Candlelight Diner Restaurant

I have been going to this diner for about 40 years and I could always depend on getting decent food at a good price. My wife and I frequent this diner and for the first time I got the sense that the place is going downhill. It has been a while since we were seated by someone with a smile and on our most recent visit, the food was awful. My wife had a patty melt and it was swimming in grease. I had a sandwich wrap and the wrap was stale and crumbling. The diner itself needs a major overhaul. The carpet is filthy and the tabletops have worn through. The prices seem to have gone up during the past year and we wonder if other restaurants might be a better deal with better food. One advantage is that there is rarely a wait for a table but that might also be a bad sign. This is a Commack landmark so I’d hate to take it out of my restaurant rotation.

I live nowhere near this diner but if I did, I would definitely be coming here more often! I absolutely love how they serve homemade cold pasta for the table instead of the typical cole slaw and a pickle like every other diner in Long Island. The pasta salad is flavorful and incredibly delicious. The lunch specials at this diner are very reasonably priced, and there is a large variety of options to choose from. Also, all of the lunch specials come with a cup of soup and a cup of coffee or tea. I had the seafood bisque and it was delicious. For lunch I ordered the spinach pie with a Greek salad and everything was very delicious. I highly recommend this diner to anyone in the area because you get great service, great food, and great prices.

After realizing that the Premier Diner disappointed me on the last few occasions, we went to Candlelight last night for the first time.
It might not be as flashy and new as the Premier but one major difference stood out to me-​the customer service! I can’t even tell you how the Premier has gone down hill for me and Candlelight literally gained a new family of customers last night simply by being FRIENDLY. Burgers are also WAY better at Candlelight than at Premier although cost is about the same. I like the coziness of the traditional NY diner and the feeling that I’m welcomed by a kind face.
Buh-​bye Premier, yiasou Candlelight!

Came here on a Saturday, late night for some grub after a bar. the food, wasn’t bad at all but was NOT worth the price at all! I definitely will not return ever again and would never recommend. just check out the price of my ckn finger wrap w fries on my photo of the receipt. Ps– I did not order mozzarella cheese on my fries nor did I receive mozzarella cheese on my fries.

Had the gyro sandwich and chef salad (two of us). Both were excellent quality, and very generous portion. Would highly recommend.

nostalgic for any Commackian. i’ve never had a bad experience here.

Ok food ok service. The paninis me and my wife ordered were just average nothing special. Service was ok and the wait for the food was alittle long also.

We came here for lunch on a weekday, and this place was everything a diner should be, quick, easy and with large helpings of fries.

Not sure how a child’s apple juice qualifies as a ‘Large’ Juice.
But … $ 3.50 for 8oz of juice in a 10oz cup seems… Excessive
I politely questioned this to the manager who just gave me a blank stare.
Carrot Cake was foul.

Food was bland. I ordered 2 eggs over easy with bacon and home fries and it had zero flavor. My waiter never checked in on us, never asked if we wanted anything else and just ignored us completely. Crappy food and service? No thanks, this by far isn’t the best diner experience.

I really wish I could leave zero stars for this diner. I’ll say that the service was fine, but that’s it. I ordered a Greek wrap with chicken. It was the most poorly made wrap I’ve ever been served. Completely fell apart. Plus the chicken was lower quality than McDonalds. My husband ordered the tuna melt. He could barely eat it. My fries were cold and tasted like they had been made the day before. Just stay away. Or throw your money in the garbage instead.

Great breakfast this morning. Mushroom cheese omelette, French fries, bacon and pancakes were plenty to keep me going. Great service and friendly staff.

Met friends for early dinner tonight. Service was great, coffee was a two cupper, ham panini was more than generous and better yet, was made just right. Oh the cost… was not a wallet buster… good value!

My family and I have been coming here for years. Like any diner, they have a great selection. The quality of the food is pretty solid. Waiters are very friendly, helpful and accommodating. They also have a pretty solid veggie burger and very large portions!

