Brooklyn Diner USA

"Some of the best versions austerely have only matzo balls and consomme, but this version ($14.50) treats the classic soup as a full meal. Sure, the matzoh ball itself is huge and misshapen, but there’s plenty of pulled chicken, while chopped carrot and celery abound in a healthy sort of way." - Eater Staff

"Their version at Midtown locations of Brooklyn Diner and Red Eye Grill is the offspring of Brooklyn Diner’s signature 15-bite hot dog, featuring a 100-percent beef Pat La Frieda frank served with Dusseldorf mustard." - Kathleen Squires

"This Brooklyn-themed tourist trap has a core menu of Jewish deli favorites, including decent pastrami that’s better in a hash with eggs than in a sandwich. The matzo ball soup is top-notch, and so is the comically large all-beef hot dog, which weighs in at nearly a pound and constitutes a full meal. Chocolate babka and noodle kugel are other classic deli orders, at this place with an interior intended to evoke a 1940s diner." - Robert Sietsema

"Considering the neon-covered exterior and old-school name, the atmosphere inside Brooklyn Diner is surprisingly fancy—after all, it's helmed by the award-winning Chef de Oliveira. That said, classic meals are definitely the standouts: The chicken soup, macaroni & cheese, and giant lunch salads are reliably great, and you’ll have to arrive early in the day if you want to have the chicken pot pie (they almost always run out). Expect a short wait if you forget to make a reservation. There are two locations in Midtown, on 57th and 43rd."

"Considering the neon-covered exterior and old-school name, the atmosphere inside Brooklyn Diner is surprisingly fancy—after all, it's helmed by the award-winning Chef de Oliveira. That said, classic meals are definitely the standouts: The chicken soup, macaroni & cheese, and giant lunch salads are reliably great, and you’ll have to arrive early in the day if you want to have the chicken pot pie (they almost always run out). Expect a short wait if you forget to make a reservation. There are two locations in Midtown, on 57th and 43rd."