Dobbs Diner: Where Norman Rockwell Could Have Eaten Pancakes

When I moved to Westchester, Ronald Reagan was President and wasn’t yet Dobbs Diner.  It was a sad, lonely place going through the last years of its previous owner as the Mayflower. Now it’s vibrant, echoing the sounds of babies, old guys, and everyone in between.

It’s a people’s diner. I know there are the Eldorado empire fans out there so no disrepect. But Dobbs is real becaue the owners, employees, and customers are all loco populi, eating their sunnyside eggs and cheeseburgers and Greek salads and everything else like it’s a church dinner. They greet, gab, hug, chew, shout and carry on like the extended family small town America once was because no one told them that era is done and gone.

Aristede and Eleni Garganourakis—I neither added nor subtracted any letters, —have owned the place since 1987. The diners (as opposed to the Diner) on a Sunday morning are coming from Church, heading to it, or perhaps avoiding it entirely. Andy & Mary; Ken & Pam; Dick & Mary; Rick & Sally. A couple of old guys whining about the President…no matter who the President is.

Did I tell you about the Cobb salad? (Some dopey restaurants even charge extra for the chicken.) I’m something of an expert and theirs is excellent. Chicken, bacon, blue cheese, avocado, tomato, egg, corn, romaine. Ask for it chopped; they don’t mind because…

The waitstaff: Gus, Lisa, and Maria are seemingly a brother/sister act as they know/help each other in and out. They’re even nice to the teenagers. And, very important, they have influence! If you ask for the French fries “well done” they actually arrive that way. They care as though they have to eat the food.

I’m a habit-person but if you require variety just look at yesterday’s lunch specials: Jalapeno wrap. Russian panini. Chicken Francaise. Greek Platter. It’s a regular Rand-McNally. And all in the $12-14 range. Plus each comes with enough extra stuff to feed your neighbors should they stop by, which they might, because Church just let out and praying makes them very hungry.

Crowd:  The entire cast of It’s a Wonderful Life.

Think About:  Sitting at the counter. The back-less stools are good for your character

Don’t Miss: The mints at the Exit. They’re actually fresh from use

Bring: A smile. You don’t want to be the only one without

Essentials: Broadway/Ashford, Dobbs Ferry. (914) 674-0850. To paraphrase Bogart in Treasure of Sierra Madre: “We don’t need no stinkin’ website”