Western Omelette — Decent diner fare — light and not greasy
Fries were ⁴⁄₅ stars
Apple turnover — not the best with a chemical tasting filling and the ice cream we ordered on top was of very low quality as well. I also feel I was overcharged for this.
The owner or «greeter» is extremely friendly and very accommodating. Waitress’ are fast and know how to handle a tough crowd with ease. Don’t be fooled, these girls work tough hours but make good money. I always leave a 30% tip or more.
Will be returning, but not because any of the food is the best thing on earth.
I know not to expect much from a diner but at least here you won’t get sick and you will be treated properly by the staff and ownership.

My favorite local diner! It could use some updating inside but who cares, it’s not that bad. I love everything here. I usually order the Greek chicken burger (Sauteed spinach and feta on top) with french fries, it’s sooo good! The spinach is sauteed and I just love spinach and feta, it gives the burger great flavor. They should give yogurt sauce on the side to make it even better! I also enjoy the pasta salad they give you with your meal. Never had a bad meal here. The service is always friendly, fast and helpful.

The food is always mediocre at best, but it’s the only diner in town and it’s around the corner so we knew what to expect coming in the door. I normally wouldn’t even write a review about how my wife’s food and soup was cold and my burger was soggy because it’s what we have come to expect. It is the rest of the experience that warranted this review.
Out server tonight was named Toni and my wife and I were appalled at the way she interacted with the customers and the staff. She was very abrupt and borderline rude in her interactions and less that friendly. The one thing that really stuck out as one of the most unprofessional things I have ever seen in a dining establishment is when a table of two women left and paid at which point Toni went over to their table to retrieve the tip and apparently they only left her $ 5 which was not sufficient for her liking. She was very loud with voicing her opinion and said «Only $ 5 I gave them everything they asked for, i’ll remember that for next time».
My wife and I were appalled at what we saw take place. the service was miserable so we also didn’t tip much more than $ 5 but at least 18% I only wonder what she had to say about us once we left?
I may live around the corner but I would really think twice before coming back to give this establishment my hard earned money.

The environment and the workers are fine, but the breakfast selection was very underwhelming. I ordered a small orange juice, and I swear it was a cup for infants. It looked like an enlarged shot glass.
As far as the food is concerned, it was okay. I got the French Toast a la Candlelight, and the French Toast was pretty good, but their sausage and bacon are mediocre at best.
On the other hand, their lunch and dinner menus are much more variegated, perhaps to a fault; I found it overwhelming. I would go here for dinner or a late night food excursion.

**3.5 stars rounded up**
I don’t live near Commack but I’ve been here multiple times.
It’s a very nice building with good ambiance and décor. The best seats are in the booths by the big glass windows.
My boyfriend LOVES their chicken parmigiana. He orders it almost every single time we’re there…
I’ve had their french toast for breakfast/​brunch twice and the portions were pretty big and it tasted great too. The scrambled eggs were alright.
I don’t really like their seafood, except for the salmon. That’s good stuff. Don’t order the calamari or scallops! Really bland.
Hmmm, I’ve also had their fries and wings for late night munchies, and those were alright too.
I DO like their milkshake (got a strawberry one); it’s pretty good!
I’d say the staff is usually really great. The ladies who work there are wonderful. My boyfriend and I got a free dessert from the restaurant owner once, maybe because he’s been going there since he was a kid. The two times we didn’t have «good experiences» (more awkward than bad experiences) were when a waitress messed up our order (but she was nice about it) and a waiter deliberately took a breadstick (the ones that are packaged) out of the basket and placed it in front of me saying, «This is for you,» while my boyfriend sat across from me. I didn’t notice so I don’t know if it’s true, but apparently some other staff kept looking at me that night… Awkwarddd… Oh, also that same waiter kind of slammed my drink on the table when he gave it to us…

Went here on Easter Sunday for breakfast with my husband and mother-​in-​law. We usually go to a different diner (Premier) closer to her home, but that one almost always has a wait, so we decided to switch it up and go to Candlelight. There was no wait, which I am grateful for since I was starving. We were seated promptly, and the waitress took our orders. I think this diner has fairer prices too. I might just be sold.
I ordered two eggs any style with bacon. It comes with home fries and toast. It was a good portion of food for only $ 7.60. I was impressed, and left the restaurant quite full. They both ordered the Greek omelette, and boy did the food disappear fast. I’ll have to come back again and try some other foods, but I’m a fan. It was definitely worth driving a few more minutes to avoid the crowds.