Local staple Del’Rio Diner closing for good

After 40 years of serving the Bensonhurst and Gravesend communities, a beloved diner will close its 24-hour doors for good within the coming weeks.

Del’Rio Diner, nestled at Kings Highway and West 12^th Street since 1976, brought an old-fashioned flair to the nabe with its signature American and Greek dishes – the likes of which patrons will miss dearly.

“Sad to learn that my favorite neighborhood diner, Del Rio, will be closing July 24,” said Councilmember Mark Treyger. “This is an iconic neighborhood establishment that serves great food at reasonable prices, has very friendly and personable staff, and has been a staple in the Bensonhurst/Gravesend community for decades. This is indeed a major neighborhood loss, but we wish the owners and workers all the best in their future endeavors and thank them for their service.”

After mentioning the large part the community has played in the success of the business, Del’Rio Co-owner Frank Michaels explained the decision behind the closing.

“We’ve run a successful business for 40 years and we’ve got nobody to thank other than our customers,” said Michaels. “We’ve had a great following this whole time and it was just a very tough decision.

“A reason for it, partly, would be that it’s getting harder and harder to keep up with the operating costs,” he continued, “and we have a couple of the original partners who are in their 80s now, so, we had to make the decision.”

As far as still getting some of the same classic fare, the Vegas Diner (1619 86^th Street), an affiliated business owned by some of the same partners, will stay up and running, says Michaels.

“I’m going to stay with the Vegas Diner and I’m going to focus my energy over there,” Michaels added. “Our customers have been amazing and I want to thank them for the loyalty they’ve shown.”

Along with the community love the restaurant receives, film scouts noticed the location as well, choosing the diner as a backdrop for the popular NBC series “The Blacklist” back in 2015.