My Favorite Local Diners

Small, locally owned diners dot the landscape here in Western NY.  They seem to be everywhere.  Many of them are very good, while there are others, not so much.  I've made a point of trying just about all of them in my travels over the years and as a result can say without question there are a select few that truly stand out above the rest.  These are the places I eat at whenever the opportunity arises and would not hesitate to recommend you try them as well.  In no particular order.......

The Cozy Kitchen - Caledonia, NY

Located on W. Main St. adjacent to the Fire Hall, the Cozy Kitchen has been one of my "go - to" places for breakfast for a very long time.  In fact, they set the standard by which I measure all other diners' breakfast fare.  The place is pure Americana inside, the menu choices are incredibly varied, the staff is friendly, and most importantly, the food is pure bliss!  They accept credit cards as well as cash and their prices are quite reasonable.  They are generally only open for breakfast and lunch.  

They offer all three breakfast meats but, I'm a breakfast sausage kind of guy.  "Brown and Serve" is not for me and that's one of the reasons I like it here so much.  They use a locally made breakfast sausage patty (OK Meat Market - Churchville, NY) that is really delicious. So delicious in fact, I always are an extra patty to enjoy since I never know how long it will be before I'll be visiting again.  

Another benchmark are their home fries which are prepared correctly and cooked to perfection.  I'm constantly amazed at how many diners fail when it comes to serving good breakfast potatoes.  It's not that hard folks!  They start with left-over baked potatoes that are peeled and cooked to a golden brown on the grill-top and seasoned lightly.  Nestled between the sausage and home fries are some eggs cooked to order and, the other big reason I love coming here - HOMEMADE WHITE BREAD toast!!  I have nothing against regular white toast, and am fond of rye or raisin toast whenever they're offered but, take my word for it.  If you eat breakfast here, you want to order the homemade white bread toast.