New Diner Made to Look Like a ‘50s Throwback in Edison, NJ

The Skylark Diner might fool you as you drive down Route One.  It looks like a neo-art deco restaurant that has been around since the 1950’s, or something cribbed from a Jetson’s coloring book.  However, it opened five decades later on the busy corner of Wooding Ave. in Edison!

With seating for 250, the Skylark was not a timid restaurant launch.  The building is fancifully designed and the decoration inside was thought through carefully and spared very little expense.  Guy Fieri, Jerry Seinfeld and John Quinones are a few of the glitterati who have featured the Skylark Diner in their show.

If you’re expecting meatloaf with mac and cheese on the menu, you’re not that far off today.  However, the Skylark began with a very ambitious attempt to provide upscale meals in a place that looked like it served breakfast all day (it does), and didn’t have a sommelier on staff (it used to).  COVID put a hole in their “Not Your Ordinary Diner”  business plan, a hole which hasn’t been repaired.  There are still plenty of worldly offerings on the menu, but burgers and fries seem to rule the day, for now.

The food was very good at lunchtime and the bar was lively on a weekday evening when I looked in after getting a few more photos.  I look forward to making The Skylark a regular stop as I cruise North Central New Jersey.