This place has always been pretty good, however they seem to be slipping lately and today I was completely disappointed. They have a "specials" board when you walk in but nothing to remind you what they are once you are seated. Where the board is located , you have to stand directly in the way of other patrons and servers attempting to pass through. As a result, you ate hurried and cannot remember what you read. You are also told by every staff member to "have a seat wherever"...ok...but I'm still trying to read the board... The waitress attempted to tell me what the specials were and it was so noisy, I had a hard time hearing her. I ordered what I thought she had said to be a "crispy grilled chicken Caesar salad" . At first glance I should have sent it back. The chicken was breaded and fried. The crust turned out to be VERY hard and took a very long time to chew. They had already put the salad dressing on (sparingly as it turned out) and tossed it themselves. The croutons were indistinguishable from the chicken and also rock hard. I should have returned it but I guess at the point I was at, I felt I had eaten too much of the lettuce. I did tell the waitress it was very disappointing but was told that no one else had complained . She could bring me more if the same but my companion had finished and it had taken quite awhile to get the food in the first place I figured live...learn and write about it on Yelp. Last week we had eaten breakfast there and the food was not that great either. So...I won't be going back . The staff didn't offer any help other than bringing more of the same. Â All towns such as these word gets around. I know this place has a hard times king it right when a customer is disappointed. Also...I realized as I left that I was supposed to have a dessert with the special. They did not advertise it on the board or offer it to me. I only knew because of past times. So...it's like the "if they don't ask...don't tell " of restaurants.
Review Source:I wanted to say that on the canopy outside it says Main Street Cafe, the place mats inside say Main Street Diner. I'm going to stick with diner..
I gave five stars because this is as good as it gets for your small town diners.
Portions are huge, prices are ridiculously affordable and food is fantastic! Servers are personable, the atmosphere in this place is comfortable and cozy.
We live within a 15 minute drive of four other diners, drive past two of them on the way, and we drive all the way to Valatie to go to Main Street.
We're there every chance we get.
Make sure to try the carrot cake!
So few choices in the Valatie/Kinderhook area for restaurants opposed to where I live but with this place, who needs options? Â Portions are ridiculously large, prices are insanely reasonable and the quality is fantastic!! Â Breakfast, lunch or dinner you can't go wrong at this gem! Â Just be sure to go hungry and ask for those take home containers because you will need them!!
Review Source:Great lunch in this one stop-light town. Â This is a true locals hangout complete with the saucy waitresses. Â Our dining experience bordered on dinner-theatre as we were seated next to a table of 10 local 70 - 80 year old men having their monthly lunch gathering. Â What fun listening to their wide and passionate views on local goings-on. Â Oh yeah, and the diner food was great too! Â Save room for pie!
Review Source:This is my all-time favorite small-town diner. Â It may not be haute cuisine, but it has everything you want in a diner -- tasty food, friendly service, and local color. Â The menu has all the standard diner favorites along with some interesting pasta combinations. Â I've never had a bad meal. Â It seems as if everyone in Columbia County shows up for Sunday breakfast, but it's worth the relatively short wait you sometimes have. Â I love this place. Â The only thing it's missing is a beer/wine license!
Review Source:Great general fair. Â Lunch specials well priced, included soup and dessert. Â Service was friendly and attentive. Â Highly recommend it for breakfast/lunch, will be returning to try the dinner service.
Warm and welcoming. Â Even as a stranger in town I felt at home and was made to feel like a 'regular' from the moment I sat at the counter.
Fish and chips was tasty and not 'oily'. Â Cottage cheese was ice cold and fresh. Â Coffee was fresh brewed and delicious.
Definitely not fine dining, but I always find charm in places that are the "happening" place in uber-small towns. This place is always packed, and if you are from Valatie, Â you are sure to see about 800 people you know when you walk in. My family and I make this our little breakfast spot, and although the food is nothing out of the ordinary, I find that sometimes simple, diner-like food is the most comforting of all. You are sure to see a lot of old men and ladies who consider this their favorite hang out. Sweet, small town, and a nice little place in the booming metropolis that is Valatie, NY.
Review Source:Hands down the best place to eat in this area. Â This place is like taking the best NYC Greek diner and put it in a rural village setting. Â Always good food, huge portions, large menu, and very, very affordable prices. Â I've eaten here since shortly after it opened and it has never disappointed me. Â Service is always consistent and fast, and waitresses are very friendly.
