Good Food Vibrations: The Little Diner

Why we love this place

We love a great diner, and this is our great local spot. The eggs are prepared perfectly every time. The hash brown potatoes are shredded — our favorite style. The pancakes are the bomb! They are fluffy and filled with fresh fruit. The coffee is always hot and fresh. To seal its top-tier rating, owners Peggy and Brian Little have opened a frozen custard stand next door. We’re now convinced the Littles not only operate the best local diner but also are geniuses; the valley needed a frozen custard stand, and now we have one.

Menu highlights

Full disclosure: we’ve only eaten breakfast at the Little Diner — but we’ve had a lot of breakfasts here. Like many diners, the menu is extensive, ranging from simple egg dishes to salads and sandwiches. Although we haven’t tried every item on the menu, we’ve sampled many of them, and everything we’ve eaten has been excellently prepared. We tend to stick to the breakfast and brunch menu, especially the egg dishes. These range from two eggs any way you want them, to omelets, huevos rancheros, eggs Benedict, breakfast burritos, and eggs with corned beef hash. The hash brown potatoes are shredded and slowly cooked on the flattop grill, making them crispy on the outside and warm and soft on the inside. There’s nothing better with breakfast eggs. The Little Diner offers all the usual sides, but the bacon is a standout: high-quality and always crispy.

Other excellent menu offerings include biscuits and gravy, Dutch baby pancakes, a wide variety of French toasts and Philly cheesesteak sandwiches. The Little Diner has a liquor license and serves a wide variety of brunch-style drinks, including Irish coffee, bloody Marys, screwdrivers and Bellinis.

Vibe

The Little Diner is usually busy — really busy! The kitchen is just behind the counter seating, so you can watch your meal being prepared. The “dance” performed by the short-order cooks has always fascinated us. For example, the cook flips a burger, then grabs a rag and cleans the grill, then scrambles eggs without missing a beat — all while people are sitting at the counter. It’s truly breakfast and a show. The food is made to order, fresh, and from scratch. The wait staff is efficient and, despite being very busy, generally willing to engage with customers as needed. The environment is always clean. A visit to the Little Diner is a great way to start the day — any day.

The bottom line

The Little Diner is one of the best places in the valley for breakfast. The food is consistently excellent, the restaurant is always clean, and the wait staff is efficient and friendly. We’re also very grateful the Littles opened a frozen custard stand.