Ive tried both breakfast on the weekend and dinner on a weekday here.
I grew up in new york and new jersey where there are diners everywhere. Ive lived here for 5 years and I've been dying for a decent diner. We've tried big al's, the shaker square diner, clifton diner, but none of them come close to back home. And im not sure why its so hard to replicate here. So with this in mind, I had high hopes for katz.
The waiters were very nice. The diner is nice, but small. Are they trying to be a little more of an upscale diner with the wine and the higher prices? 11 dollars for an average burger and fries...about the same as b-spot price...and six dollars for a cup of matzah ball soup. Now...matzah ball mix is dirt cheap. The celery and carrots are dirt cheap. Back in NJ a cup of matzah ball is 2.50-3.50. If you go to harolds at the meadowlands, a matzah ball the size of a bowling ball runs 8 dollars. This was no six dollar matzah ball. It was ok, nothing most of us couldnt make at home with 30 minutes of effort...which would yield a giant pot with 10-12 balls.
the burger was ok. paprika onions? didnt taste them. Tasted mostly the fat in the burger. French fries were average. Doesnt even come close to bar cento rosemary fries on the west side.
So all in all, its worth maybe one try to see if you like it. But unfortunately, where they are at right now, its not going to be a place that I come back to.