Future Diner/Kafenio
61-09 190th St., Fresh Meadows
Phone: 454-8752; 454-8790
FAX: 454-4091

Cuisine: Extensive main menu of varied dishes

Hours: Opens seven days a week at 6 a.m.
Closes 1 a.m (2 a.m Fri. & Sat. nights)

Parking: Adjoining mall lot

Credit Cards: All major accepted

The Future Diner has one of the most extensive (but not expensive) menus you’ll find in Queens. It has everything you could possibly have a taste for and it’s available almost any time of day or night.

Its seating arrangement is versatile and Bill Clinton held a meet-the-public meeting here in 1998. (Now they feature a wrap named the “Clinton Wrap.”)

Michael Rigatos, owner, is a hands-on person who oversees all of the operations (and he also cooks). Many of his staff have been with him since the diner opened in 1991, including Chef Oscar and the very helpful hostess, Desi.

Starting with breakfast at 6 a.m. every morning, all your favorites are available: omelettes, pancakes, French Toast and waffles as well as Steak & Eggs with home fries, toast, butter and jelly ($11.95).

Lunch specials (11 a.m. – 4 p.m., Mon.-Fri.) are served with soup, entrée, coffee/tea and dessert ($6.50 to $9.95). Entrees include Chicken Teriyaki, Sandwiches, Grilled Salmon, Salad Platters, etc. The list of burgers range from beef to bison and from British to Cajun. A light lunch is French Onion Soup and a salad ($4.95).

We visited on a Monday night and had one of the Early Bird Specials — London Broil with Mushroom Sauce ($11.95) with whipped Buttered Squash as a vegetable. All Early Bird Specials a la carte include a soup (ours was beef-vegetable), entrée and a dessert. With every meal, you are served a bread basket with a humongous, freshly made roll the size of a loaf. We also enjoyed a side dish of white beans, green peppers, and onions with a vinaigrette dressing.

From the menu we had the Stuffed Cabbage with marinara sauce as an appetizer. It could easily be a whole meal so we asked our attentive waiter, Adan, to pack half of it to take home. We also couldn’t resist trying one of the Wraps served from 11 until 4 Monday through Friday. The Mediterranean, a house favorite, is enormous with chicken strips, grilled onions, peppers, tomatoes and Feta cheese. A real palate pleaser for $7.50.

We ended our dinner with made-on-the-premises desserts: an incredibly rich-iced carrot cake portion and the famed Greek Baklava — a honey-drenched chopped nut-filled phyllo.

At the Future Diner there are always specials to attract you. Brunch, for example, is served both Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. Offered are everything from Eggs Benedict to Cheese Blintzes as well as wraps. A glass of wine or a Virgin Bloody Mary is included for $7.95 to $9.95.

Do visit the Future Diner. It is well worth your time and money!

– J. Davis