on Fairview or Joe’s on Forest or any of the Polish fare on Fresh Pond Rd?
I know this meassage will offend those out there. Let me start off by stating that I love Chinese, Thai and Italian foods, but being that I am a Greek-American, I prefer Ridgewood Eats or other Greek-owned(inspired) diners and restaurants because they serve the best traditional American foods and the best of gyros, kebobs, Greek salads, spinish pies, etc… Beats going to crappy foreign restaurants that cant attract customers or have the tiniest portions. People love to eat and prefer large portions for their money. Plenty of foreign restaurants quickly go out of business in the neighborhood because they dont serve typical American foods. For example, there’s one Spanish restaurant down my block called “Lugo Lounge”. Its always been empty since their grand opening last year simply because they only serve Spanish food and spanish style breakfasts. Most hispanics cook at home. So they dont bother eating at Spanish food restaurants.
Going back to comment 1 Rudys Kondtorei has been there at least 50 years and probably longer than that. They have great German Pastries and a wonderful Schwarzwald ( Black Forest) cake. Thsi is one of those things you can almost not get any more . I have not eaten at Ridgewood eaats but sounds like a place to go next time I am in the old neighborhood.
I agree with John, this place is a grease pit. The food is typical greasy spoon diner fare.
For halfway decent food try Kredens or Glenlo Tavern on Freshpond Road. I also can recommend Rudy’s where they make excellent brownies and muffins.
I remember before this place was remodeled and rebranded as Ridgewood Eats it was “an old-school diner, full of faded formica and 60s-era decor.” It was grim sad little place.
Ridgewoode Eats has been there a long time. Until about 3 or 4 years ago it was known as the “Bank Restaurant”, so that may ring more familiar for those who don’t know it. I think the former Banks owner’s son runs the Ridgewood Eats. The old father died a few years ago.
As for Rudys that’s probably there for over 50 years. It used to be German of course, but I believe it was bought by Polish now. It’s still great.
By the way….some triva….to the right of Rudy’s is the Golden Star Chinese restaurant. Not bad…..but the trivia is that it’s one of the first Chinese restaurant take out places in the area. Before for that, they were regular restaurants.
It’s been there since the late 70’s.
Schwarzwald… bienenstich… stollen at Christmastime… Yum! I can’t confirm this, but one source claims that Rudy’s has been there for almost 80 years.
Speaking of pastries you just can’t seem to find anymore, how about blackout cake (a la Ebinger’s)? I actually came across one the other day–made by Carousel Cakes upstate–and it was pretty damn good.
As for diners, my favorite was Fresh Pond (at the corner of Metro Ave.), but I’m biased because my Mom used to work there. Here’s a pic from 2003, shortly before they closed for good:
http://twin-x.com/groupdiy/albums/userpics/FreshPondDiner.jpg
There was another good German Bakery called Stahls on Putnam just off Myrtle ( near the Ridgewood theater). I also recall Blackout cake but am not even sure Ebingers is still around.
and Born did you notice the sign on Fresh Pond diner indicating sauerbraten every day.
Hey Wyckoff, that’s a great photo, that really brought back memories! It was torn down a few years ago to build the Commerce Bank that is there now.
Oh yeah! I was definitely aware of the sauerbraten at the Fresh Pond Diner. With all the German restaurants gone (to the best of my knowledge), I don’t know if you can even get a sauerbraten dinner in Ridgewood anymore outside of the “TV dinners” in Karl Ehmer’s freezer. You’d have to head out to Zum Stammtisch in Glendale. It’s all academic to me, anyway, since I quit eating meat 18 years ago.
It’s really surprising how much of the old German neighborhood has vanished in only a couple of decades. What’s left now is downright vestigial.
As for Ebinger’s, they’ve been gone for a really long time, since I was a kid. Someone tried to revive the brand in the ’90s but the effort failed
PS: I forgot to add these links.
Some history of the Fresh Pond Diner
A matchbook from George’s diner:
http://twin-x.com/groupdiy/albums/userpics/GeorgesDiner.JPG
Yes you are entirely correct re German being gone from Ridgewood. I have been to Zum Stammtisch recently and the food is good. The demise of Neidersteins ( Middle Village) was a shame.Koenigs in Floral Park is also quite good but not exactly around the corner.
Myrtle Avenue also had a place called Gottliebs (more of a Jewish deli) and in Glendale there was Gebhardts ( if I remember correctly).
I can’t believe that picture of the Fresh Pond Diner! I live 4 blocks from there and I wish it was still there, instead of the Commerce Bank. I also want to second Bosna Burger it is really yummy if you are in a meatish kind of mood. No where to sit though it’s strictly takeout.
You can spy Gottlieb’s sign across Myrtle Ave. from the Madison theater in this 1947 photo I uploaded a while back.
Decades later, my Pop *still* talks about their pastrami!
Great picture The Kolettys sign also brings back memories. Did you also notice that the Madison actually had a stage show.
Actually, the Madison Theater was built as a legit theater. It only became a movie theater later. Originally it was a Vaudeville House. It survived prettun intact until about 1978 when it closed. It sat abandoned, and Soon after, the Madison Theater burned. After that it was gutted and became a Consumers store. That’s a store like Service merchandise, where you flip through catalogs, write down on a slup what you want, and then they bring it to you. At that point, the old theater was being used as a warehouse, and the retail area was strictly the old lobby area.
After that closed, it became Odd Lot, which was a discount store, and the whole auditorium became one big store.
Then it became a Busy Bee Compartment Store, which was a flea market style store. That didn’t last long, and some years back it became Liberty Department stores, which it remains to this day. Their furniture department is upstairs in the old balcony mezzanine.
