The Springfield Avenue diner that Summit-area residents have treated as a second kitchen for decades just extended its winning streak to seven years.

Prestige Diner, at 1318 Springfield Ave. in New Providence, was named Best Diner in North Jersey for the seventh consecutive year in New Jersey Monthly's 43rd Annual Readers' Choice Restaurant Poll, published in the magazine's August 2026 issue. The results were announced Monday, July 14.

Harry Vardas, who co-owns the diner with his brother and has run it for more than 35 years, credited customers rather than himself.

"People have said seven in a row is lucky. Maybe it is, but the credit goes to the regulars whose photos are on that wall by the counter, not to us," Vardas told TAPinto New Providence on Sunday, July 13. "Some of them have been coming in for generations, and they're the reason we're still open after almost sixty years."

That wall is a collection of Polaroid photos near the counter, added during the winter of 2025–2026, according to TAPinto, featuring the diner's most loyal patrons. Locals have long called Prestige the "Cheers" of downtown New Providence because staff know regulars by name and order.

The Vardas brothers source nearly all their ingredients from within New Jersey. Meat comes from John's Meat Market in Scotch Plains, a butcher shop that NJ Monthly readers voted Best Butcher in North Jersey in 2014. Produce comes from New Jersey farms, herbs grow in an on-site garden, and the beer list is nearly all brewed in-state.

The menu spans all-day breakfast, scratch-made specials, and specialty cocktails. The Patio at Prestige, a dedicated outdoor dining space built in 2019, is open seasonally with no reservations required.

Prestige opened in 1967 and marks its 60th anniversary in 2027. The Vardas brothers bought it from their Uncle Tommy and have kept it rooted in the neighborhood. The diner runs an Outstanding Citizens program that recognizes an unsung community member each quarter, has sponsored the New Providence Street Fair on Springfield Avenue, and offered scholarships to New Providence High School seniors.

The seven-year streak carries extra weight given the broader landscape: an estimated 150 New Jersey diners have closed over the past decade, according to a September 2025 Business Insider report, even as the state remains home to roughly 500 of them.

Prestige Diner's 60th anniversary arrives in 2027.