Holiday Diner has been a staple in the Danbury community since opening over 70 years ago in 1947.

The diner boasts a recently renovated exterior, with a slick modern aesthetic beckoning hungry passersby to come in for a bite to eat.

Owner George Psarofagis says that their menu is smaller in size compared to most diners, but they make a point to focus on serving fresh, from-scratch products.

“We feel that doing less but doing it better adds much more value than having a large menu with too many options,” Psarofagis said.

Holiday Diner’s menu features classic and traditional diner favorites, such as a full breakfast menu with clubs, burgers, and wraps. All these delectable comfort foods are made fresh daily for the best quality.

“We are not your typical diner with an encyclopedia menu. We offer all the diner classics, but we do as much as we can from scratch,” Psarofagis said.

Menu highlights include mozzarella sticks, milkshakes, corned beef hash, and pancakes that are made from scratch daily, which have become the diner’s signature items, according to Psarofagis. The restaurant’s long-standing Milkshake Of The Month program that features a monthly special flavor is still going strong. Their shake of the month for April is Kit-Kat.

They also serve dressings that get made from scratch, chicken cutlets that are breaded to order, and fresh squeezed drinks such as orange juice, lemonade, iced tea, and hibiscus tea.

Holiday Diner can seat a total of 120 people throughout its booths, tables, or counter seating. It is positioned on bustling White Street, and is within walking distance from Western Connecticut State University.

Psarofagis said that his parents, Bill and Maria, were excited to purchase the beloved eatery in August of 2000.

“My parents have been in the diner business for 40 years and when they heard that the diner was for sale, they jumped on the opportunity to be a part of such a diverse and thriving community,” Psarofagis said.

That love for their community carries over into another aspect that makes Holiday Diner stand out: the exceptional staff.

“We really focus on providing great service, because I’m a true believer that service is just as important as the food. Our average employee tenure is over ten years, which is unheard of in restaurants,” Psarofagis said.

That kind of hospitality and goodwill is what keeps customers coming back to the point where they become familiar faces to the friendly staff.

Customers can always count on take-out, and delivery through the online ordering program.

Catering is available, too, with a full breakfast catering menu.

Sample Of The Menu

Eggs: Start your morning the right way with new items such as the ricotta scramble. There are also chilaquiles, fried tortillas in a house-made salsa verde, topped with queso fresco, cream, red onion, avocado, and two eggs. All are served with home fries and toast, with additional options such as cheese, feta, and egg whites.

Breakfast Faves: Holiday Diner serves different styles of eggs Benedict for breakfast, all of which come with home fries. A standout is their Irish eggs Benedict, made with their homemade corned beef hash.

Pancakes, French Toast, Waffles: Customers cannot go wrong with a short or full stack of pancakes or French toast, as well as the Belgian waffles, which come with butter and syrup. A new highlight is their “blue blue” pancakes, which are blueberry pancakes topped with a homemade warm blueberry compote. Then there are their toasted almond pancakes, which have the pancakes topped with an almond icing and the almonds toasted in house.

Snacks: Everyone can quell any craving with many different snacks, including curly fries, hand battered chicken tenders, and the mozzarella sticks, which are an especially huge hit.

Burgers & Sandwiches: Holiday Diner has a variety of burgers and sandwiches, such as the chipotle chicken sandwich where the diner makes the chipotle and mayo, and freshly breads the cutlet to order.

Wraps: Try options such as the chicken Caesar wrap, with chicken, romaine, Caesar dressing, shaved parmesan, and homemade dressing. All the wraps are served with fries and a pickle.

Salads: Dig into the chopped salad, made with homemade red wine vinaigrette, or try the Caesar salad, with homemade Caesar dressing.

Lunch Faves: Enjoy dishes such as the corned beef Reuben, made with slow cooked corned beef. There are also fantastic burger options, from classic hamburgers and cheeseburgers to other options such as the New York burger, with grilled mushrooms and onions, Swiss cheese, lettuce, tomato, and fries. Another highlight is the turkey BLT, made with in-house roasted turkey.

Desserts: Holiday Diner is known most for its out-of-this-world milkshakes. Their self-proclaimed “Best Shakes in the Universe!” come in a variety of flavors, such as the orange cream shake made with their fresh orange juice. They also have a chocolate peanut butter and pretzels shake that is very popular. A new addition is their affogato shake, which is made with a shot of espresso.

Holiday Diner, located at 123 White Street in Danbury, is open seven days a week. Hours are Sunday through Tuesday from 7 am to 3 pm, and Wednesday through Saturday from 7 am to 8 pm.

For more information, visit holidaydiner.com, call 203-748-9798, e-mail holidaydiner@gmail.com, or follow the restaurant’s Facebook @HolidayDinerdanbury or Instagram @holidaydiner.