Mount Ivy All American Diner

"There's a reason it took over a year for me to try this place, even though it's very conveniently located/close to where I work. A few co-workers ordered from here a while ago and hated it, and the locals I know won't go near it. I finally decided to give them a shot yesterday for lunch, and...it could have been worse. I think in these dark times we take that as a victory. Out of every eating option in the area, the Mount Ivy Diner is probably the hardest to miss. It's literally right off the southbound exit ramp of the Palisades on 202, on a busy enough section of that county highway that there's literally a traffic light placed at their exit so you can safely (and fairly quickly) get out of there - you're probably waiting close to five minutes otherwise. When I stopped by, there was tons of parking both on the side and behind the building, and it was pretty clear why when I walked in. There was one table and one stool occupied at lunchtime. That's it. They must be dramatically making up for that on the weekend or something because I genuinely don't know how they'd stay in business otherwise. I was given free rein to pick my seat, and I secured a booth closer to the middle of the restaurant by the window. It seemed best to play it safe here, so I stuck with the breakfast menu and ordered the Eggs Benedict. They were okay but probably not something I'd get here again. As you can see from the attached picture, they went WAY too heavy on the hollandaise, and one of the poached eggs fell off the side about two seconds after I snapped the shot so the presentation wasn't ideal (not that that's insanely important at a diner, but I also shouldn't have to literally place the egg on the Eggs Benedict back on the English muffin before eating it). I also wasn't a huge fan of the accompanying hash browns; they had chunks of pepper and onions in them, which I wasn't crazy about and ate around, and even despite that were pretty tasteless. The service was fantastic though, and that salvaged the experience to some extent. The waitress came off like a cagey veteran and was super attentive, efficient, and professional. It certainly helped that I was close to being the only game in town for her at that particular time, but she was pretty much perfect. The overall negative impression this place left on me had nothing to do with her. The food came out within a couple of minutes, and when I wanted to grab the check, it took less than a minute to do so. If I get another near-term diner craving, I'm going to go further down 202 to Sparky's in Haverstraw. The food was better and the vibe wasn't reminiscent of a mausoleum."

"The food is really good. The older woman is a great waitress. The kitchen was kind of slow with the entrees but the appetizers came out quick. Food was presented well. A little expensive."

"we were there twice. the first time everything was okay. Food was good and very friendly service. We tipped the waitress €20. The boss probably didn't like this. On our second visit we were treated very respectfully. Apparently the oven was broken and wouldn't make us any more food. It's a shame instead of being happy for the employees. If they get a tip, we have probably annoyed the boss. Otherwise, the food tasted the first time and was very unfriendly and unwelcoming the second time. Better not go there."

"My brother, sister and I took a road trip from Staten Island NY to have lunch with another brother that lives in New Windsor NY, and we picked this diner as a point where we could meet and catch up on family and personal chat. What a great choice it was for a lunch spot. I have been to so many diners in my life, but I can honestly say that this was one of the best, if not the best burger that I have ever had from a diner. Really great. My siblings had the same opinion of their selections as I had. And not only was the food great, but the service was also fantastic. Attentive, but not rushed. So friendly. This won't be our last road trip to the All American Diner. Well done."

"The place looks pretty cool. It looks like a train cart but super sized. Dinner can cost a bit more but generous portion. The server is really nice & professional."