Symphony Diner,

496 East 161st Street, Bronx, NY 10451

"So, I have known about this diner when it was Symphony Diner. The current name is Perry's coffee shop, by the way. There has yet to be an update on the web, but that is not why I am writing this. We know it is all about the food and if it was an experience going back to again. That would be a hard no. The last time, which was a couple of years ago, I was already starting to see the decline in quality, however I still had the pancakes to uplift me in a way, so I tried not to totally discount them. I recently injured my back so I really wasn't up to cooking anything, so I decided to order out. My son was here so even though I had my reservations we decided on ordering here. He ordered a waffle and a bacon burger and fries. I ordered pancakes and an omelette that came with home fries and toast. Lets start with my son's order. I recalled making it very clear to the person over the phone that this was a hamburger, NOT a cheeseburger, but you guessed it the cook chose to ignore that fact and make it with cheese anyway. I mean just because I didn't order it and was adament about not having it, that clearly must mean that I wanted it anyways..... On a side note: is there some new law I'm unaware of that prevents food places from providing basic utensils unless you ask, because if so this is utterly redundant. To assume that someone would need to ask if they need something to eat with from a place that requires you have something to eat with is just absolutely insane and another valid reason for me to not spend my money at a place that thinks so little of me as a customer in that I should eat with my hands or like an animal. I wasnt even given napkins, like what. If this is a thing now, please let me know. Now, I did call back about the burger of which they did replace. I thought it was weird to ask for the old burger back, but I guess they wanted proof of their f-up. Anyways, my son's perception of the food was simple. Once he got his corrected burger he was mostly satisfied. I didnt eat that, but I was able to try the fries, of which were actually good. A bit inconsistent, but it was the only thing of which I ordered that was actually good. Now to my food. The omelette had absolutely no flavor, which is so weird to me considering there was supposed to be sausage in it, but flavorless nonetheless and this was one of their "special" omelettes. The home fries was what I expected. Its just so rare to find good home fries anymore. In any case, bland was the theme and at the very least it was cooked through. The toast that came with it must have been sitting in the corner somewhere waiting to finally be cooked because it was so hard and rubbery when I bit into it I was forced to feed it to my dog. She at least got a good chew from it. My biggest disappointment was the pancakes. Ohhhhh, the pancakes. I got three as you normally would get, but there were noticeable bubbles on top of one of the pancakes. I dont know what sort of batter they used to make them, but they were more chewy and doughy then any pancake should ever be. It was just horrible. Absolutely horrible. Devastating to say the least. Now, I would like to point out that this was after breakfast hours, however I am a firm believer that if you serve it then it should represent what you are about. The fries were given more attention than anything and honestly that is not saying much. If you mess up fries you shouldn't be in business period. Now look, in all fairness my taste in food has greatly matured, so I get that they may not have the quality skills in culinary that I ultimately seek and thats okay. I dont expect them to. They didn't charge me a whole lot, so I would say that for the amt of food I got was fair. Had I been charged more than their rating would have definitely been a 2 (fries A-OK) but something as simple as pancakes to get so horribly wrong is just unacceptable for a diner. I can make better, no comparisons, which makes it even more frustrating. Quality is key to me. Unfortunately, This diner does not hold the same standard as its predecessor."

"Been coming to my favorite lowkey gem since 2015 when I lived in the area. I’ve since moved but still make my way back for breakfast when I get the time. Love how fresh the food is and the fresh lemonade is my favorite"

"Fast service, went at 3:30 on a Saturday and it was calm. Pancakes were great."

"This place is so family friendly and nice. The staff polite, food was delicious. I will always go back. Affordable and good."

"Went here after a work out, just looking to replenish some lost calories. It’s a cute little hidden spot. Classically decorated, but that is where all ended. The service was poor and the food was a mess. From forgetting part of the order to adding items that we asked to be excluded, to being completely ignored by the server while she chatted with a friend and drank coffee… it was bad. The food was somewhat are bearable until I bit into my beacon burger. The burger meat was like rubber and the beacon tasted as if they fired in decades old grease. The fries and Morir Soñando were on point though. Hence why they are at 2 stars and not 1"