Classic Chef's was just Chef's Diner when I was growing up! You could go there anytime, and we did, after dances, after parties or just to hang out and have the wonderful Tony's burger (a cheeseburger on grilled bread), french fries w/gravy, and a coke or milkshake! We still go there when we come back home to visit to get the cheeseburger on grilled bread! Everyone who ever went there, remembers it!! My friend fromTN has to go there and get it when she comes home to visit! Now the couple who owns it went to school with my "kids" and do a wonderful job! The food is always good and there are lots of choices! Waitresses are friendly, and it's a good place to run into old friends!! I would not hesitate to recommend it to anyone!! Lots of memories there for us "kids" who grew up in the area!

Dropped in after visiting the state park for some breakfast. Better than most diners in terms of food but the best in service and atmosphere. Be warned, cash only.

This is a true culinary gem. Ive gone here a number of times with my best friend and each time was served classic cafe/diner styled food that was expertly prepared. The chef on board cooks fantastic dishes, with the menu offering a nuanced variety that pretty much is inclusive of the staple dishes you're liable to find in the diners of yore. The hamburgers were my personal favorite but the eggs were served up in a satisfying fashion. Chefs is one of those MUST pit stops on the way to the Glen. If you're a local, you're already liable to know about it, but if not, it's the tri county area's great secret. HIGHLY RECOMMEND.

Classic small town diner atmosphere and vibes. Very friendly service and the food is excellent. We always feel welcome when we eat here. Their prices are reasonable too.

Great service! It is a diner and its cash only. We really enjoy having breakfast here. Read the juice size otherwise you will get a small juice. Great place to have breakfast and start your day!

Stopped in for a chipped beef special they did. It was excellent, just what I needed to warm me up on a cold day. Staff was super nice as well.

Like it here! Cute, fast service. Very good food when I come. Clean bathrooms, they only take cash but have an atm on site. Parking lot is the only drawback.

This place is awesome. We never eat anywhere else. Huge menu. Always delicious. Prices more than fair. AND I can get anything from breakfast menu anytime of the day. It's on the highway between watkins glen and montour falls. Can't miss it. Sit at the counter and watch the cooks in action!

Great friendly service. Excellent food. You can’t go wrong with an establishment that serves breakfast all day every day.

The food here is SOOOO good. I ❤️ their strawberry French toast. Just a good old fashioned diner.

Our server Marcy was a delightful person, she made everything so much better. The food was really tasty, my partner ordered the Belgium waffle with home fries, and I got the Steak, eggs, and fries were delicious! We’ll definitely come back!

They accept cash only! (ATM provided on site) Best breakfast diner food. They had a line at 7am before it even opened!!! I would come back for the blueberry muffins. And I’m not a muffin person. If you have ever thought about trying a muffin in your life you have to try the ones here. They only sell them til about 11am or til they sell out. They slice it in half and “grill” it and it tastes buttery and crisp and inside is soft . AMAZING!!! Be prepared to bring cash or pay via the on-site ATM machine inside the restaurant

Cute diner, massive breakfasts. Friendly staff. View of a waterfall outside.

Very disappointed. We sat for 15 min and did not get waited on. Wait staff did not seem to care when I told her we’d been sitting there. Oh well, we won’t be back.

Ate here for the first time in 30 years since I moved away and it was exactly the delicious comfort food I remember. Got the seal of approval from my picky son too. Classic diner feel with friendly, fast service.

Very friendly service and very good food.

My food was really good (B1 option comes w 2 eggs, home fries, 2 pancakes) and affordable as well. The vanilla shake was so good as well. The hostess/waitress was very friendly and welcoming.

I stopped at Classic Chefs on a work trip just passing through. The staff treated me like I was a local who they have known forever. Very friendly fun people who kept a smile on their face. Food was phenomenal, I got the buffalo chicken BLT wrap and chicken quesadilla. Both were cook very well and the food came out right away. Chocolate milkshake was homemade and got a slice of apple pie that I have yet to eat but I have high hopes. I urge you if you're passing by Classic Chefs you have to stop.

