The order will terminate at the same time as the lease.
Astoria’s Neptune Diner, which has been serving up classic short-order fare on Astoria Boulevard since 1984, is closing for good on Sunday to make way for a new high-rise, becoming the latest in a string of beloved city diners to close.
“Everybody’s sad,” said Neptune’s manager, Chris Maniatis, “and they’re here to say goodbye.”
The Katitis family company was unable to renew the property’s lease and current owner, the Thomas Anagnostopoulos Family Trust, is in the process of selling the property, which is set to be replaced by a vast housing development.
For many longtime customers, Neptune’s demise is deeply personal, as the venue was an integral part of their lives.
“I started going to Neptune with my family when I was seven years old, around 1989,” said funeral director Dimitrios Hraderakis, 42, who grew up nearby “and would walk there to celebrate special occasions or when my mother didn’t feel like cooking.”
For Vladelakis, Neptune’s was “a place where so many great memories were made. We visited Neptune’s with people we’ve lost and new friends. It was a neighborhood staple that was loved and supported for generations.”
George Stavropoulos, a Brooklyn resident and Neptune patron for 37 years, shared similar sentiments.
“I still come here every now and then, but there are only a few seats left,” Stavropoulos, 54, told The Post while munching on cheese fries on Neptune’s final Thursday.
“Astoria used to be my destination and I used to come here every weekend and now I hardly ever come here anymore, which is a shame.”
In fact, even Neptune, which used to be open 24 hours a day, now closes at midnight after the pandemic.
“It’s such a shame, Queens will soon be without restaurants,” laments Joe Anastasio, a UX designer from Astoria. “Going to Neptune was a no-brainer. It was just a great place for any time or occasion.”
Neptune’s closure follows a wave of other traditional diners closing, a trend exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, including Odessa in the East Village, Cain’s Diner in Flushing and Shalimar Diner in Rego Park, all of which have closed in recent years.
The Anagnostopoulos purchased the Neptune Diner address for $10.3 million in 2018 and expect to close on the sale within the next two months, their lawyer, Nick Tsolomokos, confirmed to The Washington Post.
The other two restaurants the Katitis family opened — Neptune II in Brooklyn, in its 12th year, and Neptune Diner in Bayside, in its fourth year — plan to remain open.
But as great as they are, Hraderakis said the Astoria location holds his heart: “I’m sad to see this Astoria landmark close after serving the community for so many years. Neptune Diner will always be my favorite diner in New York.”
