Local Flavor: Coventry Diner offers homestyle food in cozy atmosphere

A bacon cheeseburger is served with fries at the Coventry Diner.
A bacon cheeseburger is served with fries at the Coventry Diner.

My wife was in the mood for breakfast. I felt like having lunch.

Where should we go? Why not the Coventry Diner?

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We were already in Coventry Township after picking up two pies at the Gardner Pie Co. for a family outing, so we decided to try, as the menu touts, “Coventry’s Favorite Spot for Family Dining.”

The Manchester Road diner is tucked away in Coventry Towne Plaza, a 1950s shopping center whose modern tenants include Save A Lot, Harbor Freight Tools and Dollar General.

Veteran restaurateur Lou Corpas opened the business in 2007. His brother Dean Corpas owns Akron Family Restaurant on West Market Street, and if you like that establishment, a landmark since 1986, you will enjoy its Portage Lakes counterpart.

My wife, Susie, and I tried to blend in with the Coventry Diner regulars on a recent Friday afternoon.

The Coventry Diner has a nautical theme, including a sailfish hanging on the wall.
The Coventry Diner has a nautical theme, including a sailfish hanging on the wall.

The 2,400-square-foot restaurant is bright and cheerful with nautical décor, including lighthouses, ships, seashells buoys and a hard-to-miss sailfish hanging on a wall. There are vinyl booths, vinyl chairs and vinyl tablecloths — all for easy cleaning.

This is the kind of eatery that some might call a greasy spoon, but I inspected the utensils carefully and they were spotless.

A country radio station played softly in the background. Four television screens glowed overhead, playing the Johnny Depp-Amber Heard trial and a black-and-white cowboy show.

Chat and chew at diner

In the cozy surroundings, you can’t help but overhear the conversations of other patrons talking sports, politics, business, family and all things Akron. The regulars really seemed to enjoy themselves as they chatted and chewed. You get the feeling that they come here often to solve the world’s problems.

The Coventry Diner posts daily specials on a chalkboard.
The Coventry Diner posts daily specials on a chalkboard.

It was difficult trying to decide what to order. Daily specials are posted on a sign out front as well as a chalkboard inside.

The homestyle menu has so many options that a newcomer doesn’t know where to begin. There is something for everyone.

Friday specials were meatloaf, pierogies, a pulled pork sandwich, fish tacos, smothered grouper and an all-you-can eat fish fry with options to add clams and shrimp. Homemade soups were French onion, cabbage vegetable and potato.

On the regular menu, family dinner options include roast beef and dressing, grilled beef liver and onions, veal cutlet, chopped steak, grilled pork chops, smothered chicken and sirloin steak.

There are seafood specialties, Italian favorites and salads galore.

And, my gosh, are there sandwiches: hot roast beef, hot ground round, hot turkey, hot corned beef, grilled cheese, grilled ham, fish, patty melt, club, gyro, chicken, BLT, French dip, Reuben ...

The list goes on.

As many toppings as you want

Our server, Sharon, had to come back three times before I finally decided that I wanted a bacon cheeseburger ($9.15).

The Coventry Diner serves burgers and grilled chicken sandwiches “with as many toppings as you can handle,” so in theory, I could have had a burger with onions, lettuce, tomatoes, grilled onions, grilled mushrooms, jalapeno peppers, relish, pickles, green peppers, barbecue sauce, steak sauce, blue cheese, ranch dressing, coleslaw, onion ring, ham and a fried egg.

“I think that’s a neat thing that they let you put all those things on it,” Susie said.

I wonder how tall that burger would be? Could Sharon carry it out of the kitchen? Would the regulars stop and point?

Narrowing it down, I selected blue cheese, tomato and lettuce, and I added fresh cut fries and coleslaw for a $2.99 upcharge.

The coleslaw is juicy and crunchy at the Coventry DIner.
The coleslaw is juicy and crunchy at the Coventry DIner.

I’m not much of a coleslaw guy, but I wanted the fries. Let me tell you, this was the largest side of coleslaw I’ve ever seen. It was juicy and fresh, and I surprised myself by eating every last bit of it.

The main dish arrived, a jumble of fries piled next to an open-faced burger. I could barely see the plate beneath it.

With crispy bacon and crumbled blue cheese, the tasty burger really hit the spot. The fries, alternately crispy and soft, were gloriously greasy. Before I knew it, I was full. I couldn’t finish.

Breakfast served all day

The Coventry Diner serves breakfast all day. Offerings include three-egg omelets, chicken and waffles, Texas French toast, egg sandwiches, buttermilk hotcakes, homemade hash, smoked sausage and specials with just about every combination you can imagine.

A three-egg omelet is served with home fries and toast at the Coventry Diner.
A three-egg omelet is served with home fries and toast at the Coventry Diner.

Susie ordered a three-egg omelet ($9.59) with bacon and cheddar, which is served with home fries, toast and jelly.

My wife, who has seldom met a potato she didn’t like, was thrilled when her plate arrived with a heaping helping of home fries. It was a browned mound and she went to town.

“These potatoes are nice and crispy,” she said.

She slathered blackberry jelly on her rye toast, and then began to cut into the sizzling omelet, which was so large that its ends hung over the edges of her plate.

“It’s definitely got a lot of meat in it,” she said. “It’s really full and cheesy.”

That’s when we discovered there had been a happy accident in the kitchen. A mystery meat — it may have been sausage, but we think it was hamburger — was mixed in with the bacon and cheese.

And it was good!

“It’s a nice surprise,” Susie said. “It’s a nice combination.”

I sampled it, too, and I had to agree. Like I said, the breakfast menu has just about every combination you can imagine — and even a few you might not.

Looking at what was left of my cheeseburger, Susie joked: “So we kind of got the same thing.”

The dessert menu featured a variety of Gardner’s pies — Derby, pecan, cherry, berry, peach, apple, lemon, banana and chocolate — but we had two Gardner’s pies waiting for us in the car, so it didn’t make sense to order more. Plus, we couldn’t eat anymore if we tried.

All in all, we had a nice visit. With drinks and tax, our bill came to $28.19, not including tip.

Our server, Sharon, was friendly, helpful and attentive, making sure that our coffee cup and soda glass were filled, and patiently answering every question that we had.

The Coventry Diner is folksy, not fancy. Good food, good portions, good service.

If you’re planning an outing at Portage Lakes, it’s a nice place to start or finish the day.

Mark J. Price can be reached at mprice@thebeaconjournal.com.

The Coventry Diner is at 3333 Manchester Road in Coventry Township.
The Coventry Diner is at 3333 Manchester Road in Coventry Township.

Details

Place: Coventry Diner, 3333 Manchester Road, Coventry Township

Hours: 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday and Tuesday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday

Phone: 330-644-7933

More info: @coventrydiner on Facebook

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This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Coventry Diner serves homestyle food