A Local Favorite Since '89 - Come Hungry, Leave Happy
Our Story
Established in 1989 by Peter Vasilakos, the Halfmoon Diner has been serving the community with the same commitment to quality, comfort, and hospitality for over 35 years. Built on Peter’s vision of offering good, homemade food in a friendly, welcoming atmosphere, the diner quickly became a local favorite.
Today, that legacy continues under the care of his sons, Jimmy and Ted Vasilakos, who proudly carry on their father’s tradition. From classic diner staples to freshly baked goods made by the same talented baker since day one, every meal is a reflection of the pride and passion behind this family-run establishment.
Whether you’re here for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, we invite you to be part of the story — because at the Halfmoon Diner, you’re always family.
The Halfmoon Diner Experience
Halfmoon Diner celebrates 30th anniversary
HALFMOON, N.Y. – The Halfmoon Diner has become a fixture in the area for family meals, business lunches, and early morning breakfasts.
Earlier this month the family that built and owned this southern Saratoga mainstay all celebrated the diner’s 30th anniversary.
With its two-story rectangular glass and polished steel entryway at the corner of Route 9 and Grooms Road, the diner has long been a beacon for anyone with a hunger for home cooking.
The building and the family business it houses was the idea of Pete Vasilakos. Vasilakos was a partner in a diner in Queens, N.Y. when he spotted the corner lot in Halfmoon with the prominent maple tree out front during a family trip to Saratoga State Park in 1987.
Continue story https://www.saratogian.com/2019/08/30/halfmoon-diner-celebrates-30th-anniversary/
Local Flavor 2023: The diner at the heart of Halfmoon
The Halfmoon Diner, on Route 9 at Grooms Road, features the ship on its menu and provides a short history. That it is in the town of Halfmoon is a only happy coincidence.
For some more recent history, let’s go back to the 1980s. Theodoros Vasilakos was driving on Route 9, on his way to Saratoga Spa State Park from Long Island, for a family reunion. His son, Ted, said his father saw the property at the northwest corner of Route 9 and Grooms Road, and decided that was where he was going to build his diner.
He saw the potential, liked the proximity to Town Hall and the location, which was halfway between Albany and Saratoga Springs. It seemed like a good place for a diner.
That was before Exit 8A of the Northway at Grooms Road was built.
Vasilakos Sr. had worked in diners upstate and downstate, and was ready to build his own. He moved his family to Clifton Park, and on Aug. 7, 1989, the Halfmoon Diner opened.
“This corner is the unofficial center of Halfmoon,” said Ted Vasilakos. Think about it: The other center of commerce is the intersection of routes 9 and 149, that impersonal commercial hive.
Though it is busier and bigger, much of it was built later.
Also, the quieter corner at Grooms Road, with its dignified, shiny diner set back from the road, has “Halfmoon” spelled out in big red capital letters on its sign right there. An out-of-towner would know exactly where they were if they were sitting at the red light. That feels like the center of Halfmoon. It gets my vote.