Astoria's 94-Year-Old Mike's Diner Closes Amid Landlord Dispute

ASTORIA, QUEENS — After nearly a century spent serving up eggs, burgers and coffee below the Ditmars Boulevard subway stop, Mike's Diner has apparently closed permanently, as it faces claims of unpaid rent by its landlord.

Signs affixed Thursday to the window of the diner, at 22-37 31st St., read: "End of Lease."

"We appreciate your patronage throughout the years," it added.

An Astoria staple since 1928, Mike's was known for its 24-7 service and narrow, shotgun-style space, having once been based out of a classic railroad car-style building before multiple renovations.

But the diner's current owners were sued in February by landlord Zan Diakos, whose lawyers alleged in March that the business owed a combined $74,000 in debts — including two monthly rent payments of $7,050, plus three months' worth of real estate taxes.

The court issued a warrant for the diner property in early August, based on the diner's failure to answer to the claims, court records show.

Diakos purchased the one-story Mike's Diner building for $7.1 million in 2018, city records show.

The diner appeared empty Friday morning, the lights were off, and nobody answered the phone — though bottles of ketchup and Tabasco sauce still sat on tables and a refrigerator was filled with cakes.

Mike's had most recently undergone a major renovation starting in 2014, as owners told the Queens Post they wanted to freshen up the "landmark to Astoria."

News of the diner's closure, first reported by the Queens Gazette on Thursday, triggered an outpouring of memories from Facebook commenters.

"The end of an era. My mom worked as a cashier [there] in the 60s at age 19," one commenter wrote. "I used to hang out with friends in the 80s after clubbing. It was a go to [place] when shopping in Ditmars throughout my life."