In which NYC diner did they shoot this scene for "Shades of Blue"?

January 14, 2016 5:29 PM

I'm hoping to identify the diner in this screengrab from the pilot for "Shades of Blue"

The show is shot in NYC, so if that's a real restaurant it is probably in that neck of the woods. I googled a bunch of terms trying to find a reference or an image, but I'm stumped! Thanks in advance for any help!

posted by chudmonkey to Grab Bag (6 answers total)

Best answer: Looks like the very unhelpfully named New York Diner in Long Island City.
posted by acidic at 6:05 PM on January 14, 2016 [3 favorites]

Response by poster: Thanks, acidic!
posted by chudmonkey at 6:46 PM on January 14, 2016

Those diners used to be very common, and they were premade in a factory and then moved into position. (That's why they're the size of a train car; they were delivered by rail.) I suspect the one in your screengrab is probably a standing set on a studio backlot.
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 7:05 PM on January 14, 2016

Here's a picture from the same angle for confirmation.
posted by acidic at 8:17 PM on January 14, 2016

Yup, I've eaten there many times -- definitely the New York Diner on Northern Boulevard.
posted by neroli at 8:47 PM on January 14, 2016

I, too, have eaten there many times and can vouch for everyone else.

Also, that area is convenient to most of the film/TV studios in New York City, so even if I weren't sure it was exactly the same diner (because, yes, diners like that are modular/prefab), being located in the Long Island City area of Queens makes it almost 100% sure to be the right one. I can think of maybe one other diner around there that could be it, and the seats are the wrong shade of blue.

It is absolutely not a standing set on a studio backlot, as Shades Of Blue is being shot on location in New York City, and no "studio backlots" exist there.
posted by Sara C. at 1:09 AM on January 15, 2016