Athens Riverside Diner

The Athens Riverside Diner, must be the the Cheers of Athens NY. The little Hotel we were staying at did not serve breakfast because we were the only people there so we took a short walk and came upon this gem.
The lady at the cash register, who also was the wait person greeted us with an open smile we looked at the menu board and saw breakfast items so we sat down. The place is very quaint, on the small side and decorated to someone’s taste, homey. It had been damaged after the last hurricane and redone. After all there is only a park between it and the Hudson river. We were followed by an elderly gent who apparently had a table he sat at everyday. .the wait lady knew him and immediately brought him ice tea, and he told her bring me the usual. he was followed by several older ladies arriving one at a time and again the wait person knew each one by name and immediately brought them what she KNEW they wanted.
My husband ordered an omelet and I ordered pancake and egg. The portions were huge, they both came with side orders of nicely executed home fries (you know home fries can be a greasy mess). The food was good, I could hardly put a dent in mine, the lady came and looked at me and looked at the plate and said I should have warned you that the portions are very large. She insisted I take it home, which I did. I did not use the Mrs Butterworth syrup, after all we Vermont snobs only want our own state’s maple syrup.
And the parade of locals continued with young working guys. If we are ever in Athens again we will go there again. Prices very reasonable if you come from Chittenden County, Vermont.

We were passing through Athens after paddle boarding on the Hudson and stopped at this little place for a bite to eat on our way home.
Date of visit: ⁸⁄₁₅
Décor: Quaint, ocean/​boat themed, a bit tacky and dated.
Atmosphere: Relaxed, seemed like all of the other patrons were locals and knew each other.
Service: Nice, fast!
Food: Good! We ordered a side salad, BLT, burger & 2 sodas. Everything was fresh and good. Exactly as I’d expect from a good diner. The salad had lots of crisp vegetables (cabbage, carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers & onions) and it was a good size for a side salad. The BLT was great (see picture) and the burger/​fries were good too. Coleslaw & pickles were good quality as well.
Cost: $ 22
Final thoughts: It’s a diner, so I have a hard time giving any diner 4 or 5 stars, but for a diner, this place was good. Service was fast and friendly. Décor, although a bit tacky, made it feel less «dinery» and more small town restaurant. If you need a place to grab a quick and tasty lunch in Athens, I’d check it out!