All the while, the Ridgewood Theater puttered on until last week when it too closed it’s doors. It had been the oldest continuously operating theater in NY State until this point. Sadly, it appears the Ridgewood Theater will also be gutted for retail now. A shame, as even though it was chopped up and multiplexed, a lot of it’s original features remained until now.
Actually, an effort to save the Ridgewood Theater is underway as we speak. I’ve tried to help in my own modest way by putting two parties (with certain common interests) in contact with one another. That’s all I should say about it for now. Just keep your fingers crossed.
I lived in Ridgewood for the past six years. Occasionally I would step in to the theater to look around and the lobby seemed intact but rundown. Unfortunately it was not an inviting place to see a movie, so the lobby was as far as I got. Considering the neighborhood that it’s in the only way to “save” the theater would be to lift it off its foundation and have it moved. Otherwise I think there will be another 99¢ here soon.
I very much remember this place when it was the Bank Restaurant. During my days in Bushwick during the 1970’s, there was practically no decent place to eat on the Brooklyn side of the border. So, when I went to lunch - usually with the Directors of the local HPD Neighborhood Preservation Office - we would meet at their office on 300 Wyckoff and then walk up Myrtle to the Bank. The food, while never spectacular, was very solid and provided the background for many very memorable conversations.
On the topic of long lost German restaurants, let me add the name of Sammetts, which was situated on the corner of Onderdunck and - I think - Linden. This was the real deal, by far the best German eatery in the neighborhood. I found the very heavy fare at Gebhardt’s to be far inferior and Niederstein’s, despite its wonderful, and much lamented, ambience, very overrated in the food department. Sammets provided a wonderful variety of Middle European dishes - and some terrific desserts - in a modest, though very comfortable, environment. One thing that I particularly remember was the large tables that allowed you to really spread out when you were consuming this very “spreadable” fare. It was really heartbreaking when, sometime in the mid 1990’s, I passed by and found a Chinnese take-out joint in its place. Thus time goes on!
Ridgewood Eats has been around for a while now. They’re completely rakin in the dough here - always packed. As much as I like this joint, the burgers are NOT that good - but it suffices when you really need one and are in the ‘hood. Lemonade rocks. Service could be better but hubby and I still keep returning.
Rudy’s next door could do better with the iced cappuccinos…
John D you are right I forgot all about Sammetts. It was a favorite of my parents. I do not recall the address but certainly recall the name.
John:
I used to have lunch in Sammetts. My uncle and aunt had their wedding dinner there in the 1930s and my cousin and his group would have club meetings there. He lived on Linden St and Woodward so you could have some brew and walk home.
Great memories!
I remember Sammetts well and fondly — it was on the corner of Onderdonk and Linden. How I’ve missed Sammetts. Their sauerbraten was absolutely the very best I’ve ever had. For around $13 you could get an appetizer (eggs a la russe or marinated cucumbers), soup, salad, main course including veggie and side, plus coffee and desert…the black forest cake was delicious. The ambience was so inviting, like going to a relative’s house to eat. Loved the old wood bar area, too. We passed many happy evenings there. Never ever had a bad meal there in the dozens of times we ate there. It was a sad day when it closed.
McZaks on Metropolitan Ave was another fun place. Good crowd, good food, reasonably priced, and great staff.
You know the phrase “a good thing can’t last forever”. Well that’s the best way I can describe the now infamous Ridgewood Eats. I use to live right up the block and would go there all the time. I would even have them deliver and take friend and family there. In the beginning I was very impressed with the food and service. At that time I would give them an 8 for service and a 7 for food. Not a bad score for the area.
Just last week my mom and I went to the old neighborhood and decided to revisit our favorite little dinner in Ridgewood. Service was quick as always. The wait staff friendly as ever. I ordered a waffle and my mom a veggie burger deluxe. As soon as I saw my moms order I said yuck! There idea of a veggie burger was best described as a mush filled with peas. The total presentation was poor. Even the portions were cheap a meager. I had to ask them for a pickle and coleslaw, which should be a no brainier on a deluxe. Once my mom picked up her burger it fell apart. But the worst part of it all was the taste. OMG! I almost gagged. I told my mom she had to send it back. The waitress took the order back with no problem and replaced it with a grilled cheese sandwich as requested by my mom.
We finished our order and asked for the bill. When I looked at it the total was $15.95. I looked at my mom and looked at the bill again. They didn’t remove the veggie burger from the bill. I called the waitress over and asked her how much was a grilled cheese sandwich. She told me to hold on a second and walked away. This is when a bad afternoon at Ridgewood Eats became a nightmare. The manager comes over and tells me, “I didn’t charge you for the grilled cheese sandwich but I had to charge you for something” I told him that I didn’t expect a free meal but just to pay for what I had eaten which was the grilled cheese sandwich and a waffle and $15.95 was really overpriced for such a small order. He tells me that I had to pay for the veggie burger because I ordered it and nothing was wrong with it. I told him hell yeah something was wrong with it, it was nasty and should be removed from their menu because it was far from edible. He then says, ” it’s good food and I’m not throwing it out because you didn’t like it” That grossed me out. I said to myself, this guy is going to put that nasty burger back in the kitchen and serve it to the next poor customer who orders a veggie burger. He refused to remove the charges from my bill and I knew if I continued to argue with him any further I would end up losing my cool so I paid my bill but before I walked out I told him it’s a shame that you would treat a long time customer this was and lose our business forever instead of doing the right thing. I told him he could have my $15.95 but it would be the last cent Ridgewood Eats would get from friends, my family and me.
So if you are looking for bad food and love to be treated like crap instead of a paying customer, look no further then the neighborhood favorite Ridgewood Eats. Just keep in mind, the next time you order from there you might be getting someone’s leftovers because like that guy said, ” I’m not throwing away good food”