Delaney’s Diner set up in hidden Grandview. It’s not on Fifth. It’s not on Grandview Avenue. It’s on that little stretch of West First, out of the main thoroughfare. To an outsider, everything on West First feels like a hidden treasure. And if diners are your thing, you’ve found your spot.
While Delaney’s is new to Grandview, it’s no newbie to the diner scene. Delaney’s has been a Westerville mainstay for years. And although it’s not a huge conglomerate chain, it has built a mini-empire in the Central Ohio area with additional stops in Reynoldsburg and Groveport.
As the name indicates, it’s a true diner, with branding that showcases shiny spatulas and seating finished in vibrant red vinyl. The menu leverages the theme, boasting the sorts of classic favorites you want to see in a diner.
Plus, it serves Roy Lee’s Breakfast Casserole ($8.99). Casserole, in and of itself, is the holy grail of Midwestern foods. When it appears in the breakfast arena, it should be noted that casserole requires more of a commitment than lesser amalgamated breakfast buckets and bowls. You can’t just throw stuff together willy-nilly last minute; breakfast casseroles require an extra baking step.
At Delaney’s the casserole is served in its own baking dish delivering a combo of chunks of sausage fully fused together in an eggy foundation that’s fortified with a framework of cheese and biscuits. A few mushrooms make an appearance in the mix, and it’s offered with serviceable loose hash browns on the side.
The casserole makes for a sturdy starting point. Let’s linger in that lane with another heavy hitter. The menu offers breaded meats as well, both pork tenderloin and steak. An impulse decision led to the Indy 500 ($13.99), which is the pork version. Breaded in a crunchy fried coating, the pork is smothered in thick sausage gravy and served with two eggs, more of the hash browns, and a warm fluffy biscuit. It’s a lot of heavy food, executed in perfect diner style.
Of course, not every order at Delaney’s has to be a heavy-hitter. The menu also offers oatmeal or something on the lines of two eggs and toast. Then again, you could do that at home.
So let’s get back to serious eating with something on the lines of pancakes or french toast. Both are options, and the French Toast might otherwise qualify as fancy with its thick-cut challah foundation that’s egged and fried and then prettied-up with powdered sugar. The end result, though, is a familiar favorite served with syrup ($11.99).
The Breakfast Conewich ($10.99) is a signature item, and one you don’t often see on local menus. It’s based on a cone that’s shaped from bread dough. So it’s a little like a bread bowl, but in cone-form instead. At Delaney’s, the cone is filled like a cornucopia served over hash browns, with creamy scrambled eggs that have been griddled with onions, green peppers and melted cheese. Absent particular eating instructions, we went with a combo of scoop and fork, and that seemed to work out fine.
Like any good diner, Delaney’s hosts a lunch menu with burgers, sandwiches and salads as well. The latest Grandview addition to its empire is open for breakfast and lunch every day at 1105 W. First Ave.
For more information, visit delaneysdiner.com.
All photos by Susan Post
