Simple Pleasures at the Maple Leaf Diner

There are few guilty pleasures in life; getting up late on a rainy Sunday morning and eating a jumbo breakfast at the Maple Leaf Diner is certainly one of them. With roomy booths, a smattering of free-standing tables, and a classic, long luncheonette counter complete with spinning stools, the Maple Leaf Diner is an old stand-by for many residents who seek a bottomless cup of coffee ($1.35) or comfort foods at virtually any time of the day or night.

The downtown Maplewood establishment has an extensive all-day menu and is especially busy on lazy weekends when it seems as if everyone has crawled out of bed and headed straight there. Seniors sip their coffee and quietly read the paper, parents feed hungry children, and others try to wake up and start their day. The scene is the epitome of small town America.

Breakfast items include three-egg omelettes ($5.75-$8.50), egg sandwiches ($1.95-$5.25), Challah French toast $4.95-$7.85), Belgian waffles ($4.45-$7.45), pancakes ($4.45-$7.45, including a $5.95 Trail Mix special topped with granola), cereal, bagels, fruit, and more. On weekdays from 6 a.m. to 11 a.m., the diner runs a $3.95 breakfast special: two eggs cooked any way with home-style potatoes, a choice of pancakes, toast, or a muffin, plus sausage, bacon or ham.

On a recent visit, I sought solace in the Irish Skillet ($7.75), a layered one-dish “morning after” concoction consisting of crispy, thin-sliced, home-fry potatoes and onions, grilled tomatoes, corned beef hash, melted cheese and scrambled eggs. As they say in the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups commercial, these are “great tastes that taste great together.” And in case that wasn’t enough food, the plate also included a toasted English muffin.

Equally good was the Eggs Benedict ($8.75), an open-faced, English muffin sandwich topped with poached eggs, Canadian bacon and Hollandaise sauce which was served with home-fry potatoes. The eggs were perfect, and the runny yolks blended into the velvety sauce. I had already awarded bonus points to the Maple Leaf for including this dish on the menu (many diners don’t), and I was pleased to discover it delivered on taste as well.

The Maple Leaf’s standard two-egg breakfast included bacon, toast, and hash browns for $5.15, and the cholesterol-challenged member of my group was able to order a generous heart-healthy Western Egg Sandwich for $5.25 (egg whites, bell peppers, and onions on a roll).

Lunch items feature dozens of different sandwiches. There are fried fish sandwiches ($5.95-$6.95), “salad” sandwiches ($3.95-$5.20, chicken, tuna, egg, etc.), grilled chicken sandwiches ($7.40-$8.15, cutlets, cajun, parmesan, etc.), paninis, wraps ($5.95-$8.15), triple-decker sandwiches ($7.05-$8.40), “carving board” sandwiches ($4.35-$5.95), and specialty sandwiches such as Philly cheese steaks ($7.05) and gyros ($5.20). If you’re not in the mood for a sandwich, fear not. The diner also offers salads ($7.95-$11.95), hot dogs ($2.65), half-pound “unbeatable” burgers ($3.95 regular, $5.95 deluxe) and a few “waist watchers” options ($6.00-$6.45).

Dinner specials are served with soup or choice of a tossed, Greek, or Cesar salad and include baked lamb shanks served over orzo ($10.95), spinach Spanakopitta with a Greek salad ($7.95), calamari fra diavolo served with linguini and mussels ($8.95), and chicken teriyaki with peppers, onions, and mushrooms over rice ($9.95). There is also an assortment of steaks and chops ($9.95-$12.95), entrees and roasts ($8.95-$10.50), and “Seafood Treasures” ($9.25-$13.95).

Of course, no diner menu is complete without cakes, fruit pies ($2.25-$3.25), ice cream sundaes ($4.25), and milk shakes ($2.50). The self-titled “Family Place” even serves old-fashioned, Brooklyn egg creams ($1.95), and if they don’t take you to your comfort zone, surely nothing will.

All in all, three things stood out to me at the Maple Leaf Diner: the coffee was hot and kept on coming, the food was simple and served with a smile, and most important, I felt right at home—as if my mom was in the kitchen whipping up her famous weekend brunch. There are lots of times when I love nothing more than a fancy, dressed-up culinary show-stopper of an experience. Those restaurants come and go. But on a rainy Sunday morning, all I want are the simple pleasures. The food I crave is a taste of home, and where I find it is at the Maple Leaf Diner.

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The Maple Leaf Diner

165 Maplewood Ave., Maplewood

(973) 763-8833

Hours of Operation:

Monday through Friday, 6 am-9pm

Saturday, 6 am-10pm

Sunday, 6 am-8 pm

BYO. Cash, credit, Mastercard, and Visa accepted.