Husband and wife Julio Garcia and Ana Cruz.
SEYMOUR – Husband and wife Julio Garcia and Ana Cruz recently opened the Riverside Diner at 179 Roosevelt Drive in the space that was previously occupied by Chaves Bakery.
The 1,400-square-foot diner is near the Housatonic River in a small plaza that also houses Cugino’s Italian Restaurant and Linda’s Wine & Liquors.
Garcia and Cruz, who originally hail from Mexico, moved to Connecticut more than 20 years ago. Both have worked in a variety of restaurants over the years at local eateries including Plaza Diner in Shelton and Route 67 Diner in Seymour.
“We’d been looking for a place for a long time, but then COVID hit so we figured it wasn’t the best time to start a business,” Garcia said. “When we saw the Facebook ad earlier this year, we knew this was the right place.”
Garcia, a father of three children (15, 10 and 8), also runs a landscaping business. He and his wife have a staff of four at the new diner.
“I’m not afraid of hard work,” Garcia said. “We love making fresh food for our customers and haven’t had any complaints about the food or the service. People tell us they love the food and are comfortable here.”
The menu at Riverside Diner is vast, with typical diner fare from tuna melts and breakfast platters to burgers and Reubens. There are weekly specials offered and handwritten on a large chalkboard suspended above a rustic dining counter and stools that Garcia built himself. The space didn’t require a ton of renovations, Garcia said, just the addition of several booths, with wooden frames and a new grill for the kitchen.
Riverside Diner is open for breakfast and lunch from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m., seven days a week.
The owners said they were planning to extend the hours to 9 p.m. starting on Dec. 3.
Garcia said he’s a fan of his chef’s shepherd’s pie, while Cruz said she loves the loaded home fries that are tossed with bacon, chipotle mayo and mozzarella.
Al Rollinson, of Naugatuck, and his sisters, Janet Worobel, of Seymour, Alice DeVoid of Southbury and Sharon Tucker, of Thomaston, stopped by Riverside Diner for the first time Tuesday (Nov. 26). They were driving along Roosevelt Drive from nearby Derby, in search of a place to eat for lunch, when they spotted the diner.
“We came across this place and we’re happy to check it out,” Rollinson said. “We try to go out to lunch with each other once a month.”
Rollinson had a cheeseburger and fries and raved about his meal.
“The food was made to perfection,” Rollinson said. “We will definitely be coming here again.”
Worobel said she has family that lives on the water nearby and plans to take them to the diner.
“Having a place so close by is great, I love it,” Worobel said. “I especially loved the fries, you can tell they’re hand cut and not frozen. When the summer comes, I’m going to bring my whole crew down here. We’ve got a great new place to come to right in Seymour.”
For more information about Riverside Diner, contact them at 203 – 516-5048 or visit them on Facebook.
