It is an unfortunate fact that in nearly seven years in the area, I have not encountered a good all-night eatery in Troy. When it’s 2 am and my friends and I want to go out for coffee and such, we pretty much have to leave town. Most of the time we hit one of the five (yes, five) Denny’s in the area. But there is something even closer (in Latham, to be precise): the 76 Diner.
When you approach the 76, the first thing you notice is a reassuring phrase on the diner’s bright sign: "Always Open." I’ve been given to understand that this is in fact the case; you could show up at 4:30 am Christmas morning, and the doors would be open. This is what I expect from a diner.
Unfortunately, another thing that I have come to expect from a diner is cigarette smoke, and there is plenty in the 76, even in the non-smoking section; the ventilation is unfortunately poor, and my clothing reeked of smoke by the time I left the building.
My friends and I came in around midnight and were seated promptly. The menus that we were handed were quite garish—our composing editor would have a fit. The selection, though, was quite impressive. The 76 has a solid collection of breakfast, lunch, and dinner items, most of which are served ‘round the clock—another feature that I feel any good diner must have.
It’s not easy to maintain such an extensive offering all of the time, though, and the higher prices reflect this; the 76 is definitely not very competitive with other, similar establishments in that regard. I was charged $8 (plus tax and tip) for a rather small reuben and some french fries. Our group of four ended up paying $38, while I believe a similar order somewhere else would have come in at roughly $30.
We were very pleased, though, by the food. My reuben was quite tasty, one of my friends described her tuna melt as "damn good," and the others were also more than satisfied with their orders. (The coffee was only average, but we’ll forgive them that.) As I alluded to earlier, the portions seemed a bit small, but I was still full at the end of my meal.
Overall, the 76 Diner is definitely someplace to consider eating at on a regular basis. Even the service was good, if a touch slow when the restaurant was busy. Without the major detractions of the smoke and the elevated prices, this place would certainly come close to scoring a 10; as it is, it merits a very solid 7.5.
To reach the 76 Diner, get on Route 7 (Hoosick Street) west and leave Troy. Stay on Route 7 for about 4–5 miles and then take the exit for Route 9/Latham. Turn right at the end of the exit ramp, and drive about two miles; the diner is on the right.
