Never underestimate the power of good brown gravy. Blanketing a hot roast beef sandwich, served as a dip alongside crisp, salty fries, and of course pooled in the crater of a volcano of mashed potatoes, brown gravy can make or break a diner meal.
At the Scranton institution named Glider Diner, deep brown gravy is the star of a platter of thinly sliced roast beef piled atop white bread, sided by mashed potatoes. It seems everyone in Scranton knows to get the hot roast beef at the Glider, and it is good, but even better, we think, is the porketta platter, where the Italian-accented roast pork replaces the beef. Porketta, something we’ve never noticed on a menu before, is an Americanized version of the Italian pig dish porchetta, and is perhaps a cousin to Chicago Italian beef.
The Glider serves up all the diner classics, including omelets for breakfast and burgers for lunch, along with good homemade rice pudding. We recommend sitting in the original Mountain View diner portion of the restaurant for full diner ambience, rather than the larger annex added in 1964.
Sunday | 8am - 8pm |
Monday | 8am - 9pm |
Tuesday | 8am - 9pm |
Wednesday | 8am - 9pm |
Thursday | 8am - 9pm |
Friday | 8am - 9pm |
Saturday | 8am - 9pm |
Other Nearby Restaurants
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Dutch Kitchen
Frackville, PennsylvaniaA convenient diner off I-81 in Pennsylvania Coal Country, the Dutch Kitchen is a family restaurant serving hearty local fare including shoofly pie.
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Pizza Perfect
Shavertown, PennsylvaniaPizza is sold by the cut, not slice, and while it looks bargain-basement, don’t be deceived by appearances. Tasting is believing; it is wonderful.
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Phil’s Chicken House
Endicott, New YorkPhil’s is a source for a Cornell chicken dinner built around a bird that’s slow cooked and relentlessly basted until glazed gold and dripping juice.
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Tony’s Lunch
Girardville, PennsylvaniaTony’s is a Pennsylvania coal country legend, open from 7:30pm until 2am, serving an outrageous burger called The Screamer, which includes Marshmallow Fluff!
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Mayfield Diner
Mayfield, PennsylvaniaBreakfast stars at the Mayfield diner, where home fries come plain or with peppers and/or onions or brown gravy. Coffee cups are kept full throughout the meal.
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Danny’s Diner
Binghamton, New YorkDanny’s of Binghamton, New York, is a gleaming Depression-era Sterling diner serving basic plates of eggs, hash, potatoes, toast and coffee at low prices.