Welcome to On Location, a weekly feature spotlighting landmarks and establishments seen on screen that viewers can visit IRL. Whether you’re seeking a fun selfie, breathtaking vistas, or maybe a show-accurate treat, follow along for some bucket list destinations.
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Fans of Apple TV+’s Severance know the show’s relationship with food is a weird one at best. From dinner-less dinner parties to marshmallow iconograms (only for team players), the show’s creators put the creepy into crêpes. While I’m sure we’d all love a chance to hang out in Lumon’s Perpetuity Wing noshing on waffles, that’s not a location open to the unsevered public. One place that you can visit — and really should according to the many travelogues that rave about it — is the Phoenicia Diner in Ulster County, NY, that stood in for Pip’s Bar & Grille.
The Phoenicia Diner on Apple TV+’s Severance
One of the accepted realities of Severance is that nearly everything happens in and around Kier, PE, a Lumon company town. (Note: PE is not the accepted abbreviation for any real state in the US.) Being a company town named after Lumon’s founder, Kier Eagan (Marc Gellar), all the major landmarks, retail establishments, and residential subdivisions are named after Eagan family members or legacy events.
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Pip’s Bar and Grille is the go-to anytime restaurant, named after Phillip “Pip” Eagan, the 6th CEO of Lumon. A direct descendant of Kier, like all Lumon CEOs, he would also be a direct ancestor of Helena Eagan (Britt Lower). While a gift card to Pip’s Bar and Grille is considered reasonable compensation for a work-related injury, Pip didn’t merit having a fine dining establishment named after him. That went to his predecessor, Gerhardt Eagan, the 5th CEO of Lumon and namesake of Gerhardt’s, the first Kier Star restaurant by the Kier Star Association.
Popularity in Real Life
The Phoenicia Diner has been at its current location of 5681 NY-28, Phoenicia, NY, since the early ’80s when it was physically moved from its original site. Current owner Mike Cioffi bought it from its original owners in the 2010s and it remains just as popular a venue for locals as for visitors to the Catskills. In fact, when the Phoenicia Diner closed to the public in March 2021, some regulars were pretty annoyed. The closure and the obvious changes to the building made headlines in the Hudson Valley Post.
Ward Todd, the president of the Ulster County Regional Chamber of Commerce, documented the excitement around the local eatery’s Hollywood turn with several photographs. Once Severance aired in 2022, the Phoenicia Diner’s customers were the first to recognize the classic diner’s profile and wooded surroundings. Despite changes to the roof and rooftop letters, there was no mistaking it as any place else.
More Than Just Pip’s
What sets the Phoenicia Diner apart from its on-screen Pip’s appearance is some really neat options for dining. On Severance, only the diner space is featured. And in real life, it’s warmer and more inviting than the show’s cold lighting and apprehensive tone conveyed.
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In addition to the diner, the Phoencia Diner offers patrons a lounge tucked away from the main dining area for cocktails and small private events. In the summer, they have an Airstream (so retro!) food truck parked in the lot outside. Customers are invited to dine at the nearby picnic tables. Heck, if the weather’s nice but the Airstream’s not operating yet, you can have your diner meal outside too.
Dining, Severance-Style
Fun fact: Although several scenes in both seasons of Severance took place at Pip’s, we don’t actually see any of the characters eat food there very often. In the series premiere, Mark (Adam Scott) is waiting for his food when Petey (Yul Vasquez) approaches him. We never see Mark’s food arrive, just him leaving. In Season 2, Devon (Jen Tullock) coerces Mark into meeting with her by offering to buy breakfast. He storms out before they get anything more than coffee.
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Sadly, the Phoenicia Diner’s breakfast menu doesn’t include waffles as a regular item. However, Courtney Malsatzki, the Phoenicia Diner’s Director of Operations, explains they have the equipment to cater waffle events for private bookings or off-site functions. This came in handy when the Phoenicia Diner (along with another Severance-filmed eatery, Eng’s Chinese) catered the Season 2 finale party.
Stay For the Food
Don’t let the rustic surroundings fool you. The Phoenicia Diner has had an excellent reputation for fantastic food and ambience long before Hollywood came knocking. Listed in the Michelin Guide to Dining in the Catskills, it serves breakfast all day until 6 pm (closed on Wednesdays), has a delightful lunch selection, and includes delicious options for gluten-free and vegan dietary restrictions.
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If you must indulge your Severance fanaticism — no judgment from me, I drove hours out of the way once just to eat at Mystic Pizza in Mystic, CT — can I suggest looking into the Phoenicia Diner’s egg dishes? After all, eggs have a special place in Eagan lore.
And don’t worry, you won’t have to take them raw. The Phoenicia Diner has four different delicious-sounding skillet options, several omelet combos, and a fabulous sounding benedict dish. Personally, my first Phoenicia Diner meal will absolutely start with their Jalapeno Popper Stuffed Hashbrowns (served with two eggs, any style.) Praise Kier.
Both seasons of Severance are streaming now on Apple TV+.
SEVERANCE Season 2 Left Us With These 5 Unanswered Questions
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