The Trivet Diner Keeps Us Coming Back

Sundays are “go-out-to-breakfast” days with our good friends Fred and Gail.  Usually we mix it up among diners and restaurants nearby for a variety of menu options and prices. One of our favorite places on the list is the on Tilghman Street, where we often see returning customers.

What brings us back: The Allentown Wrap. At $5.25, it is my husband’s
favorite breakfast and possibly Gail’s as well. Filled with generous helpings of scrambled egg, bacon and cheese, this pan-browned tortilla is served cut in half with a side of salsa.

“They don’t skimp on the cheese,” Gail said of the white American oozing out.

"Or the bacon,” Bruce added. “You get a taste of bacon and cheese in every bite.”

Other wraps include the Rt. 309 wrap with eggs and American cheese ($4.25); the Tilghman Street wrap, with ham, eggs and Swiss ($5.25), and the Trivet, with veggies, eggs and ham ($5.75).

"We try to give customers what they want and pay for," said Greg Marmaros, general manager and son of owner George Marmaros of South Whitehall.

On this Sunday, I splurged and ordered the Belgian waffle with strawberries and whipped cream ($5.50) and Fred ordered the “Early Bird Special,”  ($5.99) which came with two eggs, home fries and a choice of meat.

My waffle nearly filled the plate. It was tasty, not too dry or doughy. 
The strawberries tasted fresh and delicious and came in plenty of goo
(technical term for glaze).  The whipped cream added to the creamy richness. I probably could have eaten the whole thing but took a portion home to savor later in the week.

Fred ordered his eggs sunny side up, done medium, but they came out less than medium. He showed us some stringy whites hanging off his fork. The eggs were not so under-cooked that he couldn’t eat them, so he did not send them back, but the dish was not as ordered.

Gail and I also like Greek and Mediterranean omelettes that add spinach or tomatoes with feta cheese to the eggs. We have found that some restaurants are more generous with their feta, adding chunks of the flavorful cheese compared to crumbles that are harder to find and taste.

The Trivet's menu features 40 omelettes from which to choose. "We try not to be ordinary," Greg Marmaros said. The restaurant also keeps a showcase of fancy dessert pies and cakes to temp all with a sweet tooth.

Marmaros' father and business partner Gus Panagopoulos of Lower Macungie bought the Trivet in 1978, Greg Marmaros said. They also own the Trivet in Emmaus. They replaced the original diner on Tilghman Street with the current '50s-style chrome-and-stainless-steel version about eight years ago and were one of the first diners in the area to go smoke-free.

"It worked to our advantage," the younger Marmaros said. "We did it for the health of our customers and to keep the diner clean, and we gained business from that."

I like that and feel the prices at breakfast are reasonable for the amount of food received. Our bill for the four of us, which included three coffees and a small juice, was $29.83, or less than $8.50 a person. If there's anything I would change, it would be access to the diner's parking lot, which can be difficult and dangerous if headed east on Tilghman Street. Patrons must cross a turning lane in the opposite direction and traffic coming off the Route 309 ramp.

Marmaros said his family tries its best to please customers with the food and service. "We're blessed with really good customers," he said.

Trivet Diner

4549 W. Tilghman St.

South Whitehall, PA  18104. 

610-398-3886.

Open 24 hours, daily