It is an excellent venue with a fantastic selection of different types of food to satisfy everyone. Every time I am in the area, it's my go-to place to have lunch. Everything is exquisite overall, and I highly recommend them.

Cozy,Mom and Pops style restaurant. Servious is very good, portions just right. My friend loved the fish dog. Loved the fact that my eggs were do perfectly and the home fries weren't the frozen type I'm used to getting & real sausage! It may sound odd but being in a restaurant that treats you like family and not a number, is so hard to come by I will definitely be back!

Great staff, great locals, great food. It's a small town diner; keep your expectations reasonable and you will not be disappointed.

Lunch with my 88 year old father . We were just passing through . Great meal with excellent service.

My wife and I got their chicken & biscuit lunch special for dinner and it was good. You can get breakfast all day. The place did not look fancy but the food was good.

Stopped for lunch and had an very nice meal. Food was great as was the service.

Great place for breakfast in Montour Falls, just outside of Watkins Glen, NY. Service and food were both great. A nice, non-chain local breakfast eatery. Portions were large and delicious, cooked perfectly. We come to the Glen every year for the vintage grand prix festival and we'll definitely be back to Classic Chef's!

Small place but very good food and great people. Does not accept cards. But has an ATM for those of us that have stopped carrying cash!Renovated a couple years ago. Best breakfast before a day at the orchards and wineries.

Nice staff, friendly people. Good food.

+4

Food amazing! The waitress was very patient and polite. I let my kids order their own food and the waitress was great with my kids. They have this amazing burger it is a grilled cheese topped with a burger patties lettuce, onion, tomatoes and then another grilled cheese! 13 dollars with fries!

Stopped in for brunch while traveling and this place was amazing. Fast and friendly service. The food was hot and delicious and affordable.

A wonderful diner for breakfast. My whole family enjoyed so much that we went back the next day! Highly recommend the pancakes!

My family and I just finished hiking the gorge at Watkins glen and stopped here for lunch. What a cute diner. The service was fast and friendly. The menu is huge!! 3 out of the 5 of us ordered the turkey and swiss melt. It was delicious and came with their homemade potato chips( which are salty and sweet). Everything was delicious and very reasonable. I'm so glad we decided to stop here, it didn't disappoint.

Really enjoyed breakfast here - so much so that we came back the next day! Service was friendly and fast, place is clean, and the food and coffee were delicious!! Omelet was one of the best I've had. Would absolutely recommend!

We stopped by Chef's Gathering today. I must say, the service and the food were spectacular! We will definitely be back!!! ❤️

Vacationers be aware -cash only place. They have ATM though. Come here if you want godd food and have big appetite. Great place!! In picture: farmers breakfast and country fried steak breakfast

Great food, fast and friendly service. I love the signs hanging on the walls.

We stopped here for lunch on the way to Watkins Glen. Philly cheese sandwich was so delicious! Service was really fast and friendly. Only cash accepted, but there is atm inside

The food is so good and the dish is large and it was the best fresh Turkey meat and it tasted yummy and the price was acceptable !

+2

Stopped at this local restaurant and breakfast was absolutely delicious!!! Fast and friendly service. Highly recommend!

Friendly atmosphere, staff were great the food was fantastic. Stopped in for lunch i definitely left satisfied. Definitely recommend stopping in for a bit of Watkins Glen history, and great food.

Quiet, down home eatery filled with locals which is my vibe! I had a fish fry, my husband had the reuben- all was delicious. But those pies though... Check them out!

Food was great, service was fantastic, would come back again!

