It’s not a bird, nor an airplane—it’s a diner!
The cherished Weiss Diner, a railroad car restaurant with nearly 60 years of history, was moved from its long-time spot in Williamsburg to the Brooklyn Navy Yard on Saturday. This iconic diner will now serve as a film set for future productions by Steiner Studios.
Using a crane, the retro ’50s-style diner was carefully lifted and transported about two miles south on a flatbed truck. At the Brooklyn Navy Yard, it will become a permanent part of the studio’s set design.
Since its opening in 1968, the diner has been featured in films like “Men in Black 3” and “The Good Shepherd.”
Originally scheduled for demolition, plans were changed when Steiner Studio stepped in. The diner, which had not been fully operational since 2018 when it operated as Café de la Esquina, faced challenges and was sold to a development firm for $12.5 million in the summer of 2025.
That developer intended to tear down the diner to make way for a mixed-use development with retail space and apartments overhead, until the intervention by Steiner Studio.
Doug Steiner, the studio’s chairman, stepped in at the last moment, offering to relocate the diner and promising to preserve its artifacts in the Navy Yard.
He mentioned the diner was “one of the few places” where residents could gather before significant changes in Williamsburg altered the landscape.
Steiner acknowledged that he wasn’t initially “interested in the diner market,” yet felt a sense of pride in being able to help preserve it.
“I live in this neighborhood, and there used to be only four or five places to eat in Williamsburg, which was great,” he shared. He expressed hopes that Steiner Studios could incorporate the diner into various film projects.
Previous productions filmed at the studio include popular shows like “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” “Inventing Anna,” and “Murder in the Building.”
Sandy Stillman, who ran the diner as Relish Restaurant from 1997 to 2010, was thrilled to see what she called her “lifeless child” find new life as art.
“Today is kind of a monumental day for me, one of the best days I’ve ever had,” Stillman remarked during the moving process.
After its operations ceased, various pop-up shops and events, including ones from companies like Chanel, utilized the diner space.
