This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Community Corner

Jersey Breakfast Staple Hits the Spot for Lunch

Enjoy a taylor ham, egg and cheese at The Summit Diner.

Downtown Summit is bustling these days. New stores are popping up where empty ones stood. Making a dinner reservation is almost as hard as getting your youngster into a YMCA class. But through all of Summit's ups and downs, the one place that's remained the same is the good old . Located on the corner of Summit Avenue and Union Place, the Summit Diner is truly a throwback to another era.  The only hustle and bustle comes from Sandra, the diners' waitress of almost 24 years, as she goes from table to table taking orders.  

The Summit Diner is one of Summit's original restaurants and was built in 1938 by The O'Mahony Company of Elizabeth. At the time, they were one of the pre-eminent builders of "rail car" style diners. Not many working diners from that era remain today. For the past 25 years, the diner has been owned by partners Jim Graberis and John Anastos and they've done a great job preserving the Americana style in both ambiance and food.  

Besides usual diner fare such as a short stack (pancakes) or a happy waitress (open face grilled cheese with bacon), The Summit Diner prides itself on serving the best Taylor ham, egg and cheese in town. Graberis said they sell anywhere from 50 to 75 sandwiches a day and more on the weekends.

Find out what's happening in Summitwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"We also have ham off the bone with egg and cheese which is my favorite, but the taylor ham has been the best selling sandwich for years and years," he said.

So I brought my son, Will, and his friend David (big Summit Diner fans), for a Taylor ham, egg and cheese.  It was midday and the place was packed with families, seniors and kids alike. We grabbed three seats at the counter and within seconds, placed our order. From our seats we could see the sandwiches being made.  Right on the other side of the counter is the long griddle, waiting at any time of day to cook up a made to order Taylor ham, egg and cheese.  

Find out what's happening in Summitwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

At $4.50 it's a bargain because you get the sandwich with a side of entertainment. The chef or "griddle guy" works like an artist frying two eggs and searing two slices of Taylor ham with char marks to build the flavor. By the way, if you're wondering what taylor ham is, it's a pork roll type of sausage found in North Jersey. It looks and tastes like a cross between bologna and spiced salami and its beloved by young and old alike in our neck of the woods. All this is held together by a soft locally baked kaiser roll with two slices of cheese under the broiler. In two minutes, our sandwiches were done.

It was so delicious, too. The soft egg combined with smokey taylor ham and melted american cheese was a perfect combination. The chewy kaiser roll holding it together was a good choice as it absorbed the lovely little bit of grease that might have dripped all over the place on something more artisanal.

Summit Diner is open Monday through Saturday 5:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. and Sunday 6:30 a.m. until 1 p.m.  They serve breakfast all day. If you're in a hurry or just want to savor your sandwich with your feet up at home, you can get it to go. Take out is just as swift as eating in. After all, with the 75 or so Taylor ham, egg and cheese sandwiches they make every day, is there any other way? Reminder: Summit Diner is cash only.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?