Dj R

I am an honest person and tell it like it is, good and bad. 3 months ago: Chicken Parm like Mom use to make, I love it. Cheese burger and fries and home made pies all very delish. The salad bar is perfect. The staff keeps an eye on it and everything is the temp it should be. This is what we had and we will be back. Update: 3 weeks ago we tried the Chicken and biscuits, it was a bit bland what made it worse was we found 3 what I call silver bones, The worst type of bones because they are very hard to find and will choke you, Please keep a watchful eye for this. I did let the waitress know in a very nice way. Last night we had the Patty Melts a Texas Hot and of course my favorite the Chicken Parm. The meat sauce on the Texas Hot topped with chopped onions was very good but the dog was average. Everything is bigger in Texas but that dog looked and tasted like nothing special. Just average and small simple dog. No snap. Bummer. Small dog for the price. The patty melt was off the wall good and of course so was my chicken parm as always. The staff is so nice. The cook is a funny guy singing a dancing not knowing I was watching. So yes, not everything is perfect at this place yet, with the new owners. (Aside from the bones situation) Nothing is bad. They go above and beyond with the pies, attitudes, friendliness, customer service, My fav the chicken parm LOL. I intend to try the breakfast and have made this place my Friday evening place,.

John McCormick

Absolutely love this place. Great food, great service. Always clean, plenty of parking. New owner and she’s doing some great upgrades and freshening up. We Look forward to stopping in whenever we’re in town. Always a pleasure.

Mike Sherwood

Went in for the first time over the weekend with a large group. Food was delicious portions and prices were great. They have a nice variety of breakfast items. Our waitress was great and very attentive. Will definitely be going back.

Kathy Bailey

Excellent, friendly, service! Our food was ready quickly and was very good, including an actual salad bar! Everything was exceptionally clean and renovations have really brightened up the place since the previous owners. Will definitely come back again.

Jon Osterdahl

5 stars up and down. Visiting from Buffalo area, wanted a solid diner experience. I wanted lunch, the lady wanted Breakfast. I enjoyed the Tony cheeseburger. A grilled cheese inspired burger. Out of this world. 2 dudes in the kitchen, kicking ass. Marcy the waitress' service was wonderful to top it off.

Jeffrey Jacobs

Great breakfast on our finger lakes vacation! We both got the sausage gravy on our meals, very tasty. Nice small place, delicious food and friendly staff. Thanks!

Charlotte McIntosh

Our first experience was a Friday night for fish fry. Very good fish fry. Second experience for me was meatloaf and french fries with gravy - Awesome!! Not sure what the taste was i was tasting in the meatloaf but its the best ive ever have tasted. The French frenchfries with gravy went perfect with it. Very good rice pudding but doesn't beat my grandmothers.

Monica Weisedel

Our first time visiting Watkins Glen was complimented perfectly by our breakfast here. Everything was fantastic; the food, service, atmosphere, you name it. The highlight of my meal was definitely my milkshake though. Even the whipped cream was delightful!

Christina Spurling

Carrie was awesome! So lovely, wholesome, and darn good at her job. Hats off to the chef today, because he rocked it! Delicious biscuits and gravy, home fries and bacon. If we’re in the area, best believe we will return. Thank you!

Chelsea Hayes

From owner to owner, this diner has been a beloved staple for many generations of families in our area. My grandparents took my parents. My parents took us. When I started bringing my own family to "Chef's Diner", Tony Pulo was still the owner. I remember the night he introduced us to Bill and Tiffany Hill. We were sad to see Tony go but we were excited to see what the Hill family's vision was for "Classic Chef's". We were not disappointed, and our patronage never wavered. Now, with Rashanna Gee as the new owner, we were again sad to see Bill and Tiffany go but were excited to see what "Chef's Gathering" would look like. My husband and I went to "Chef's Gathering" for the first time tonight, and we were absolutely delighted to see a mix of old and new. It still has the same charm and warm embrace its always had. But it also has a few updated touches, like the new menu that debuted tonight. While there were plenty of past favorites, there were also some new dishes. My husband went old school with the Texas Hots (which he scarfed down before I could blink). I tried one of the new dishes; Quinoa bowl with orzo, veggies, and steak. It was so good! I ate as much as I could possibly stuff in my stomach and took the little bit that was left home. I suspect it will be just as yummy cold as it was warm. Thank you for the tasty meal and for handling the reopening with such care. Good luck, Rashanna and crew! (Updated to add more pictures from a separate visit)

+10

Robert

Food and service was great. Awesome place to sit outside for breakfast! Natasha was our server, she was amazeing!

