Johnny's Diner

Formerly known as Pip's Diner, Johnny's Diner in the West End neighborhood of Pittsburgh is where we headed for Saturday breakfast today. We drive by often when taking the back way home from Robinson, when avoiding tunnel traffic on the Parkway West. But enough about that - let's talk about BREAKFAST!

I'm pretty sure we saw this place featured on TV several years ago as part of a documentary on American diners. It is a very unique building - it seems to have been built from an old-time Street Car! With the counter down the middle where the center aisle once was, the rounded roof, and the big grill up against one side and stools on the other. It's really pretty cool. All of this is lost on the outside, however, as it has been built on to include a back room and additional booth seating areas. These "new" booths were already occupied, so rather than waiting, we decided to sit right at the counter, allowing us the full diner experience.

The menu here is exactly what you would expect from a small diner - most everything fried up right on the same grill. Where we sat we had full and complete view of our entire meal, step-by-step as it was being prepared. Since the kitchen area is so small, our waitress was also one of the 2 cooks. So our breakfast was brought to us piece-meal...Each item was served as it finished cooking.  (I guess that's one way to ensure nothing gets cold!)

When I saw "cream of wheat" on the menu, I couldn't resist (hey, at least it wasn't grits.) It was the first thing done, followed by husband's 2 small pancakes (on the side). After that was finished, husband's main course of cheese omelet with ham, potatoes & Italian toast was served up. Finally, after having been forgotten and made a little extra-crispy, my lone waffle was brought over.

Being so close to the action, I could feel the Stress of a busy breakfast rush on the two cooks, especially our waitress. There were several "to-go" order they were filling, along with all the regular diners - almost more than the poor little grill could handle. So all in all, it was an interesting way to have breakfast served in a neat little building. It really did feel like we were right there in the kitchen, but at the same time you could really feel the essence of this old street car.

J'eet

Okay, you have to speak a little Pittsburghese to "get" the name of this place. Here's a brief lesson for non-natives: "J'eet jet? Nah, j'ew?" Translation: Did you eat yet? No, did you? (True story.) Recommended by another co-worker, J'eet is a trendy little place just across the street from the new Children's hospital in Pittsburgh. They offer brunch on weekends starting at 10 - perfect timing for Saturday breakfast in Pittsburgh!

J'eet has done a spectacular job of renovating an old city building, while still keeping tons of charm. I love the old fire escape, and the inside has exposed brick & high ceilings, but fresh paint and artsy decor make it very modern chic.

The back leads through the deli-style kitchen to some cozy patio seating. But we stayed indoors and enjoyed the ambiance. The brunch menu varies from week to week and offers both prix fixe and a la carte. We chose the latter since we wanted to stick to breakfast. One of their specialties seems to be crepes, so husband chose a tasty breakfasty one with ham and eggs with a side of pepper cracked hash browns. I had just been talking about Nutella, so was unable to resist the Nutella banana stuffed French toast with candied almonds. Okay, definitely qualifies as "dessert for breakfast", but super delicious!

Everything was beautifully presented and overall was a fabulous pick for breakfast this Saturday. According to their facebook page, J'eet is under new management. Being our first visit, we had nothing to compare, but would love to come back to sample some of their lunch/dinner offerings.

OPA

An absolutely beautiful Saturday morning in Pittsburgh! So we were anxious to try something new, and what better than a Greek restaurant to add a little European flavor to our typical breakfast in Pittsburgh. OPA! is located in the Castle Shannon neighborhood of Pittsburgh. It had come recommended by a coworker, and we were specially instructed to look for the cinnamon toast!

Armed with such high praise, and with dreams of the Greek Isles, maybe my expectations were a little misplaced. I was a little surprised when we pulled up to see a sign saying that OPA! is associated with Tom's Diner. We've experienced Tom's style before, and it is all American! And indeed, the breakfast menu is nearly identical. (But don't forget that famous Cinnamon Toast...)

The decor is pretty cute, with a great big photo mural of a Greek town painted on the wall, and plenty of other decorations that attempted to transform the little cafe into something like a postcard. The place wasn't very busy, just a few other tables with some local folks meeting friends for Saturday breakfast.

Surprisingly, the "Gyro Omelet" on the menu is made with American cheese rather than feta. Being that there is a tomato & feta omelet available, husband did the natural thing and requested the the latter with gyro meat. A much more authentic combination. As well he ordered a pancake on the side and a piece of famous Cinnamon Toast. As for me, I picked the cinnamon French toast, which came with a side of bacon, sausage & potatoes.

The famous Cinnamon Toast was not really what I expected. It was a giant piece of cinnamon swirled bread, drizzled with a cinnamon sauce. And for my part, it was just okay. Lots of food, and even some to take home!

Sign on the Exit door

I think that the overall ambiance does a good job of trying to be different, but the menu just doesn't quite match. I guess when it says "Greek/American Cuisine" it could be subtitled "Heavy on the American".