NYC Late Night Food: Specialty Sandwiches & Whole Wheat Honey Pancakes at Galaxy Diner in Hell’s Kitchen

Date February 17, 2009

I’m willing to cause controversy by declaring NYC’s best falafel, but when it comes to diners, there are so many in this city that it’s impossible to applaud only one as “the best.”  But therein lies NYC Food Guy’s motivation to find diners that are a cut above the rest.   Galaxy Diner, on 46th Street and 9th Avenue, is a great spot for late night dining thanks to their mouth-watering “specialty sandwich” menu and their walnut and strawberry-filled whole wheat honey pancakes.  Read on for more food porn and a taste of some other delicious options.

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French Dip ($10.95, +$1.00 for fried onions)

Roast beef with natural gravy on garlic bread with french fries, cole slaw & pickle

Fried onions arrived crispy as requested and fell out in strands from the garlic butter-adorned toasted Kaiser Roll.  The fried onions are essential as the ordinary jus leaves the flavor of the fresh, well-stacked roast beef flat.

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Fried onions are well worth the extra dollar and I’d consider spending even more for some melted mozzarella or provolone cheese.  At one point I added a slice of a friend’s bacon to the sandwich but it didn’t really enhance.

Whole Wheat Honey Pancakes filled with strawberries and walnuts ($11.35)

$6.25 +$2.55  per topping

More dessert than breakfast, these light but cakey flapjacks certainly don’t conjure memories of whole wheat, especially once they’re spread with butter and syrup.  The key is making sure to ask the waiter that your strawberries and walnuts are BAKED INTO the batter.

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Juicy sliced strawberry and crunchy walnuts line the inside of the three nice size pancakes.  This would be great to split if paired with another entree, but the portion is mangeable for one as well.

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The Remaining “Specialty Sandwiches”

$10.95 each, deluxe (french fries, cole slaw & pickle) included

Balboa grilled roast beef smothered with Swiss cheese and fried onions

Shuttle Burger Deluxe 8 oz. beef burger on toasted bun with cheddar cheese, topped with chili and onions

Tuna or Patty Melt Deluxe with American, Swiss or meunster cheese on rye bread

Dynamic Duo open steamed corned beef & pastrami on toasted hero with melted Swiss

Steamed Corned Beef or Pastrami on Garlic Bread

Bar-B-Que House Special sliced beef with barbecue sauce on a roll

Reuben corned beef or pastrami with tangy sauerkraut and melted Swiss cheese, grilled on rye bread

House Special grilled Swiss cheese

Galaxy Diner

665 9th Avenue at 46th Street
New York, NY 10036
212-586-4885
Open 24 Hours, 7 days/week

11 Responses to “NYC Late Night Food: Specialty Sandwiches & Whole Wheat Honey Pancakes at Galaxy Diner in Hell’s Kitchen”

  1. FN said:

    These are the types of places I miss when I am not in NY. It all looks really good. My stomach rumbled after reading this. Most of all, I want the pancakes!

  2. stevenp said:

    This is critical information, being just one block up from Rudy’s. Thanks!!

  3. miguel (spain-faicco connection) said:

    wow…..mouthwatering no doubt, Im taking good notes of all the places Im reading here so the next time I go to NY I can try them all….I’ll probably try not to eat 5 days before going, so that way I’ll be able to have like 6 meals a day or more XD, naa but this is going to be a big dilemma

  4. zeitgeisty said:

    wow.. that roast beef san looks delish!

  5. fivefingerfeast said:

    Wow! I have been on the hunt for a French dip sandwich in NYC…thanks for doing all the work for me. Yummmm

  6. Alex Kirwan said:

    Hey, great article! Looks like I have another place added to my list!

  7. Daniel Glaser said:

    Looks great, I must try this place sometime!

  8. The NYC Food Guy said:

    FN,
    Pancakes were pretty serious but I’d only swear by this place as a great late night spot, can’t speak for it as a crowded daytime place. It was pretty empty when I was here allowing the cooks to really focus on our food.

    stevenp,
    Amen to that brother. Rudy’s rocks.

    miguel (spain-faicco connection),
    Don’t eat for a month before you come and then when you do we’ll feast.

    zeitgeisty,
    Definitely a quality roast beef sandwich although the beef itself doesn’t wow, it’s really the combo of the beef with the onions, gravy and garlic bread.

    fivefingerfeast,
    I wouldn’t say this is the best. There’s definitely room for improvement especially when it comes to the actual beef but this is a good start, especially late night.

    Alex Kirwan,

    That’s what I like to hear. What’s on your to do list already?

    Daniel Glaser,
    If you do end up trying Galaxy, let me know how it goes.

  9. zeitgeisty said:

    How cooked is it? Doesn’t appear to be very rare..

  10. The NYC Food Guy said:

    zeitgeisty,
    The meat was cooked through. It was still tender but most of the juiciness came as a result of the jus. I would definitely prefer it rarer.

  11. jon colo said:

    Just went there yesterday, well I walked out so I did not eat a thing. Much to my disregard of all the people that said the staff was rude, I said to myself they need thicker skin. But that was not the case. My wife and i walk in, and we wait for ten minutes plenty of empty tables,

    the young russian girl aka hostess???ha! walks over, first hangs up her cell phone her convo was more important. we go to sit down and she puts us in the corner where there wasa tree/plant and heat pole blocking half the table. clearly was not meant for two people, I asked if we could sit at the table next to us, she says what this not good, I say not its not, she being the immature being rolls her eyes like she is having a seizure. I asked if all was ok she just walks away.

    as we order she looks again rolls the eyes then says to a waiter he cant sit in corner cuz he fat. being that I am5’9′ 180 pounds, far from fat.
    I get and say your attitude sucks, you need to grow up. then she says why what I do. americans

    I cant believe this happened all for no reason. I believe that if they changed the staff the palce business would go up 100%.

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