Montgomery County’s Fine Diners

Cheap, greasy grub consumed in a converted railroad car was the original diner environment. Today, however, with vintage memorabilia, polished chrome, retro styles and homemade eats, fine diners in the Valley Forge area equal fun, affordability and surprisingly good food.

Take Daddypops, in Hatboro, affectionately named after owner Ken Smith’s grandfather. In this intimate eatery, with its eight booths and two barbershop chairs anchoring the counter, patrons literally line up to be served. Breakfast is the most popular meal and the flapjacks feature a certain secret ingredient that Smith says he’ll never reveal. (Is it cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice?)  His home fries are simple and no-nonsense - made fresh daily, he goes through about 800 pounds of potatoes in a week.

The freshness is apparent at Towne Restaurant in downtown Telford, in the former Fenstamacher Building. Once a post office, a grocery store and a barber shop, this brick Anglo-Dutch building now houses one of the area’s most popular eateries. Although the exterior doesn’t scream diner, the welcoming interior, Formica counter and bar stools certainly do. Breakfast meats from Leidy’s, located nearby in Souderton, are served and the soups are so popular they’re offered to go by the gallon.

In the quaint shopping village of Skippack, along Route 73, Mal’s Diner is one of several eateries, but for breakfast and lunch it's often the busiest. With an art deco vibe, faux electric guitars in one section and your aunt’s living room in the other, Mal’s offers variety in both atmosphere and menu. You’ll find everything from grits, chipped beef and eggs Benedict to beer, wine and coffee drinks, right through dinner.

At Ruby’s Diner inside King of Prussia Mall, the decor is as simply delicious as the menu. White walls; red booths; and vintage motorcycles: a Harley Davidson, an Indian and a Triumph; rock this ‘40s theme restaurant. Ruby’s menu features a mix of burgers, salads and milkshakes, just as the atmosphere suggests. Burgers are the biggest sellers,but the Kobe beef, turkey and breakfast sliders are also a hit. Open every morning at 7 a.m., before the mall opens, it’s the perfect place to fuel up before power shopping.