On the stretch of Broadway headed out of Long Branch sits Sides Grill & Diner, a railroad car-style diner serving breakfast and lunch. First opened in 2018, this classic diner offers 30 breakfast specials, as well as good lunch options.
Waitress Michelle bought the diner with host Jimmy and now she’s the boss. Unfortunately, the new owners painted the exterior a pumpkiny shade of burnt orange that doesn’t do it any favors.
But the charming interior is intact, with its cozy eight-seat counter overlooking the fresh squeezed juice and coffee machines. There’s a dozen small booths and five tables, so anyone can sit in their preferred seat.
Grab a hot cup of coffee from your friendly waitress and enjoy the steady stream of traffic passing by on Broadway. It won’t be long before your meal arrives, hot and fresh.
The last time I visited Sides Diner was on my birthday, so I ordered the Farmer’s Breakfast with two eggs, two pancakes and all the meat: bacon, sausage, ham, and pork roll, New Jersey’s worst secret.
The pancakes are light and pillowy and taste of vanilla and butter. The only other pancakes in the area that come close to being this good are served up at All Seasons Diner, up on the junction where Rt. 35 and 36 collide. The breakfast meats are nicely grilled and the eggs aren’t all greasy and black from the flat grill, which sadly isn’t always the case at a diner.
J gets the Waffle Special with a giant Belgian waffle, scrambled eggs, and the same retinue of meats. The waffle has a vanilla undertone, and the meal has “more meat than you can shake a stick at,” says J. That means there is plenty to bring home to bribe our left-behind dog.
Breakfast options include NY Strip Steak with three eggs for $21, and a $14 French Toast Special. They have a deluxe Mexican Breakfast if you want to splurge, and classic three eggs any way with meats, homefries, and toast for $14, if you’re being frugal.
There’s 14 different omelettes, a half-dozen waffle and French Toast combos, and a big selection of Skillet Casseroles: an all-in-one fry-up featuring two eggs any style and different iterations of meats. They have breakfast burritos, breakfast sandwiches, and six kinds of Eggs Benedict.
Come by and enjoy bites like wings or Disco Fries, their famed crock of cheesy, gooey, French Onion Soup, a surprisingly wide selection of salads including Caesar, Greek, Chef, Cobb, Tuscan, Harvest, Georgian, Baby Spinach, House Salad and Fresh Fruit Salad with cottage cheese.
There’s an impressive assortment of Triple Decker Club Sandwiches, Paninis, Wraps, Sammies, and Specialty Sandwiches. If you want your dinner early, you can even get assorted chicken- and steak-based dinner specials. It’s not a Greek diner with a million giant cakes in the glass case, but there’s a Spinach Pie for $15, and a few pie and ice cream-centric desserts to satisfy your sweet tooth.
At the end of the day (which is at 4 p.m. now, at Sides), this is a classic diner, perfect for quick eggs, a tasty club sandwich, or a burger. You can get lots of other things, but don’t make me be the person to remind you not to order swordfish at a diner. Go grab diner food at this quaint little spot, and give a congratulatory nod to the new owners. They built the equity, after all.
Running late to start the day, we get a box and the check, and it’s only 36 bucks! Sides says they will soon add online ordering as well as delivery, so you can eat their breakfast at your table. And, when the weather’s nice, you can even enjoy weekend meals al fresco on their small patio.
Sides Grill & Diner
680 Broadway
Long Branch, NJ 07740
848-303-8290
sidesgrilldiner.com
Monday–Sunday 6 a.m.-4 p.m.
Save a Few Clams
It’s already pretty cheap to eat at a diner, but save a few clams by perusing the daily specials on the chalkboard in the entryway. On the day we visited, they offered a a Fried Fish Sandwich, Tuna Melt, or Grilled Shrimp/Salmon Caesar all for about $15. They also have Lunch Specials posted by the kitchen. Save your clams.
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