Editor impressed by late-night Manayunk Diner

By Nate Adams
Collegian Editor
March 19, 2007

Lord knows I’m no dandy, but I like to think of myself as dude with at least a little culture. I’ve read some of the great literary classics. I listen to jazz and 19th century compositions when I want to unwind. I’ve seen at least one movie with subtitles in it. I occasionally wear sweaters. By no means am I a pillar of modern living, but I have my moments of enlightenment.

Still, sometimes all I want is to go to a place that’ll allow me to have pancakes with a side of mozzarella sticks for dinner. That is why diners will always have a special place in my heart. If you want breakfast for dinner, a place to get a home-style meal at a fair price or just a way to forget that you live in New Jersey, the nation’s armpit, diners are the place to be.

And as far as local diners go, you’d be hard pressed to find a better one than the Manayunk Diner.

Located under that cheesy “Welcome To Manayunk” sign on Main Street that looks straight out of the ’80s, the Manayunk Diner should be every La Salle student’s first stop when looking for home-style eats.

Perhaps one of the biggest benefits to the MD is its size. While most diners are smaller, cramped affairs that don’t necessarily lend themselves to big parties, the Manayunk Diner has a spacious setup that allows groups to sit comfortably. I went with a group of five people, and we could have easily seated three to four more comfortably at our massive table.

When it comes to reviewing a diner, there are four things that must be analyzed if the diner is to be seen as successful. A good diner a) is open late, b) offers free refills on coffee, c) serves breakfast at all hours of the day and d) has pie in some kind of clear rotisserie display case.

As far as operating hours, The Manayunk diner couldn’t do much better. Sure, the first-class diners of the world are open at all hours of the night, but being open until 11 p.m. isn’t too shoddy, either.

The diner hits again on the second criterion of fine diner-ing, offering free refills of their coffee, which is standard diner fair, not good but good enough. There is a troubling trend in diners to stop offering free refills on coffee, and it’s nice to see that the Manayunk is holding strong on the one true path.

As far as the all-day breakfast thing goes, they do offer it. Sadly, I was not in the mood for flapjacks when I was there, and opted for some chicken fingers instead. The fingers were good, plump and hot enough to constitute a drink without scorching my mouth. The meal didn’t come with French fries, which is lame, but a side order won’t send anyone back financially.

Sadly, the Manayunk Diner does not have a rotating pie display case, which is really pretty lame. Come on, Manayunk Diner, get with the program.

On the plus side, the Manayunk Diner also has a full bar, so if you are of legal consumption age and feel like getting a stiff drink to wash down those late night fried eggs, you have the option. Although I don’t want to meet the person drinking hard booze with eggs.

Affordable, comfortable and close by, the Manayunk Diner is the place to be for La Salle students looking for something familiar at a fair price.

adamsn1@lasalle.edu