HELL'S KITCHEN — Buy a greasy spoon from a vanishing greasy spoon.
The Market Diner is auctioning off everything from kitchenware and potted plants to its retro booths and iconic sign before it's torn down.
The auction began at around 2 p.m. Tuesday and will run until all the items are gone, which auctioneers guessed would be around 6 p.m. Tuesday.
The diner at 572 11th Ave. — which has been a hangout for Irish gangsters, celebrities like Frank Sinatra and late-night cabdrivers since the 1960s — served up its last cups of coffee on Sunday evening, after landlord the Moinian Group announced it would demolish the building.
The developer plans on razing the diner and building a 13-story apartment building in its place, according to the diner's owner and reports.
As the auction began on Tuesday afternoon, curious passersby who saw signs for the sale dropped in to scope out items, joining restaurateurs looking to replenish their cookware.
"We're not here for nostalgia," said Len Hehir, 62, who'd recently expanded his Hoboken bar to include a kitchen.
Still, he admitted he remembered the Market Diner from decades earlier when he'd worked in Midtown.
"It's sad...[They're] building more condos."