Patrick Dunwody

Natasha was our server and very friendly and attentive. Restaurant has indoor and outdoor seating available, outside is dog friendly. Food is delicious and affordable with lots of options for any meal. We had breakfast and the pancakes were amazing. Definitely a great place to stop for a quick meal on the way to the finger lakes.

+9

Neil Westervelt

11/5/2: Same great service. Bit busy, but still came out fast. Bacon was bland. Hashbrown casserole was cheesy and yummy. 3/22 : Still great hometown food. Fast super friendly service. Tasty milkshake! 10/21 just had the best omelette and the very Best cheesy casserole I've had at Chefs. And, it came out quickly. The guys in the kitchen are doing it right! Miss the booths though. 1/21: Best hashbrown casserole ive had there, yum. Great to see this local landmark back open. And now remodeled. Old standbys are still here, and a few new things. Now finally gluten free bread! Cant give 5 stars because my milkshake wasnt as good as usual, or the little extra they used to give you.

+9

Nathan Chandler

Classic diner food but but better than average quality. Old-school diner counter seating if you like. Incredibly kind service from Carrie.

+1

Cassie Steiner

Delicious little spot with perfect Diner food. I had Tuna Casserole, My Partner had The fluffiest most delicious pancakes ever. If you come it's cash only, They have an ATM inside, Tip your Waitress well she was the only one there and was working her butt off and still managed to be entirely endearing.. We will be back!

Beautifully remodeled but with the same old delicious food and comfort.

Took my mom for lunch, and we sat outside . We were approached by Rashana, who was very rude. She said if you want to be served you need to come and let us know, I was told by a customer that you were out there. You should have written on your door, Stating you need to come in and let server know your sitting outside . Our Waitress was very nice and the food was outstanding!

As opposed to a few of the reviews I have read, this place has terrific food. Some friends and I were on a trip in Wakins Glen for a week and came here twice for breakfast. We tried Curly's first, which I do not recommend. It is by far the cleaner of the two restaurants, but the food is what counts, right? I ordered the same thing both days, which was the country fried steak. I must say, it was the best country fried steak breakfast I've had. My wife had the number 1 special each day, which was really good as well as priced very reasonably. The rest of our group loved the food as well. One thing this place could improve is the overall cleanliness. It's just an old place and needs a little bit of TLC to make it a bit more welcoming but, like I said, the food is what counts. I'm not ordering country fried steak until I go back to Watkins Glen.

The food was good and will go back if I am in the area again. I will say the waitress we had was much more interested in a patron at the counter than in us but the other staff was very attentive to their patrons. The booths appear to be in the process of being replaced/updated. I unfortunately chose an old booth that was in really bad shape. The food is worth the visit.

Been here a few times, trying different dishes to obtain a staple what to have. Had the Reuben, very good, seemed flat as the corned beef was sliced not chunked. Never had chili cheese fries before, ordered them, that can be a meal of its own as its of some substance and very heavy. didnt know it had onions on top, took them off as im not a favorite of onions, which is ok. it was overall very good, vast variety of comfort foods. ill continue to order different things to capture my niche. its a good place to go for the diner experience with the wait staff very friendly and spontaneous. you dont find that in those yuppy chain franchises. Stick with local. you get a good bang for your buck and it stays 100% local

Old fashioned kinda good and reasonable with prices. Downside for me was I am super snobby about lettuce wilt and rust. I prefer spinach and that was not available. The romaine looked kind of old, but I picked through it and found enough to make due. The mac salad, potato salad and coleslaw all seemed homemade as did the dressings. I added a scoop of tuna and the tuna was great! My husband had a burger and poutine fries. Both were very good. Bill was 23.00. Yay for not fast food and being affordable.

Had a great experience for breakfast on black Friday. Staff was nice, efficient and professional. The food as excellent, the portions were generous and the price was good. You should eat here if in montour falls.

Great little diner! We were here on Mother's day for breakfast. Our waitress was awesome. Food was delicious reasonable price. Would recommend it!

I ordered a double cheeseburger and some curly fries. They were both delicious! I will definitely go back again. Price was fair for what I got. Service was good.

