One of the last 24-hour NJ diners just closed — only these remain

It used to be if you asked a native New Jerseyan what a diner had to have to be considered a true New Jersey diner, you would hear everything from juke boxes in the booths, stainless steel, paper placemats with ads for local businesses, etc.

You’d also hear it had to be open 24 hours.

For the longest time that was true. Sadly, economic realities sank in over the years and now there are very few diners meeting that criterion.

And one of them just closed down permanently this month.

The Americana Diner in West Orange has gone dark. For years it was part of the Main Street community, opened by a family that, according to its website, “wanted to bring delicious affordable food to the people in and around the town of West Orange.”

The Downtown West Orange Alliance Facebook page described it as having a “classic design, delicious food, friendly staff, and standing as one of the few remaining 24-hour diners left in the state, will be missed in our Main Street community.”

NJ.com’s Pete Genovese wrote of the Americana in May of last year, “I remember this diner on an all-night Munchmobile trip; I sat in a booth, fighting to stay awake, glad it was the last stop, and that it was a short ride back to Newark.”

He had called their burger solid, their cheesecake better than average, and their salmon a simple yet satisfying dish.

It served its last order on March 3.

Where does that leave the state of 24-hour diners in New Jersey? There are now less than two dozen. Yes, the open all night diner concept so traditional and beloved in New Jersey is now an endangered species.

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Jeff Deminski only.

Report a correction 👈