GREENWICH VILLAGE — Diners sipped coffee at the windows of the Waverly Restaurant again Wednesday on the neighborhood mainstay's first day since closing for renovations in July.
Starting at 6 a.m., the breakfast crowd at the 24-hour, landmarked diner at 385 Sixth Ave. discovered wood-paneled walls, dark peach vinyl booths and a familiar menu.
Manager Angela Captan said the Waverly was only slightly upgraded from its former state.
"It's the same food and the same people, but the environment is better," she said. "It's new now."
The Waverly's classic menu appears unchanged, with coffee for $1.50, egg creams for $2.95, burgers for $5.95 and American cheese omelettes for $8.65.
"Enjoy a dinner for breakfast and a breakfast for dinner with absolutely the same taste!!!!!" the takeout menu reads.
The throwback diner now has an additional 15 seats, Captan said. The counter, which used to be near the front of the restaurant, now runs along its right side.
The modifications spread the restaurant into the former Waverly Wines space next door, expanding it to 1,700 square feet, according to a description on the contractor's website.
Village resident Paul Dery, 31, ordered his "usual" on Wednesday: a cup of coffee and a Western omelette with lox. He said he has gone to the Waverly "religiously" for three years and is happy to have it back in his routine.
"It's a truly authentic atmosphere. There's nothing false about it," he said. "They always remember you."
