Guides
Get a sneak peek inside a new photo book about NYC’s beloved diners and luncheonettes!
Untapped New York
Sep 14, 2026
All Photos by James & Karla Murray
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Whether you want a stack of pancakes at 8am on Sunday morning or a hamburger at midnight on a Tuesday, tuck into a diner booth and you’ll find what you want. Immortalized in paintings, literature, films, television shows, and late-night memories, the New York City diner is a nostalgic and essential piece of the urban landscape. In their new book, Counter Culture: New York City’s Greatest Diners & Luncheonettes, out now, acclaimed local photographers James and Karla Murray celebrate thirty of Manhattan’s beloved diners and luncheonettes by crafting immersive visual portraits.
Each set of photographs in the book is accompanied by a brief history of the eatery pictured, written by Emma Orlow. In honor of the book’s release, James and Karla gave us a sneak peek inside by sharing five of their favorite spots:
Lexington Candy Shop
📍1226 Lexington Avenue Upper East Side
Photo by James & Karla Murray
Lexington Candy Shop was founded in 1925 and is the oldest continuously operating luncheonette in Manhattan. Don’t be deceived by this family-owned luncheonette’s name, as the moniker is a leftover from a time when the establishment manufactured candy in its basement.
Entering Lexington Candy Shop immediately transports you back in time. The shop has retained its vintage interior complete with a worn Formica lunch counter, stainless-steel swivel stools, booth seating, and terrazzo flooring. It is still equipped with its original full-service soda fountain, featuring chrome taps. They still make Coca-Cola the original old-fashioned way, by mixing carbonated water with the brand’s signature syrup by hand. The luncheonette is well known for its classic New York egg cream, which conventionally is made with seltzer, milk and Fox’s U-bet syrup, but Lexington Candy Shop uses its own house-made flavored syrups and half-and-half, rather than milk.
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Veselka
📍144 Second Avenue East Village
Photo by James and Karla Murray
Veselka, which means “rainbow” in Ukrainian, was founded in 1954 by immigrants Volodymar and Olha Darmochwal. It is currently owned and operated by their grandson, Jason Birchard. Veselka specializes in authentic Ukrainian comfort food dishes and is famous for its varenyky (Ukrainian word for pierogi), borscht (beet-based soup) and latkes (potato pancakes).
The eatery produces to 8,000 pierogi every single day, 5,000 latkes a week, and 15,000 gallons of borscht every year. The diner’s motto is “Veselka is Love,” and its owners have long supported their local Ukrainian community. In recent years, they have also raised funds to help make sure Ukraine remains a free, sovereign state.
Join James and Karla will host a book signing event at Veselk on Wednesday, September 16th from 4-6 PM with special guests Tom and Jason Birchard, the father-son duo who have kept this Ukrainian comfort food diner at the heart of the East Village for over 71 years!
Old John’s
📍148 West 67th Street Upper West Side
Photo by James and Karla Murray
Old John’s has been a local favorite of Upper West Siders since 1951. Owned since 2021 by former employee-turned-restaurateur Louis Skibar, it’s been expanded and revamped but has kept its local neighborhood appeal, serving elevated diner classics and specialty global dishes (including their own house-made ice cream).
The large marble-topped horseshoe-shaped bar with its comfortable and supportive seating was installed in a 2024 renovation, but the Art Deco feeling of the original space remains, with mosaic floor tiling and a vintage custom neon clock, a holdover from the previous owners. The bar is not only a focal point of the entire diner, but has also become a popular spot for locals, especially singles who like to have a drink and eat a meal.
Thai Diner
📍 186 Mott Street NoLita
Photo by James and Karla Murray
Thai Diner, on the corner of Mott and Kenmare Streets in Nolita, was founded by chefs Ann Redding and Matt Danzer in 2020. Its bodega-like metal awning is covered with colorful depictions of American diner classics that are served with a Thai twist, including Thai tea babka French toast and their popular Thai disco fries. The spacious 1950s-diner-meets traditional-Thai-hut interior is transportive, evoking the culture of Thailand with bamboo accents, rattan walls, nostalgic signage, vintage crystal and chrome chandeliers and giant tropical plants. Glass blocks along the base of the bar illuminate handmade wood barstools, which are anchored to stunning onyx floor tiles.
Tom’s Restaurant
📍2880 Broadway Morningside Heights
Photo by James and Karla Murray
Tom’s Restaurant, located on Broadway near Columbia University in Morningside Heights, has been in business since the 1950s. This family-owned diner became famous in the early 1990s when its exterior was used as the fictional setting for the diner Monk’s Cafe in the popular TV sitcom Seinfeld, where characters Jerry, Elaine, Kramer and George were regulars. Though the interiors for the show were filmed on a soundstage in Los Angeles, this Manhattan diner has become synonymous with the show and the interior is lined with Seinfeld memorabilia.
Fans still travel from near and far to have a meal and take photos, but college students and neighborhood residents remain Tom’s bread and butter. Singer Suzanne Vega also famously wrote a song called “Tom’s Diner” about the establishment, having been a frequent customer while a student at nearby Barnard College in the 1980s.
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