Saturday Night Cheeseburger at the Pom Pom Diner
Live from New York, it’s Saturday Night Cheeseburger! Starring the Pom Pom Diner, a special guest appearance by Paul and featuring the Ready For Prime Beef Player, Marty Wombacher. And now, ladies and gentlemen, please welcome our host, the Pom Pom Diner!
Here we are in the madness of Times Square on a Saturday night. Amazing how an eight block walk to Hell's Kitchen can change the environment.
And eight blocks later here we are on the relatively calm corner of 45th and 11th Avenue in front of the Pom Pom Diner. Let's go check it out.
What a classic diner and we've got the whole joint to ourselves on a Saturday night, unbelievable!
Let's grab a menu and get a seat in the back booth.
Biff flew back to Ohio, but Paul stayed an extra night and here he is perusing the gigantic menu.
And here's our friendly waiter, Jimmy, pouring me a beer. Let's take a little tour of the place.
The back wall is decorated with a giant print of the Manhaatan skyline.
There's a take out counter on the other side of the diner.
Some of the pastries and rolls are housed in glass containers on the counter and look delicious.
Here's the specials of the evening.
An original piece of art done specifically for the diner by artist, Will RAFUSE hangs on the wall.
And here's another painting by RAFUSE. Very cool.
They don't have a full bar in here, but there is wine and a decent little selection of bottled beer.
Gumballs!
After I said hi to the cooks in the back, I realized that dinner should be served by now, so I went back and joined Paul at the booth.
And I was right. Here's Paul's burger, he got the Greek burger with Feta cheese.
And I got something different, they had a crab burger on the menu which I've never had or heard of. I got grilled onions with it and it's topped off with a spicy chipotle sauce.
The bun was toasted and bakery fresh and it was really a unique and delicious burger.
Okay, a quick obligatory bathroom shot...
And we're out the door. Goodnight and see you all tomorrow.
My Meal
While Googling around looking for a joint to get a cheeseburger on Saturday, I found the Pom Pom diner, a diner that’s been alive and kicking since 1969 in Hell’s Kitchen. I love old-school diners and had to check this place out on Saturday Night Cheeseburger, and so that’s exactly what I did. I was also thrilled to see a type of burger on the extensive menu that I had never tried before, a Crab Burger. The burger was a nice change of pace, juicy crab meat with grilled onions and topped with a spicy chipotle sauce. Very tasty and a fun way to change things up on Saturday Night Cheeseburger. Paul got the Greek Burger with Feta cheese and gave it high ratings as well.
Sadly, the Pom Pom is part of a dying breed, the family owned diner. It opened up in 1969 and happily it’s still thriving (Jimmy our waiter said it’s only been open ten years, but everything I’ve read about the place said it’s been open since 1969, and I’m hoping that’s the truth, so that’s what I’m going to believe). The Pom Pom is a low key, no frills, New York diner, with a friendly staff and a relaxing vibe. The menu is massive and in addition to the Crab Burger there are eight other styles of burgers on the menu including: a Greek Burger with feta cheese; the Italian Burger with mozzarella cheese and tomato sauce and a classic eight ounce Cheeseburger on a toasted bun with your choice of American, Swiss, Cheddar, Provolone or Mozzarella cheese. Some of the Chef’s Specialties offered on the menu are: Tommy's Famous Meatloaf; Shrimp Teriyaki; Fish and Chips and Hot Open Sandwiches with your choice of turkey or roast beef with mashed potato, gravy and vegetables. There’s also pasta, deli sandwiches and a full breakfast menu available 24 hours a day (except on Sundays, when it’s closed. How old-school is that?)
Cheeseburger Rating
Three Wimpys, a delicious and unique burger.
Pom Pom Diner
610 Eleventh Ave. (Near 45th St.)
212-397-8395
Further Reading: Trip Advisor, Menu Pages and facecrack.
Oh, I know that it?s getting late,
But I don?t wanna go home.