Breakfast is especially great. Â Try any of the frittatas or one of the deluxe meals (your choice of pancakes, waffles or french toast, 2 eggs, sausage, bacon, and ham), and you'll be stuffed. Â My parents and our friends always want to eat here when they come up from NYC!
The place can get very crowded on weekends at breakfast and dinner time, but good number of tables and fast service means fast turnover.
Unless you want to go out of your way to go into Chatham or Hudson, Main Street Cafe is one of perhaps only two or three places in the area I can recommend.
Let me preface this review by saying that I am not a diner girl. I am a foodie who appreciates fresh ingredients with innovative culinary skill and passion. Diners and cafes are not known for these qualities, so I tend to stay away.
Today, however, I was invited to go to Main Street Cafe in Valatie by some folks at church. Since this meal was more about the companionship than about the ingredients, I decided to give it a try and hope to find something on the menu I could eat.
Finding something that wasn't fried yet gluten-free was a challenge. I decided to order the char-grilled chicken salad. I asked the server if the chicken is marinated, and she said yes and began to describe the marinade that the chicken comes to them in. (Great....packaged foods...mmm) I asked her if it was possible to get chicken that wasn't marinated and that if not I would just have a plain salad. She asked and came back to me and cheerfully told me that they would be able to give me a piece that was not marinated. Awesome!
The restaurant was very busy, and there were eight people in our party, but we only had to wait about five or ten minutes for a table. The server was quick and efficient on top of everything. Never did we feel neglected despite how busy they were.
Our food came fairly quickly. I noticed right away that my chicken had not been "char-grilled." It was very obviously griddled in some kind of oil that I probably should not have. Served on a bed of iceberg lettuce with a couple of definitely not vine-ripened nor organic tomatoes and cucumbers with the little stripes peeled into the skin.
Since this was the first time dining out with these people, I decided to quietly choke down my meal and enjoy the conversation rather than putting in effort to get something more edible from a kitchen that most likely couldn't accomplish that. As my companions ate their fried foods, I ate my iceberg and remembered the real reason I was there.
The tomatoes on the salad ended up tasting terrible. So there I was with dry chicken (did I mention it was overcooked?) atop iceberg lettuce with a couple of striped cucumbers. sigh. At least the service was really good. The atmosphere was that of a busy small town diner. I can imagine that if my system could handle breakfast foods that I would probably like that place for brunch.
I ate about half of my salad, thankful that I ordered the small. As we sat and talked after eating, my stomach began to hurt. I don't know what could be wrong with chicken breast and iceberg lettuce, but something was wrong, because the pain got progressively worse as I tried to smile and focus on the topics at hand. When I finally made it home, all I could do was lay down and pray for the pain to pass.
I am still laying down as I type this. I still don't understand what could have been in that salad to upset my stomach this much. Either they gave me marinated chicken, or maybe the pan they "char-grilled" it in was also used to griddle pancakes and came to me contaminated in gluten. I doubt trace amounts of gluten would cause this though, so I am wondering about the oil that was used or if the "salad" (iceberg lettuce) was covered in pesticide or something. I am just hoping that it is not food poisoning and that I'll be fine in an hour or so.
Anyway, if you like diners and cafes, you might like this one. I can say that they were really busy (popular) and that the service was really good. But, if you are looking for something outside of diner fare, this is not the place.
Went to this cafe twice for breakfast in the last two weeks. Â Both times were very good. Â Being a big breakfast fan, I really enjoyed this place. Â I order the combo breakfast.....eggs,bacon,sausage,ham, and French toast. Â The price was just over 6 bucks. Â The food was hot, fresh,and well presented. Â The sausage was the big link sausage which was outstanding. Â The bacon was fresh cooked unlike many places that precook and rewarm. Â Â Atmosphere was friendly and clean. Â They are on my a-list for breakfast.
Review Source:Not a gourmet establishment but sometimes that's not what you're looking for. Â The food is reliable and good, and the service is quick and friendly.
The kids' meals are a fabulous bargain - $4-5 gets you their drink, a huge meal, and even dessert. Â Even the golden arches can't beat that deal.
My husband and I have become regulars at this diner since moving to the area in early 2009. The food is always fantastic - fresh and well made. Â
The food is also very reasonably priced - my husband and I usually order sandwiches and wraps and the total with generous tip is around $20-25.
We've tried  other diners in the area and we always go back to this one because it's the best. We bring people who come visit us to this diner and they always rave about it.
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