TV Restaurants

Is Empire Diner Still Open? Food Paradise Update (New York, NY)

Food Paradise, Season 1 New York, New York

Current status

Open

As of October 2026, Empire Diner is open — confirmed via Yelp, August 2026.

What the source shows: Yelp's listing, updated August 2026, and OpenTable's 2026 listing both show Empire Diner actively taking reservations at its original Chelsea location, despite the restaurant's own website still displaying stale content. How we decide a status →

What happened after Food Paradise?

The episode featured the Empire Diner, a stainless-steel railcar diner in Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood serving classic American comfort food such as burgers, milkshakes, and all-day breakfast in a retro 1940s-style dining car. The diner has operated at 210 10th Avenue since 1976, according to Wikipedia. The restaurant's own website still displays a message dated to 2023 stating it would reopen in "Early Spring 2021." According to Yelp, whose listing was updated in August 2026, Empire Diner is open for indoor and outdoor dining under executive chef Jestin Feggan and managing partner Stacy Pisone of the nearby Cafeteria restaurant group. OpenTable lists the diner's 2026 hours as 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily and shows it accepting reservations.

The episode Food Paradise, Season 1

Episode 8
Air date not confirmed
Title: Diner Paradise · What was featured: the diner's classic American comfort food and retro railcar setting
How Food Paradise restaurants have fared: 27% closed →

Also in Season 1 Food Paradise

Season 1: 85 of 114 still open · 3 renamed, moved or under new owners

All 15 Season 1 episodes →

Nearest restaurants By distance from 210 10th Ave

  • The Red Cat

    New York, NY 0.1 mi away

    Best Thing I Ever Ate

    Closed

  • Craftsteak

    New York, NY 0.3 mi away

    Best Thing I Ever Ate

    Closed

  • Morimoto

    New York, NY 0.3 mi away

    Best Thing I Ever Ate

    Closed

  • Megu

    New York, NY 0.3 mi away

    Food Paradise

    Closed

  • Buddakan

    New York, NY 0.3 mi away

    Best Thing I Ever Ate

    Open

  • Old Homestead Steakhouse

    New York, NY 0.4 mi away

    Food Paradise

    Open
All 448 TV restaurants in New York →

Before you go: Businesses change fast. Always confirm directly with the restaurant — call ahead, or check its own current website or social media — before making plans around anything on this page.

Sources we checked 3 references

  1. Yelp https://www.yelp.com/biz/empire-diner-new-york-5
  2. OpenTable https://www.opentable.com/empire-diner-nyc
  3. Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empire_Diner
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Record fp-0062 · checked by Cal Marchetti.