Diner from gangster classic Goodfellas destroyed in fire

The New York eatery has featured in several films and TV shows since 1990

The diner that featured in classic gangster film Goodfellas has been severely damaged in a fire.

Reports reveal that the iconic eatery based in Queens, New York caught fire on Monday afternoon (11 June) in a blaze which drew more than 60 firefighters to the scene.

While nobody was injured, the co-owner Denise Diamantis told the New York Post: “Everything is destroyed. My God, everything is destroyed.”

Originally named Clinton Diner, the establishment opened in the early ‘60s and has been owned by Diamantis and her husband Michael since 1985. They later renamed it after Martin Scorsese's 1990 gangster film starring Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci.

Goodfellas filmed two key scenes in the diner: one where mobsters Henry Hill (Liotta) and Jimmy Conway (De Niro) discover that Tommy DeVito ( Pesci) has been killed and another which sees Hill grow paranoid that Conway wants him dead.

Nick Diamantis - the owners' son who was 15-years-old at the time of production - recalled the film's shoot to The New York Times, saying his father “cooked like 40 orders, back to back” for the cast and crew.

"Mr De Niro, he had his own motorhome and you had to make an appointment to take a picture,” Ms Diamantis added.

The diner's most famous visitor was the late Philip Seymour Hoffman who Nick revealed requested the booth in which De Niro and Liotta sat while filming took place.

More recently, the old-school diner has been featured in TV shows including The Good Wife, The Americans and Elementary.