Business of the Month: Waverly Diner, 365 Sixth Avenue

Your input is needed! Today we feature our latest Business of the Month — help us to select the next. Tell us which independent store you love in Greenwich Village, the East Village, or NoHo: click here to nominate your favorite. Want to help support small businesses? Share this post with friends.

Much has changed since the heyday of diners during the Art Deco decades of the 1920s and 1930s. Other types of casual eateries now abound amidst a saturation of yet other kinds of dining-out alternatives. And yet, the homey allure of the classic diner still beckons; and customers line up, eager to indulge at once in the comforts of tradition and the thrills of transgression. (Where else can they order pancakes the way mama used to make them at 10:00pm, when not even mama would have obliged). Among these cozy institutions, few are as celebrated and beloved as our September 2025 Business of the Month, Waverly Diner (365 Sixth Avenue and Waverly Place). Since 1979, this corner spot has been serving delicious comfort food and serving as a laid back gathering spot for friends, family, and solo diners who want to be treated as such — all under an iconic and familiar neon sign.

The story of Waverly Diner begins, like classic epics of yore, with a Greek sailor. The protagonist of this one is Nick Serafis, who took to the seas as a 15-year-old, docked one day in New York, got off the ship, and didn’t get back on. He worked a number of odd jobs during his early years in the city. Those at restaurants made him fall in love with the food business and resolve to, in due time, open a place of his own. Long working hours made his wish possible a few years later, enabling him to purchase the building at 363 Sixth Avenue and turn the luncheonette on the first floor, Twin Brothers, into his own 24-hour establishment, Waverly Diner. 

Waverly Diner came into existence fully formed and has hewed to its original concept ever since: providing an encyclopedic selection of home-style dishes at reasonable prices. The menu includes countless classic American permutations of sandwiches, salads, burgers, and egg dishes, as well a heartier fare, finger food, and desserts. What has always distinguished Waverly Diner from most competitors has been Nick’s commitment to using top quality ingredients in his kitchen—a commitment that remains in place to this day. This restaurant’s menu doesn’t change. It doesn’t have to. Waverly Diner regularly shows up on lists of “best breakfast in the city” and was named on the twenty best diners in the country by Time Out Magazine.

If you dine by trends and are looking for, say, a deconstructed omelet, the separate ingredients of which are foamed, reassembled, and served to you in a martini glass, look elsewhere. But if you’re looking for eggs prepared as the gods intended, then this is your place.

Customers have rewarded Waverly Diner’s dependable fare and service with steady business over the years (and with lines out the door on weekends). In response to this popularity, Nick expanded the restaurant in 2010, increasing its capacity from thirty to ninety people. The ensuing increase in sales volume persisted until the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. At that point, several factors allowed the diner to endure the hardships that sank so many in the food industry. The first was the loyalty of its staff. While many restaurants struggled to replenish their workforce, Waverly Diner reaped the rewards of having long provided a great working environment. Its staff members, most of whom had been at the restaurant for multiple decades, did not abandon the diner when it was forced to shut down and operate at reduced capacity. They waited until they were allowed to return.

The second factor was the decision by long-time manager John Captan (who took over as part-owner when Nick passed away in 2018) to discontinue 24-hour service. The decision was forced on him at first by the pandemic circumstances. But John soon discovered that 85% of the night-shift business happened between 8:00pm and 12:00am; whereas 100% of the calls for police assistance happened between 2:00am and 6:00am.

These days, Waverly Diner seems to have left the problems caused by the COVID-19 crisis long behind it. Neighbors and local workers crowd the palace during the week; and families (occasionally travelling from far and wide) do so on weekends. And they used to be often joined by tourists as well, at least until geopolitical circumstances this year started to suppress incoming international travel. But maybe those circumstances will soon change. Regardless, Waverly Diner seems ready to continue serving delicious waffles at whatever time its customers desire well into the future. Asked to explain the secret of the diner’s longevity, John had this to say. 

First of all, I believe it’s the good food. People appreciate what they eat. Another thing is when I see people dining here, I see happy faces. I see people being very happy. I hear a lot of compliments. I hear about the service. I hear about the food. I hear about the environment and, even if I don’t hear, I see how people come in. They come in with a smile and they leave it with a smile. And this gives me the feeling that people feel like they are home.

For offering our neighborhood a place of comfort, conviviality, and nostalgia since 1979, we are thrilled to name Waverly Diner our September 2025 Business of the Month.

What special small business would you like to see featured next? Just click here to nominate our next one. Thank you! #shoplocalnyc

Here is a map of all our Businesses of the Month: