George's Breakfast Grille: Where Else Can You Eat French Toast in a Toy Store?

It took my nearly 6-year-old assistant about 30 seconds after we had settled into a window-side table at to sum up the place: “It's is a restaurant inside a toy store,” he declared.

“It's a kid's haven,” confirmed owner Bill Westerman, who supplied my trusty sidekick with the game Zingo To Go to play while we were waiting for our meals. “It's a kid in a candy store, multiplied.”

Indeed, the breakfast eatery is inside George's Candies (Home of the Macaroons), which George Koukoulis opened in 1954 at Seventh Street and Boardwalk. In the ensuing years, it evolved to offer ice cream, too -- and toys -- lots of them.

Koukoulis operated the candy shop seasonally for two decades before Westerman's parents, Bill and Janet, took over and ran it for the next 20 years.

Westerman, a youthful 39, has been manager for 17 years. It was his idea to take over a neighboring shop and add the 15-table breakfastery in 2003.

“I'm a big breakfast guy,” Westerman said, “so we pretty much run the gamut” when it comes to breakfast offerings.

New this year is stuffed French toast, a decadent dish of sweet cream cheese sandwiched between slices of Texas French toast. On the savory side, Keith's Classic (named for the former chef who developed the menu) is a winner with spinach, peppers, onions, olives, tomatoes and mushrooms smothered with provolone cheese.

Omelets are “guaranteed to burst your belly,” the menu promises. Why not? You're on vacation.

“You can get whatever you want in an omelet,” Westerman said. “You think it, we can make it.”

Big windows in the dining room allow diners to see both ice cream and candy being made.

Of course, George's macaroons are what made it famous.

“The lore was the recipe came from George's grandmother,” Westerman said.

But one of Koukoulis' nieces, who was among seven nieces who lived in the back of the store and worked here summers, recently shared that it might have come from Koukoulis' habit of snooping around other candymakers. “Let's just say it came from his grandmother,” Westerman laughed.

Westerman is proud to continue Koukoulis' tradition of candymaking, a dying art.

“Our fudge is excellent, but our macaroons are No. 1. That's what we're famous for,” he said. Other favorites: almond butter crunch; chocolate-covered pretzels; molasses butter pops; pecan balls.

The addition of the breakfast restaurant moved George's ice cream to the Boardwalk storefront, which has boosted sales, Westerman said.

“We have the best ice cream ever, which no one really knew about,” he said. “We use all natural ingredients, including a vanilla powder that costs me $900 for 5 pounds. We make chocolate out of real cocoa powder.”

About 50 flavors are offered. Peach is made with Jersey peaches, blanched and blended. 

So, breakfast at George's is more than just breakfast. On the way out, it's hard not to pick up a pound of fudge, like my assistant and I did—or some toy that you really don't need, like the sippy straw glasses we got, plus a trio of little voodoo dolls.

And next time we're on the Boardwalk after noon, we plan to stop back for some of that peach ice cream.

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GEORGE'S BREAKFAST GRILLE

WHERE: 700 Boardwalk

WHEN: Breakfast 7 a.m. to noon; store closes about midnight in summertme

GET IN TOUCH: 609-398-4444; georgescandies.com

OTHER STUFF TO KNOW: All credit cards accepted. ATM on site. Take-out available.