What Are The Best Local Diners in Allentown, PA?

Allentown, a city in Pennsylvania, is within the bounds of the Lehigh Valley region. As a popular tourist destination, you expect the city to have some of the best diners in the region. Well, the original purpose of the old diners was to accommodate travelers and truck drivers delivering goods and products in between manufacturing cities and distribution centers.

Diners by definition are different to that of restaurants in a way that they are setup as pre-fabricated buildings, which happen to be mostly built from aluminum or stainless steel. But the most notable or obvious attribute is that they can be moved or transferred from one location to another. They also have oversized outdoor signs with neon lights for easy detection from travelers.

In the city of Allentown, PA, here are some of the favorite local diners:

Charcoal Drive In

Although this establishment is already closed, it is worthy of mention because it was once a renowned landmark in the city. It used to be located at 4440 West Hamilton Boulevard. Originally owned by Art Metzgar, the diner was covered over and then expanded so as to provide car hop drive-in service. There were outdoor waitresses too that provided services to patrons who didn’t want to get out of their vehicles to dine. Because of the U.S. 222 bypass construction and the decision of Metzgar to stop his restaurant business, the diner eventually closed in 2007.

Chris’s Family Restaurant

Located at 5635 West Hamilton Street, this local diner is originally from Hamburg, PA. It opened for business in 1983 as a Swingle manufactured diner and the original name was McPeak’s Country Diner. It was later renamed as the Pot O Gold Diner in 1984 and then moved to its present location by 1989 when the owners sold their old restaurant, the Chris’s Family Restaurant and bought another one, the Peter Pan Diner. Today, they have a 24-hour service where you get to enjoy breakfast meals available any time of the day.

City Center Diner

This popular local diner is found at 845 West Linden Street. The original name is City Star Diner and it was moved in 1971 to its current location in order accommodate the expansion of the PP&L building. It underwent several name changes, including the Silver Star Diner, All American Diner, and the Gate 7 Diner. It had a major renovation and reopening in 2010 and that was when it was officially named as the City Center Diner. The local diner is also offering 24-hour service for customers.

Dina’s Diner

This local diner located at 736 West Tilghman Street is the oldest fully-operational diner in the city of Allentown, PA. A Silk City manufactured diner was opened in the 1940s and was originally known as Thomas’s Diner. They have breakfast served at all times and a 24-hour dining service.

Other notable local diners worthy of visiting are the Golden Gate Diner in Union Boulevard, Lehigh Valley Diner in MacArthur Road, and Nicks Diner located at 1804 West Tilghman Street.