Julie Ryan/Collegian
A classic breakfast of eggs, bacon, sausage, hash browns and pancakes, served up hot at The Finish Line.
Megan Martin/Collegian
The Coffee Cup is nestled between downtown storefronts near Broad Street Market.
Mel’s Diner revisited, a must
Open the door to Mel’s Diner and a little gem of a mom-and-pop eatery accosts your senses. With the sound of community gossip, the smell of fresh coffee and an atmosphere reminiscent of the television program Cheers, cook and founder Mel Kayse has created a diner in which everybody seems to know everybody’s name.
Inside the little restaurant, a 50’s-style soda counter meets country gingham window curtains and tablecloths. Lining the wall are miscellaneous coffee mugs, which lend to the comfortable homey feel of the dining room. Signs also hang on the walls with sayings like: “Unattended children will be sold as slaves,” “Don’t kill the cook” and “Roadkill Helper.”
The grill is out in the open, so Kayse can be seen cooking up orders for an array of regular customers—and talking to them as well, like the room is one big kitchen.
“Mel,” said one hungry gentleman at the table across from us. “Are those eggs done yet?”
“Not yet, Hank,” she replied, placing two pieces of toast into a toaster.
A few years ago Delta Tau Delta Fraternity brothers once frequented the restaurant. However, Kayse said, it seems Hillsdale students are now unaware of the little restaurant she started 13 years ago.
“We have a special here, if a junior or senior brings in a sophomore or a freshman, they eat free,” Kayse said. “So I’m surprised I haven’t seen more students in here.”
She said that the best things on the breakfast menu are the breakfast burrito and the Arrio Omelet, which is a blend of turkey, Swiss cheese and tomatoes. I had the veggie Omelet, and with some of Kayse’s special tangy salsa my breakfast was very enjoyable.
The atmosphere and food at Mel’s Diner makes it a breakfast joint worth checking out. The diner is located at 4127 Hudson Rd., by taking Highway 99 south. Grab a freshman and enjoy!
Make a pit stop at the Finish Line
One of Hillsdale’s most popular diners, The Finish Line is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. For three decades they have been serving an extensive menu featuring their delicious breakfast, while also scooping up their famous ice cream.
College students can stop by The Finish Line, which is open 6 A.M. to 10 P.M. everyday and located at 75 W. Carleton Road. They serve breakfast all day, so even if you prefer to sleep in as long as possible, breakfast can be ordered at lunch or dinner.
Their breakfast menu consists of tasty home cooking: eggs, bacon, sausage, pancakes, French toast, biscuits, hash browns; all of which puts cafeteria and dorm food to shame. It is also very affordable, and students can easily fill up for less than $6.
The Finish Line offers breakfast plates that give you either one or two of everything: a sampling of pancakes, sausage, bacon, eggs and hash browns. This is a very nice offering for college students, who miss the taste of a good, solid breakfast.
The pancakes are huge and fluffy. They don’t hit your stomach like a rock, or have a spongy texture. The hash browns are also good, lots of salt and pepper, butter and real potatoes.
For the coffee lovers, The Finish Line employees have a gift of keeping your cup full to the brim – full of hot, rich coffee.
The staff is very friendly and helpful. Even though the Finish Line is a small diner, it fills up with locals who know well the good food it serves. The staff is always welcoming, relaxed and willing to assist.
The Finish Line is also famous for ice cream. The many flavors of ice cream they offer are hard to resist – even if you are eating breakfast. The Finish Line has dozens of different ways and sizes to eat your ice cream.
The diner offers delicious breakfast and creamy, sweet ice cream all day long. Stop by – even if it’s just for a scoop of ice cream – it’s affordable and satisfying!
Coffee Cup charms patrons
The old train car which now holds The Coffee Cup Diner, located at 73 N. Broad St., has been home to restaurants for over 100 years. The car has been moved to multiple locations before it was established in the heart of Hillsdale where shops and lofts were constructed around it making it part of today’s “downtown.” Now home to a charming breakfast café, The Coffee Cup provides an atmosphere fit to counter any sleepy-eyed visitor in need of a morning boost.
The brightly colored décor and the aroma of fresh coffee complete the compositional elements of an uplifting morning meal. The menu provides a list of traditional breakfast foods all at very reasonable prices. Daily specials are posted on a board, and the staff seems set on accommodating customer needs.
It receives good business with its central location, great for both residents of Hillsdale or college students. If you do not have a car, it is an easy walk: head straight down Hillsdale Street, and left of The Wedge; a large picture of a coffee cup marks its location.
“Saturdays we get a lot of college students,” Kara Dunlap said, a Coffee Cup employee, explaining that the location pulls in attracting customers from different groups. Although closed on both Sundays and Mondays, it manages to draw quite a crowd.
Not only is it a convenient breakfast stop, but The Coffee Cup provides a home-cooked meal for a very reasonable price. Many meals are under $5, a great deal for a low-budgeted college student. And, certainly, home cook’n is often a welcomed alternative to cereal or skipping breakfast all together.
Overall, The Coffee Cup is a great place to go, whether breezing by before morning classes or pausing to catch up over some eggs and coffee. Its location, its prices, and its welcoming atmosphere make it ideal as a breakfast eatery.
More of Hillsdale’s finest:
Hillsdale Garden
2940 W. Carleton Rd.
(517) 439-9522
Here breakfast is served all day and homemade bread is usually available upon request. And if the two-page breakfast menu isn’t enough, you can settle down with a nice, huge slice of amazing pie and good cup of coffee. Try the pecan waffles or huge omelets, and don’t let the bevy of elderly folk scare you off--they know what’s good.
Palace Cafe
38 N. Howell St.
(517) 437-0689
Pair old red booths with good and greasy eats and you’ll find yourself at this classic smoky dive, where comfort means down-home cooking and prices that are easy on the wallet. Just because it’s the Palace doesn’t mean you have to get fancy: the basic eggs, toast and browns can’t be beat.
Checker Records
28 S. Howell St.
(517) 439-5488
While far from a diner, the strong coffee, amazing coffee cake and sweet tunes of this record shop and coffee bar lures us back time and again. Chat about 80’s rock or the Beatles with John and Robin Stiteri, the genial owners of this relaxed music spot, as they brew up an array of coffee delights to some killer rock n’ roll.
-compiled by Lauren Grover