Mel's Diner

Mel’s Diner, long a local staple, offers more than a link to the '70s TV show Alice, which was set there. The chicken fried steak and eggs breakfast brings big flavors and generous portions of meat, potato, and gravy. Hashed browns are transcendent: fluffy on the inside, crispy-brown on the outside, precisely as they should be prepared. Potatoes are clearly Mel’s forte. The side of country potatoes that come with the gyro omelet are mini masterpieces, their soft centers clad in crisp, buttery skins. The omelet itself folds eggs around snappy feta cheese and mildly spiced gyro meat. Even the accompanying bagel is super-fresh. Lunch is also good here: Burgers and gyros and chicken sandwiches; milkshakes, too.