Snack Town has slicked Broadway for decades. — Photos by Scarlett Lindeman
Some restaurants aim to delight, others to impress, and some to satiate with novel culinary pleasures. Snack Town is not one of those restaurants. A dingy diner on Broadway below the rumbling elevated, Snack Town is a place to fill the gut before a long day at work or sturdy a wobbly walk of shame back to your own neighborhood.
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This aim is nothing to scoff at. Sometimes a slick of oil and carbs to pad the insides is necessary to take on the day. This is why Snack Town’s main business is breakfast. Greek omelets, toast in five different ways, and coffee hit the tables like clockwork. It is an old diner, all surfaces covered with mottled blue formica, Aunt Jemima syrup bottles stuck to every table. Ten little swivel stools sit below the counter and an old blue metal cash register.
Emilio, in a grey Snack Town button-up that looks like mechanic’s wear, has been manning the griddle for twenty years. He told me the current owner has operated Snack Town for three or four decades, and before that, there were two previous owners. “So how long has this place been around?” I ask. Laughing, he says, “Maybe, 100 years.”
Even if Snack Town hasn’t hit it’s centennial, it feels worn enough. It’s like an old school New York joint where bagels cost a nickel and Ratso Rizzo would linger for hours over an endlessly refilled cup of coffee. Times have changed. Coffee refills and condiments like lettuce and pickles are not included. Soup is made by opening a can and the pie comes wrapped in cellophane.
Satisfaction can be found. You can get a can of sardines, still in the container, served with crackers. The standard egg plate: eggs, bacon, home fries, and toast is only $4.00. And French fries are exactly what you want them to be — extra crispy with creamy insides, inedible after they lose their oily glow.
Snack Town
1071 Broadway | 718-453-0903
Mon-Sun, 7am-6pm
5-block delivery, $8 minimum
ditmars st. resident September 26th, 2009 at 5:54 am
Love this place! But don’t lie, its been only opened maybe 3 or 4 years.
chillinoncentral September 26th, 2009 at 9:25 am
Although I was grateful for two perfectly prepared breakfasts, the low price and it’s convenient location at the time, you tend to remember when the bread is stale for breakfast, as was the case in both my visits about a year ago… not the sort of thing that calls you back wanting more. And, when you’re eating a breakfast at any diner, shouldn’t coffee refills always be included? To previous poster, according to the Manta.com website, they are in business (same name/location) since 1982… maybe they re-did the place a few years ago?
Bunkerlabs September 26th, 2009 at 11:15 am
I think the no-refills and a price hike occured about a year and a half ago, still scratches that diner itch though.
ditmars st. resident September 27th, 2009 at 6:38 am
Well I do remember that place was empty for two years and as well their was a different owner. Don’t knock the place though, its a great place to have breakfast compared to any other restaurant in the area.
sjp September 28th, 2009 at 11:16 am
With a name like Snack Town, it has to be good.