On Dec. 1, a Syracuse landmark opened for
a test run before Mayor Matt Driscoll and other local dignitaries
attended a Dec. 18 ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the official grand
opening of Miss Syracuse Galloway’s Diner. The silver tube, located on
the corner of East Water and Montgomery streets, has been a staple in
Syracuse since the 1940s, and was perhaps most famously known as the An
Mar Diner in one of its previous incarnations.
Dan Galloway: Owner of the newly open Miss Syracuse Diner prides himself on using as many local vendors as possible. MICHAEL DAVIS PHOTOS
The diner had been tenantless for the
past couple of years, but Dan Galloway and his wife Brett saw an
opportunity they could not pass up. Miss Syracuse is now one of only a
few places you can get breakfast downtown because of it. Galloway, who
has run several pubs over the last 25 years, most recently Galloway’s
Pub and Grill on South Geddes Street, decided to get out of the hops
business. He established a hot dog stand on the corner of Salina and
Washington streets last summer, which ultimately led him to open the
Miss Syracuse Diner.
“Everyone liked the food at the stand
and told me they wished it was available all year,” says Galloway. “And
so far, people have loved the food since we’ve opened. Mostly everyone
that’s been in has been a repeat customer, including the mayor.”
Most of the food on the menu is made
with local products. “We’re trying to keep everything within the local
economy as much as we can,” Galloway states. A few of the bread makers
he buys from are Columbus Bakery, Dolores Bakery and Harrison Bakery.
Better yet, the coffee is the primo local brand, Paul De Lima. The
reasonably priced menu features both an extensive breakfast and lunch
menu, plus daily specials.
Breakfast is served all day, and among
the popular choices so far, Galloway notes, is the “build your own Miss
Syracuse’s overstuffed omelette,” for $4.50, in which you can choose
any two items including ham, sausage, bacon, mushrooms and peppers to
combine with the eggs; additional items cost 50 cents. Hot cakes are
available in regular, chocolate chip, and blueberry, as well as egg
combos and breakfast sandwiches, all costing between $3.50 and $4.50.
The lunch menu also features a wide
variety of standard Americana, including burgers, hot and cold
sandwiches, loaded Julienne and a chicken Caesar salad, as well as
seaside fare such as shrimp baskets and clam boats. Galloway says they
have received rave reviews about the 8-ounce rib-eye steak sandwich,
costing $7.99 and served with pickles and homemade chips. “It might be
one of the few places in town that uses an entire rib-eye,” he boasts.
On Fridays, fresh haddock makes for a
fine end-of-the-workweek lunch, or dinner. The daily specials change
monthly, so it’s good to keep checking back to find out what day
they’re whipping up the one that hits the spot for you. All of the
items on their lunch menu cost between $3.50 and $8.95, and appetizers
and sides such as french fries, onion rings and chicken fingers are
also available.
“We
pride ourselves in having consistently good food in an atmosphere where
people can feel as if it’s almost a home away from home,” Galloway
says. “And in my opinion, we’ve definitely got the best breakfast food
in Syracuse to go along with that.”
Born and raised in Syracuse, Galloway
relishes the opportunity to keep a part of Syracuse’s history alive and
running, and looks forward to providing customers more than just
another place to eat.
Winter diner-land: Despite the constant barrage of snow Syracuse has seen this season, Miss Syracuse is still serving it hot.
Just by entering the diner, you
experience something that can happen in only five other places in the
United States. The structure that is Miss Syracuse Galloway’s is called
a “Drexler Diner.” There are only six still in existence within the 50
states, according to Galloway. They are a type of converted trolley
car. In fact, Galloway mentions that the diner, which was built in
1939, was originally located on Erie Boulevard East in the early 1940s
before being transported down the road to its current location where it
has been since 1946.
Miss Syracuse Galloway’s Diner is open
Mondays through Thursdays and Saturdays and Sundays, 6:30 a.m. to 2:30
p.m., and Fridays, 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Takeout and catering are also
available, or you can also rent out the entire Miss Syracuse dining
area for parties and events. For more information, call 423-2978.
