Stu’s Lake Street Diner

The guy who runs the place is sneering and resentful and the food didn’t make up for it, to say the least. The jerk even harassed us for ordering water. It’s no wonder there are never any cars in the parking lot. Avoid this trash dump.

Five stars for the food, less for the experience. Stu was perfectly nice to us, though a tad pushy on what he thought we should order, and that we should pack our leftovers (he’s clearly passionate about his food). But, when he ran screaming into the parking lot after someone who tried to come in and use the restroom we wanted to be out of there. I guess that happens to him a lot and he doesn’t like it. But in this day and age, where people might have guns, we felt uncomfortable and unsafe with him escalating that situation.

We waited 45 minutes for our food. Stu is the only worker in the establishment. If not for the wait time, the restaurant would merit a better rating.
The food was good. Burgers are the best option from what I tasted. The traditional wings are good too.
If you’re going to eat here, keep in mind it will most likely be empty and it’s pretty cold inside, at least during the winter (not much insulation).

Great food. Definitely recommend stopping by if you are in the area and looking for great wings or burgers.

Not an extensive menu, but my wife and I each had really good burgers here. I would go back.

Came in to an empty diner, they had a sign on the door that said back in 10 min but after getting sick of waiting we went in. After getting menus we decided what to order, after saying I wanted the chicken salad sandwich the guy said I was «making a mistake and his burgers are really amazing» so I took time to look at the burgers while my cousin stuck to her guns and ordered a grilled cheese, go that he said «whatever that’s easier for me anyway.»
After getting the food it was less then impressive, the grilled cheese was burned and the top of the burger bun I opted to order was black. The meal overall was alright, but the experiace was pretty bad. Also it’s cash only and they give you water bottles when you ask for water. (At around $ 1.25 a piece.)

Well– tried to go get a burger at 5:45, walked in and were told door locked at 6:15 we could get something to go if wanted because we will be kicked out promptly at 6:15– his words not mine. Think we were really kicked out at 5:45. Will go on down the road.

As picky as I am with my stars, this place is nothing short of American fare perfection in the foothills of this little town. Stu’s baby back ribs and the «Stu’s favorite wings» were INCREDIBLE. Good burger as well but definitely swing for the ribs/​wings. Will be back!

Food is absolutely amazing,
What I dislike is the guy’s negative condescending attitude and his passive aggressive attitude. I won’t eat there again, just on the basis that the guy who runs the place is so absolutely unpleasant and obnoxiously rude.

Stopped in at Stu’s while visiting Liberty for a weekend trip from NYC. The Stu Steakburger was one of the best burgers I have ever eaten. My wife was equally impressed by her caramelized onion burger too. Also, the fries were fantastic. Stu himself mans the grill and he obviously takes great pride in making a kick ass burger.

Totally unimpressed. Very sad because all of the reviews are positive and we were expecting a lot more. The burgers were premade frozen patties. I can’t say anything about the buns because I could not have one– so no gluten free options. The portions were small. Outer daughter had a grilled cheese on a hamburger bun. We were the only ones there. The service was good but all in all if you are looking to be wowed this is not your spot. Of the options around, it was ok– small town, not a lot of choices. I felt misled by the other reviews.

This is an amazing little diner! Every sauce is mouth wateringly delicious, the meat on every plate was cooked perfectly, and the Stu wings could win awards in Buffalo
The rib sauce was the best anyone at the table had ever tasted. Sweet and succulent with depth and complexity you’d expect in a high end restaurant in NYC, or Paris.
The pulled pork was buttery tender and the sauce was again amazing. The roll was as good as any bakery could produce.
The burgers are top of the line and every ingredient was presented with care and everything was cooked perfectly.
Last but not least were the Stu wings! Born and raised in Niagara Falls and having been privy to some great wings throughout my life, I have very high standards. The Stu wings not only surpassed every expectation I had, but I now have a new favorite wing! Perfectly cooked with crispy skin and tender meat, they were the perfect canvas for Stu to showcase the best sauce of the meal. Not too hot, but spicy and complex with so many layers of flavor it in truth is life altering!
Thank you for an absolutely incredible and unbelievably delicious dinner from the Amazing little Stu’s Diner!

Came here with two friends while driving back to NYC from upstate. They had burgers and I had the breaded wings. Service was great, atmosphere was minimal, but our booth was clean.
The burgers are clearly king at Stu’s. They take pride in how they’re made from the bun to the cooked to order angus beef. I’m not a red meat guy, but my burger buddies were blown away. My breaded wings were extra fresh, super crispy and pretty fantastic. This ain’t no over priced diner with crap ingredients. Stu’s is the real deal and worth the trip!

On our way back to nyc, we used Unilocal to find a good diner, stu’s came on top and we know why now.
Great diner: ribs are excellent and the burgers with onions and mushrooms are perfect.
Nice service, good food, good price
A place to go

Just had pretty funny experience. Ordered two burgers and grilled chicken for my kid. Burgers were pretty good — thumbs up for that. Waitress (Rebecca) very nice.
Funny part was when my kid thought the chicken tasted a bit funny and my wife took a look and decided a bit of it looked undercooked. She went over to ask the cook to give it another fire, and he said indignantly «it’s already cooked when it get’s here, in fact I cook it twice». He got so agitated that he went off and got a frozen one and waved it at my wife. It wasn’t easy not to laugh.
So if you want a decent burger and can promise not to hurt the chef’s feelings I’d say go for it. If you want anything more fancy, or to be cooked for by someone with the emotional control of your average grown up, maybe not.