Cheeseburgers, Hell's Kitchen, Pom Pom Diner Posted on Sunday, June 3, 2012 at 11:28AM
Reader Comments (19)
I sometimes forget that not everyone is a TWM reader. I was at a restaurant the other night and excused myself from the table by telling everyone that I had to grab an "Obligatory Bathroom Shot". It doesn't translate well when your friends are not familiar with the source material :)
At least you had a drawing of a big boobed waitress, I suppose that's good enough. Now how about visiting 100 places (meaning bars) that have pretty bartenders serving up drinks. I recall you went to such places, like the Puerto Rican bar on 8th Ave & the 30s or the bar in Staten Island, that seemed a hearty place to have a drink, they sure looked pretty there. There must be dozens of bars where a fella can get a date for the night. And this coming from a writer of Gay porn, what's the world coming too. Tsk, tsk...
Cool: Pom Pom
I like when I look up a place on Google maps ... and they have these inside shots of places. Just click on the picture and you can scroll around the diner .....
Cool joint ! ... a little out of the way in that neighborhood - and perfect if you want a bite to eat - and a little peace & quiet !
Marty, That Crab Burger sounds De- Lish. I'm a big seafood lover.
Oh, I went to Touch of Spice last night with Donna & when I walked in James ran over & said how much he loved the TWM Weehawken post, part 1 & 2. You have a new fan.
Great looking burger...you should have ordered a 32 ounce Mountain Dew with it, and took a picture of it and then sent a picture of it to that sonofabitch Bloomberg and dared him to do something about it. I don't live any where near NYC, but Bloomberg's got me smoldering... mad enough to go smoke some bath salts and then go bite his face off! Grrrroooowrrrr...(my bath salt smoking face eating zombie howl of rage).
I'm not sure about the diner's name. I didn't see a single cheerleader.
@roadsidewonders: Ha ha ha! I appreciate you spreading the TWM gospel!
@Mykola Mick Dementiuk: I'm always on the prowl for a good looking bartender, so there should be one coming up soon, stay tuned!
@GENE: Thanks for the Google link!It was so nice to have a peaceful meal on a Saturday night for a change, and hard to believe it was just eight blocks from the madness at Times Square!
@Danny the Freelancer: It was really tasty, a nice break from the usual burger. That's so cool that James liked the posts, thanks for the good news!
@Jaws: That's a great idea, I may have to do that, it just might make the front page of the NY Post!
@csp: That's because I shot Jimmy from the waist up and you can't see his cheerleading skirt. I'll try for a full body shot next time.
On The Prowl, that's the title of one of my gay e-books by Sizzler Press, drop me a line and I'll zap it over.
i can't believe the place was empty on a saturday night! that crab burger looked great, but it sounds like something you should go to the doctor for! lol! love that southside johnny song!
@Mykola Mick Dementiuk: Thanks, I'll let you know after I finish your "Bathroom Trysts" book!
@Bobby D: I couldn't believe it was empty either, but it sure was nice and peaceful in there!
HaHa! You got crabs.
Just for the record; the biggest problem with crab burgers is that if they are undercooked, no matter if your order fries, onion rings or potato salad,they have a tendency to move from side to side.
I've been there when I Lived on 36st & 10th Ave, don't remember what I had since I was Drunk . They get busy very late night since there is a bunch of night clubs around them, but the night crowd sucks. They also get allot of Cabbies stopping off for food & good spot to find a cab late night. There is another Dinner one that's been there for along time but forgot the name, I think you went there already, have to think & remember .
Cheers
@randall: I expected a lot more crab jokes, so thanks for coming through with one!
@csp: Ha ha ha! See my comment above to randall.
@JHwang: I read that there's a crazy late night crowd in there, glad I went earlier! If you think of the other diner, let me know and I'll check it out. Cheers!
I need to stop reading these when I'm in bed on days off.My stomach is growling now.I'm starving! I'm going to have to get up and get some burgers grilled from my freezer!
@Alan Simpson: I hope you enjoyed your burgers!
Great 'Old School' Diner!
I love the graphics on the menu.
While I'm upset that I missed a Pom Pom cheeseburger, I'm pleased that I missed Times Square on a Saturday night.
@"Boris": I loved those graphics too. Always nice to find a diner I haven't been too yet.
@Biff: Wish you could've made it, maybe next trip!