Lynbrook diner reopens after fire

Popular eatery is back, three months later; grand reopening planned for Sat., April 26

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Three months after a stubborn ceiling blaze forced the Lynbrook Diner to close for extensive repairs, the Sunrise Highway restaurant opened its doors last week with a new look and some new items on the menu. It wasn’t long before the place was bustling with a hungry breakfast crowd once again.

“It’s a 1950s décor,” owner Nicholas Mavromihalis said of the new glossy red and white seating and stainless steel tables. “We’ll have big-screen TV’s, a completely newly designed private meeting room and some new healthy choices on the menu — along with some of our old favorites.”

The diner, which is open 24 hours a day, has been at the same location for 81 years, and Mavromihalis has been its proprietor since 1985. All of his employees are coming back to work, he said, including some who have been with him for 25 years. “Except for two busboys, they’re all back,” he said.

When firefighters arrived at the diner, at 401 Sunrise Highway, just before midnight on Jan. 13, they found only light smoke inside. But when they began removing layers of ceiling tiles, they found the source of the smoke — a fire was moving from the front of the building into the dining area. Lynbrook police had already arrived on the scene, and the restaurant’s employees and patrons had been evacuated.

Firefighters halted the fire’s progress over the entrance area before it spread throughout the building, and had it under control in about 30 minutes. There was extensive damage, but no injuries were reported. The blaze was believed to have been caused by an electrical problem with the neon lights on the building’s facade.

Regular patrons Dan and Alba Brunner and their teenage son Chris were among the first to arrive for breakfast when the diner reopened on April 16, ordering French toast, pancakes and eggs. “We live in Valley Stream, but come here for the food,” said Alba. “We missed this place so much! Breakfast is as delicious as I remember it.”

The diner offers an extensive breakfast, lunch and dinner menu featuring Greek specialties such as spinach pie, Greek Islands salads, souvlaki, gyros and moussaka as well as an animal-themed children’s menu, desserts and cocktails. “We hope the community will visit us soon for a wonderful meal,” said Mavromihalis, “and to see all the beautiful changes we’ve made.”

The Village of Lynbrook will welcome the diner back with a grand reopening ceremony on Saturday at 10:30 a.m.