The Grecian Yearning

I miss their pancakes (so much) and fast & friendly service.
I noticed that there is some renovation going on, does anyone know if they are coming back, or if some place new is going in?

Supposedly the Grecian will be back as the owner did have insurance on the restaurant, but I have heard rumors that unless the real estate owner kicks in cash for new fixtures and kitchen equipment, the Grecian may become just another memory of another classic neighborhood mom and pop diner to disappear from our community.
Was the Yearning a great restaurant? No. Was it clean? Eh, not really. Was it the serivice impecible? Debatable, provided the english language didn’t serve as a communication barrier… All of this is neither here nor there; the yearning was a greasy diner with extremely fast service, reasonable prices, and a homey feel and convenience factor that always had you coming back. How awesome is it to beable to go out to breakfast in your PJ’s and not be at a theme restaurant or bad dream?!
Hopefully the Grecian will be back, but if not, I’ll always have the luv handles to remember it by…

I feel bad for the owners and the people that run this place but I certainly will not miss the food. It just wasn’t good. I always walked down the street to Steve’s Kitchen anyway, which is much better imo.

waaaaa!!! waaaaaaaa!!!
rip!!!
i loved you!!!

I love you, Grecian! You will be missed!
The Grecian had the best pancakes in the city. I have yet to find better, or equal pancakes. If you have any suggestions for me, please let me know immediately.
The speed was always amazing. When I tried to go there and read the paper, I’d get through maybe ½ an article before my food came.
The political caricature drawings posted on the hood fan were always fun to look at, and you could often catch the artist in the diner if you wanted to discuss how he portrayed Hillary’s hips or Obama’s lips.
I’ll miss all the people that worked there, even the gruff ones.
RIP pancakes!

I was hanging out at Our House West last night and my friend told me The Grecian burnt down. I almost cried! I loved that place. Cheap food. Friendly staff. Many good times were had.
I first found it when I was in college and lived in Allston. It was a great place to go on weekends for brunch. Tasty greasy food to cure even the worst of hangovers. Good omlettes, great pancakes (especially the chocolate chip or the banana ones), hot coffee.
I moved further and further away (by that I mean I couldn’t walk there anymore), but I’d still make the effort to go every few months. I even introduced my cousin to this place when he moved here for college last year. We can never agree on where to go out to eat, as we are super picky eaters at opposite ends of the spectrum, but he loved it. Now where am I going to grab breakfast with him? So sad!
I’m really glad I made the trek from Somerville to eat there a couple weeks ago. RIP Grecian Yearning!

Grecian Yearning, «The Fastest Egg In The West,» was the best diner in the entire state of Massachusetts and I completely have post-​partum depression over its passing. If you do not agree, let me tell you about Occam’s Razor: It is a principle that, summarized, means «all other things being equal, the simplest solution is the best.» Here is what would happen when you went there:
— You would get seated immediately.
— Less than four seconds later, you would get coffee.
— During your first sip, you would get your food.
WHAT ELSE IS A DINER SUPPOSED TO DO. I don’t go to ice cream places and make a stupid janked-​up face and go «UHUNNnhgh, this place serves the shittiest crepes.» OF COURSE THEY DO! THEY ARE AN ICE CREAM PLACE. And this is all beside the fact that their logo was a clipart piece they found of Bill Clinton as a cowboy, AND the astonishing frequency of hungover BU undergrads having breakup talks over omelets. God damn it. Where am I supposed to go now.

Ok — maybe I’m a bit harsh on Grecian Yearning for burning down. Seems a lot of people like it and maybe it wasn’t their fault.
They even filmed the «The Lonely Maiden,» featuring Morgan Freeman and Christopher Walken there last year.
The fire was an electrical one apparently.

I will miss this place.
I am still feeling sad since I saw the firefighters out in front of this place yesterday evening.
They had the best waffles. Everyone there was really friendly.
Oh the waffles!

Best breakfast place around. The food is great, service is almost too quick and there is plenty of street parking.
The family that runs this place has been doing it forever so they are local celebrities.