Greasy, heavy burger joint — not diner food. In fact, this place may not be the same place as represented by all these reviews, as I believe I overheard the waitress explain to a customer that this «used to be another place…». Upon her greeting my table, she introduced the place as «new», as if it was just recently opened, leaving me wondering if when they bought the place they converted the Unilocal account name to new ownership (in which case they do not have 35 5-​star reviews).
The waitress explained the place had previously been located in Manhattan and was in a Senfeld «Soup Nazi» episode, yet I found it to be authentically very run down dive diner.
The side salad was a few pieces of iceberg lettuce with orange, unripe tomatoes. I ordered the garden burger, and the cook informed me they were out (oh well), so I requested a grilled-​cheese. What I got was American cheese on a hamburger bun. The «lemonade» I got was fountain sugar water (not real lemonade). The rest of my family had burgers, one had a chicken sandwich, and they were very greasy. There was nothing else remotely healthy to eat. Oh, my daughter barfed 6 times the following day. Hmmmm.
The waitress was young, sweet, yet obviously ill-​prepared for her responsibilities, as when I requested to charge the meal on a card, she asked that I pay cash for the tip. While I normally do so (so the waitstaff gets paid right away), having the waitress request so is a bit tacky, IMHO.
I give them 2 (not 1) stars because these people are well intended and that matters a lot.

Stopped by for lunch while in town for a few days. Served a delicious, juicy onion and mushroom burger that was a hefty half pounder. Also ordered a few battered wings that were crisp in the outside and tender and moist on the inside. Served with a side of house sauce that was too hot for my taste but I don’t like spicy foods so can’t comment on the sauce.
Service was excellent. We were greeted upon entering, order quickly taken and efficiently prepared. Even had the chance to speak with Stu.
Would recommend this great diner to everyone!

This was my first time in the area, and went to Stu’s Lake Side Diner on all the great review’s. When I walked in the waitress said to sit anywhere you like. When we sat down, there was a man (who we later found out was the owner Stu) sitting at the counter that asked if it was our first time here. When we both replied yes… he said one word… burgers.
We both ordered the Stu Burger with fries and both were perfectly cooked to order. We enjoyed the great history of Stu’s Diner (Formally the Munson Diner out of NYC), and the great conversation with both Stu and his waitress.
This is a clean, warm and friendly place, and the burgers rate up there with the best of Jersey Diners.
When I am in the Liberty area again, Stu’s will be my first stop again. Thanks again Stu… for that small town friendly feeling that I left with.

My girlfriend and I were traveling to Liberty, NY for a music festival and we planned to arrive a day early. We searched Unilocal for places to eat and right off the bat we saw the 5 Star rated Diner. Too good to be true? 30 reviews to back it up, so we decided «Might as well!»
To start off, easy to find, right off a main road, and we spotted it located near the base of a hill. However, from outside we were confused because it said «Munson’s Diner.» We knew it was the place because our GPS said we had arrived. Also from outside view, it seems like a very shanty building. When we walked in, it was fairly clean, but seemed like there needed to be construction touch ups. I’m no expect in that area but things could be better.
Normally, I would take rating off for appearance but everything after this was 5 star material.
Next, we expected the diner to be ²⁴⁄₇ but apparently the kitchen closes at 7:30 thus assuming they close at 8PM. We arrived around 8:05PM. The cook (soon to later be known as Stu himself) told us «well have you been here before?» and we said «No» and he insisted that we sit down and eat. We felt terrible but special at the same time. Good job Stu for going that extra mile.
Caramelized Onions and Mushroom Angus Burger — I ordered this and the first bite I took did not disappoint me, nor did the next 10. Medium rare, juicy, not too oily, beef was top notch, cheese not overly melted, buns seemed seared on the inside, soaked up the juices but not to make it soggy, and perfect amount of lettuce and a slice of tomato to compliment the meat. The onions and mushrooms nicely done, not undercooked, not overcooked. Handcut fries? Just enough seasoning, not too salty at all.
Spicy Cajun Angus Burger — My girlfriend ordered this and she enjoyed it as much as I did. Now unless Stu’s secret is just a factory made «Cajun» seasoning from the supermarket, he atleast knows how much to put into the meat. However he could possibly be creating his own season mixture. Whatever he does, the Cajun flavor did not overpower the burger whatsoever. Good job once again, Stu.
Lastly, our bill was only $ 18 after tax for 2 specialty burgers. That’s pretty good for the quality and types of burgers. This would be a regular spot for us if we lived in the area.
Thanked and shook Stu’s hand. Until next time my good sir.

On my drive back to NYC, I quickly pulled up my iPhone to check on Unilocal any good places to eat other than the typical McDonald’s or Wendy’s on the side of the highway. I came across Stu’s Diner which had a 5 star Unilocal rating, and decided to give it a try.
I was very surprised when I arrived and saw an empty diner. Not a single customer was here. After being seated, Stu and his waitress recommended I try the burger, and I was very happy I did. It was nice and juicy with the meat perfectly cooked. The fries were pretty good too.
Stu and his waitress were both super friendly. They had mentioned that I was the only person who ate there that night and I was surprised. I would definitely order from here if I lived in the area, and was glad that I happen to try it when I did.