The Lost Diner

This lonely little Kullman Car off the West Side Highway may be unloved now, but it used to be a busy diner.

Now ironically forgotten between two auto repair shops which clearly couldn’t fix their neighbor, the restaurant at 357 West Street closed its doors in 2006 after 50 years of diner life. It’s been known as the Lunchbox Diner, Rib, the Terminal Diner, and the Lost Diner. 

A fast disappearing breed of food-service in New York City, this old school structure is one of the last of its kind, and its state seems to worsen every day. Food piles behind its boarded up front door, under its ancient Zagat rating, the windows are busted, the walls are stripped, and the floor is littered with parts of the ceiling. 

Next time you’re in the neighborhood, perhaps you’ll eat a sandwich on this Lost Diner’s steps as an homage to its good old days.

Update 2017: They’re well on their way to constructing a residential tower where the diner stood. The address of the building will be 160 Leroy Street.