Tuesdays with TT: Westway Diner

It is hard to believe that I have been living in the city for almost seven years now. While I did grow up close by in New Jersey, I was not well versed in city life. Luckily, my favorite Aunt offered to let me stay in her second bedroom until I got the hang of things. One of the things she taught me was food shopping in the city. D’Agostinos and Gristedes = BAD! Fresh Direct and local markets = GOOD! Note, this was before Trader Joe’s came to Manhattan, which I have become quite fond of. She let me in on the “secret” of shopping along 9th Avenue behind the Port Authority. She has a produce market, fishmonger, spice store, and butcher that she has been going to for years. It is truly a taste of the old school, pre-supermarket days. Not only is the quality high(although the produce can be iffy), prices are a lot cheaper than the food store chains. Aunt B usually visits these shops after playing tennis nearby. I have occasionally met her after she is done playing and we go get breakfast before filling up on groceries. Her go-to (and now mine) diner is Westway Diner. The food is good and cheap.

Although I moved out a long time ago, we still get together every couple of weeks for breakfast and shopping. CT was able to join us too since she needed to pick up some things, eventhough it was pretty early on a Saturday! 😉

Westway has some of the best diner coffee in the city. It was some sort of rich, dark roast. I always enjoy a couple cups during breakfast. They have such a large breakfast crowd so the coffee is always served fresh due to the continual brewing.

Aunt B is a creature of habit, so she got her two poached eggs in a bowl with hash browns and some Canadian bacon.

It also comes with a side of toast. She chose rye.

All of the breakfast specials also come with a choice of juice in addition to coffee. I went with grapefruit(left) and CT got orange(right).

CT ended up getting the same thing sans bacon. She has had a run of bad luck with poached eggs. This time at least one egg was nice and runny, not like at Back Forty.

I usually get some sort of cheese omelet. Spinach and Feta cheese is high on the list. I decided to change it up and order pancakes with bacon. It was quite a healthy portion with some nice crispy bacon on top. After drizzling a little maple syrup on top, it made for quite a tasty meal. I really enjoyed the saltiness of the bacon against the sweetness of the syrup.

The total for all three breakfasts was about $20 and change. That is what I call getting your money’s worth.

All in all, Westway is a great diner. Service is sometimes spotty, but that is usually the exception. 9th Avenue is also a great option for your food shopping needs. Well worth the trip across town for my fellow Eastsiders. They also have good lunch specials and probably dinner specials too.