Had the special, hot turkey sandwich with mashed potatoes, and it was from a fresh turkey like leftovers from Thanksgiving! I was very happy with the meal and the portion was all that I could eat. The staff was very friendly and attentive. My brother loved his meal as well. Overall a great experience.

Nice little diner...we stopped in while spending the weekend in Watkins Glen. The staff were overall attentive when considering how busy they were. The portions for breakfast were very generous and tasty! Nice spot for a quick bite at a very reasonable price. We would recommend!

I had great service. The food was good and it wasn't too busy.

Homey diner with a small waterfall view. Food is what you would expected at a diner, but service is really nice.

We stopped and had a late breakfast on a cold and rainy day. The atmosphere was very welcoming with smiles on the faces of the wait staff. The place was very clean and cozy feeling. The food was prepared quickly and delicious. My husbands chocolate chip pancakes were huge and full of chocolate. My eggs, toast and hash browns were very good also. All portions were good size and the prices were reasonable. One note: Make sure you have cash with you because they don't except credit cards and even though they have an ATM machine you could happen to be there the day the machine isn't working.

They have safety precautions: requires customers to be 6ft apart, but allows people to be unmasked if vaccinated. Note that most people were unmasked and outdoor seating was limited. Great place to grab a bite! Food is classic American fare with generous portions. Well worth the price! I personally found the dishes a bit salty. Very popular place for both locals and visitors, definitely stop by if you're in the area.

belinda hulbert

I've always liked chefs since we discovered it. I love how it looks way Cleaner. However the prices went up and the menu has been down sized alot! Breakfast menu looks great. But dinner has alot less options. Still taste great. I ordered shrimp scampi. Very good. Definitely enough to take some home!

Nancy Shumway

This is now Chefs Gathering. New owners. We came down for breakfast. Husband said his breakfast was OK. What you would expect a breakfast to be. I asked for a half waffle. I got a whole one and charged for a whole one. I am not a syrup eater. The waffle didn't have any flavor. But I guess most people figure the syrup is the flavor. Server was polite. The place was clean. Plenty of parking. You can see back I p the kitchen and that looked clean. Will come again and try something different next time.

I usually have never had a bad experience here. But when we went there for dinner tonight it was annoying. The one waitress was complaining how she should have called in. The cooks were yelling for waitresses to pick up their orders AND the waitresses were yelling for each other. Very unprofessional. I had a headache by the time we left.

Well the restaurant has just been remodeled and is beautiful inside and the servers attentive it's just not worth the price. A cup of coffee, a diet Pepsi, and a bagel with the tip was almost $15. Unfortunately due to pricing I will not be coming back.

Nice local place. I liked the people and the welcoming. However, my coffee cup had scratches and questionable dark spots on it. My plate was missing a chunk and not in a decor way. It's local.

For nearly 50 years I have enjoyed their traditional rice pudding and hadn't had it in a couple of years so I ordered it. WTH? It's terrible now. Please go back to the original recipe. I won't be ordering again until I know it's back to the original.

Food is subpar for the prices - Tasteless to be honest. Our server, Jodie, was amazing. I noticed majority of the customers had problems with staring; im not sure if it was my tattoos or not, but I definitely felt all eyes on myself and my children. I was hoping for a better experience a second time around, we won't be going back, ever.

Very disappointed with my food, ordered Texas hotdogs and tater tots the tater tots were great, but the hot dog rolls were so stale that the roll fell apart, it was horrible who wants that! The waitress brought another one but it was just as bad as the first 2 which she only brought back 1 instead of 2 as it should have been, for the 2 of us it a 23.00 failure!! Expected it to be much better than it was heard it was a great place to eat

I had high hopes coming in to Chef's Gathering. The new owner has done a really nice job of cleaning up the old Chef's look. It is clean, and bright with new booths. Our server was very pleasant and was trying her best on a fairly busy Saturday night. We ordered "poutine" as an appetizer. It is not really poutine, it is fries with a sprinkle of shredded cheddar cheese and a thick brown gravy poured on it. It tasted okay, but not poutine. Then came dinner, one of us had the chicken tender platter that came out with two chicken tenders the size of extra large nuggets. We asked our server and she said there are supposed to be four, I will go get you two more. I had a turkey club that was loaded with onions. I have never had a turkey club served with onions nor did it say so on the menu. The bread was literally falling apart, so that it was impossible to pick it up and eat it. In fairness the server did offer to have them make another sandwich without onions, but at that point I was just ready to go. I will give Chef's Gathering another chance for breakfast, but will not be returning for lunch or dinner items. I hope they make a go of it, but really the food quality needs alot of improvement.

