<Tr> <Th> Website </Th> <Td> www.tomsrestaurant.net </Td> </Tr> <P> Tom's Restaurant is a diner located at 2880 Broadway (on the corner of West 112th Street) in the Morningside Heights neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City . Frequented by students and faculty of nearby Columbia University, it has been owned and operated by the Greek - American family of Minas Zoulis since the 1940s . </P> <P> Tom's Restaurant was the locale that inspired Suzanne Vega's 1987 song "Tom's Diner ." Later, its exterior was used as a stand - in for the fictional Monk's Café in the television sitcom Seinfeld, where comedian Jerry Seinfeld's eponymous character and his friends regularly gathered to eat . The interior shown on the television show, however, looked very little like the real "Tom's", as indoor scenes were filmed on a set in Los Angeles . </P> <P> Early Seinfeld episodes showed the entire neon sign; later, the "Tom's" portion was cropped out, showing only the "RESTAURANT" wraparound . Even though the interior and exterior have undergone minor remodeling since the show, the distinctive sign has remained the same . Tom's is featured in Kramer's Reality Tour conducted by Kenny Kramer . </P>

Tom's restaurant on the corner of west 112th street and broadway