A mixed bag.
Can be good for breakfast, risky for anything else.
R.I.P. Grecian Yearning, closed due to fire.
It will not be back, the building owner is renting the space out to someone else.

Breakfast: WANT.
This supersonically fast greasy little diner is fabulous for satisfying your cravings in the AM. The menu is satisfactory and average; no fresh fruit (boo! but who am I kidding here?) but an otherwise great assortment of breakfast nibbles (yay!). For reals, we were digging into our orders not 5 minutes after placing it.
The sausage comes in patties, not links, which makes me a little sad but certainly didn’t stop me from eating them all. The french toast isn’t all that fluffy, nor is it sprinkled with powdered sugar (fat kid at heart here), but it is delicious nevertheless and comes with a giant scoop of whipped butter on the side as (what I imagine to be) a sort of consolation prize for the lack of powdered sugar. A melty, artery-​clogging consolation prize.
The price isn’t anything to write home about, or text in this day and age. Our bill for two breakfasts and an apple juice came to ~$ 16. While certainly not unmanageable, it’s still a little high for such a simple diner.
I haven’t been here for lunch or dinner, and maybe one of these days I’ll be able to tell you all about that, but for now I’d certainly come back again for breakfast.
Beware, though: the joint is cash-​only, so hit up that ATM before you go. There is an ATM inside, but if you’re cheap like me, it would be best to avoid the sodomy-​licious fees.

OK, this review should be 3.5 stars due to the lack of décor, but I’ll round up for the following reasons:
The Grecian Yearning is the prototypical ‘greasy spoon’ diner. Solid, no-​nonsense food served up quickly. My friends and I are thoroughly convinced that the cooks are telepathic, reading your mind as soon as you enter the place — I’ve had food in front of me literally seconds after my first cup of coffee has been poured. Generous servings, a hot cup of joe, greasy eggs, and friendly but no-​frills waitstaff make for a wonderful way to start your day.

While I’ve been to far better (and cheaper) diners in my lifetime, I would have to say that the Grecian is pretty clutch.
I stumbled out of bed after a night of booz… mentoring inner city children, to meet a friend here (who, by the way, had been up since 5 biking/​running/​being a crazy health nut) for brunch. After much deliberation (what will keep the hangover at bay) I settled on pancakes and eggs. And they were satisfying, sure. And the coffee was good (a bit weak, unfortch) and the cranberry juice hit the spot.
So, yeah. Decent place. Relatively inexpensive. Wouldn’t go out of my way to go here, but since I live a short walk away, I’m sure I’ll be back.

BU college students must love this place. Arguably the best Spinach Benedict I’ve ever had. Cheap as f**k (but I was just visiting the city from NY, so maybe my pricing sensibility is skewed). This place is probably even more satisfying after a night of boozing.

GROSS

Good, solid diner food here. I’ve eaten at a lot of diners, but I’d never seen a Gyro club sandwich before coming here. It was unexpectedly great.
Be forewarned: this place is cash only, but there’s an ATM on premises.

The eggs benedict with home fries is absolutely deeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeelish! I’d go back again and again for that dish. It was really busy, but I didn’t have to wait long at all. It’s a seat-​yourself restaurant, so make sure you grab a seat once you see one open even if they haven’t cleared the table yet. Although I had to call for my waiter when I wanted to order, service was quick. We immediately got our juice and coffee and then our food shortly after. I look forward to going again.
EDIT:…
Because of the review I saw below about the bad review on the chocolate chip pancakes, I decided to try them out myself the other day. All I have to say is YUM! I’d go back again and order those because it was so chocolately delicious!

Oh my God! Best breakfast place ever! I am originally from New York, where diners are everywhere, but I can honestly say that this place has by far the best breakfast around! The service is super quick in taking your order and bringing it out to you in like 5 minutes! The food is absolutely amazing! Plus you can’t beat those prices…
Make sure to go before 11am, it gets real crowded in there Sunday mornings!

I love the Grecian Yearning!!! We sit at the bar everytime and get great service. The employees act like you are a long-​time customer, they make you feel really welcome. Good coffee, and great egg sandwiches. Can’t beat the price either.
There’s not too many places left like this, especially in boston.