Mandy DeGraw

What an amazing change! The service and friendliness is outstanding. So clean and comfortable setting form the old ways. However, I was expecting amazing food, and this was simply mediocre especially with the prices being more than average. Still excited to try breakfast yet So I still have hope.

Adriana Franco

This spot has had more name changes than a witness in a crime novel—Chef’s, Classic Chef’s, and now Chef’s Gatherings—but whatever they’re calling it these days, it’s still serving up the kind of breakfast that fuels adventurers. We stopped in before tackling Shequaga Falls, Seneca Lake, and Taughannock Falls, because nothing says “ready to hike” like a plate of bacon, eggs, and hash browns that could double as a weighted vest. The coffee was strong enough to wake up even the laziest hiker, and the service was just the right mix of friendly and efficient—classic diner style. The pies in the case were eyeing us the whole time, whispering, “you’ll regret not ordering me.” Sadly, we stayed disciplined… but next time, those pies are mine. Bottom line: Chef’s Gatherings may change names like it’s in witness protection, but it’s still a reliable, hearty, small-town diner. Perfect for loading up before chasing waterfalls.

+7

Went for breakfast, eggs tasted weird, homefries were greasy and english muffin was undercooked, my sis and I ended up running to bathroom within 10 minutes of eating. Waitress was nice.

Food was decent, until we discovered after returning our dry inedible chicken that our home fries had a huge hair in it. This could've been a one time thing but we wwere so grossed out we had to leave. Staff was apologetic about it and didn't charge us for the bad food.

Really let down. This used to be one of my favorite places. Though the menu is still similar, the quality did not reflect this in anyway. The signs are all down and replaced with Hobby Lobby/ TJ Maxx like decor. it’s lost personality. Grey and bleak like a modern McDonald’s. The staff was phenomenal and our waitress was the sweetest.

M Spak

Ordered a NY strip medium rare with a baked potato; my wife ordered a bowl of soup. Server came back and told me that they were out of baked potatoes, but had mashed .... so I switched to that without gravy. A while later, a different server brought over my steak, with a huge ladle of brown gravy added on top of the mashed potatoes. They did not include a steak knife, but I assumed they would bring one with my wife's soup. After several minutes, I had to ask the waitress who had brought over my steak for a knife and my wife's soup. She replied that she wasn't our server so didn't know about the soup. The steak was a low quality piece of meat that wasn't cooked properly, the mashed potatoes were processed, and the gravy that I didn't order was also processed. This place is probably fine for people on a budget. It's too be avoided if you're looking for a decent meal.

Ordered breakfast skillet and it came as more or less a garbage plate, which I could have tolerated except it tasted like half a shaker of salt was dumped on it. My brother thought so too. It cost $10 each for this privilege and we were just disgusted. Add to this, the dont take plastic... we have driven all over the country and not found anyone else who does cash only, so we had to use their atm to pay the bill and added $3 to the cost of the meal. Will not be going back ever.

You like diners? Cool. This one is a greasy spoon, like most of the rest. Everything is as cheap as possible. No chance of finding quality ingredients here. People who eat here are either poor, don't take good care of themselves, or are stuck on tradition. This place is another example of America giving up quality for sake of convenience. Go up the road. There is sure to be a healthier spot.

Went here with my Spanish gf, and we were treated horribly..ppl after us came in, and were served before us.. came here for breakfast, should've been in and out in 30mins, took almost 1½ to finally get food and the check... so unless your a white blooded American..do NOT come here.

worst brunch ever had. Waited 40+ mins just for 2 egg dishes, horrible loaded fries I won’t say it’s loaded…asked for check twice and didn’t get it. Don’t come here if u have some plans later.