Summit Diner is a

diner A diner is a small, inexpensive restaurant found across the United States, as well as in Canada and parts of Western Europe. Diners offer a wide range of foods, mostly American cuisine, a casual atmosphere, and, characteristically, a co ...

built in the late thirties located in

Summit A summit is a point on a surface that is higher in elevation than all points immediately adjacent to it. The topographic terms acme, apex, peak (mountain peak), and zenith are synonymous. The term (mountain top) is generally used only for a m ...

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York (state), New York; on the ea ...

. The business opened in 1929. The original building was replaced with the current building constructed by the

Jerry O'Mahony Diner Company The Jerry O'Mahony Diner Company of Elizabeth, New Jersey, was a manufacturer of roadside diners from 1917 to 1952. The company produced some 2,000 of the long, narrow, primarily metal buildings, perhaps more than any other firm. Prefabricated ...

in 1938. Food writer, Peter Genovese, considered Summit Diner a quintessential diner.

History

There has been a Summit Diner at this location since 1929, and the current diner structure, built in 1938 is among the oldest diners in New Jersey. The current diner was constructed in Elizabeth by the

in 1938 and moved to its current location. The Greberis family purchased the diner in 1964. Jim Greberis began working at Summit Diner in 1980. He purchased the diner from his father-in-law in 1985 and is the current owner. The head cooks are Vasilio Mazradis and Jimmy Michaelos. Michaelos makes the spinach pie. The restaurant does not offer a menu, only a board above the kitchen with a list of items. Celebrities and politicians such as

Jim Cramer James Joseph Cramer (born February 10, 1955) is an American television personality and author. He is the host of ''Mad Money'' on CNBC and an anchor on ''Squawk on the Street''. A former hedge fund manager, founder, and senior partner of Cramer ...

and

Jon Corzine Jon Stevens Corzine ( ; born January 1, 1947) is an American financial executive and retired politician who served as a United States Senator from New Jersey from 2001 to 2006 and the 54th governor of New Jersey from 2006 to 2010. Corzine ran fo ...

have dined at Summit Diner. It has been rumored that

Ernest Hemingway Ernest Miller Hemingway (July 21, 1899 – July 2, 1961) was an American novelist, short-story writer, and journalist. His economical and understated style—which he termed the iceberg theory—had a strong influence on 20th-century fic ...

was a patron at the diner. Peter Genovese included the diner in the article "50 restaurants to choose from if it's your last meal in N.J." and recommended the

pork roll Pork roll is a processed meat commonly available in New Jersey and neighboring states. It was developed in 1856 by John Taylor of Trenton, and sold as "Taylor's Prepared Ham" until 1906. Though since then food labeling regulations require Tayl ...

, eggs and cheese sandwich. Summit Diner was featured in the show ''The Food Dude'' in the first episode "Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner" as a breakfast location. In 2017, Mike Lustig of NJ.com ranked Summit Diner's corned beef hash as the best in New Jersey.

References

{{Restaurants in New Jersey Diners in New Jersey Restaurants in New Jersey 1929 establishments in New Jersey Restaurants established in 1929 Cuisine of the Mid-Atlantic states Summit, New Jersey Buildings and structures in Union County, New Jersey

History

See also

References