Mid-Michigan Dining

• 1040 S. Pennsylvania Ave.
• Lansing, MI 48912
• (517) 372-5535
• No Known Website
• No Online Menu

Hometown Diner on Pennsylvania near I-496 in Lansing

J took one more day off after we got back in Michigan just so we could relax after a long weekend of traveling.  We were woke up fairly early for us by a phone call and neither of us could fall back asleep.  After going to the Potter Park Zoo during the “Be A Tourist In Your Own Hometown Event” we kept saying we needed to walk the River Trail.  We noticed it from the zoo, but we never made an effort to actually go for a walk.  Since we had such a bad weekend eating (I had four pizzas), I suggested we go for a walk.  Since it was about lunch time, J said we should eat first.

I had been reading reviews about a diner on Pennsylvania near the Zoo so that’s where I decided to to go for lunch.

The Hometown Diner sits on Pennsylvania across from the BWL in an old Sparty’s Coney Island.  It shares a building and parking lot with a Mexican grocery store.  We parked near the back of the lot and walked in to find a small diner with seating for just over a hundred.  We showed ourselves to a table in the middle of the room.  The layout is pretty common for small diners.  Booths line the walls with tables in the middle.  There’s a lunch counter near the front of the space and the kitchen is open so you can see the cook preparing your meal. 

The waitress brought us a couple menus and we ordered Coke’s.  The Hometown Diner is only open for breakfast and lunch.  The menu is the typical breakfast staples along with sandwiches and burgers for lunch.  I passed on the burger which was tough.  They had one burger called the Hometown Burger with bacon, cheddar, and a fried egg.  Instead, I ordered a grilled ham and cheese.  The menu claims all the sandwiches come with a 1/3 lb of meat.  The ham and cheese is served on buttered Texas Toast with fries, a pickle, a strawberry slice and a slice of kiwi.  The sandwich was delicious.  There was a lot of meat and everything tastes better on Texas Toast.  I love the choice of bread.  You could really taste the butter which is both good and bad.  Good for taste…bad for the calories.  The fries were out of the bag fries, but they were nice and crispy.  I added a little salt for taste.  The sandwich was filling and I left full and needing a nap before our walk.

J ordered the grilled cheese which was just like my sandwich, but without the meat.  She liked the bread too, but said there wasn’t enough cheese.  Since the sandwich was served on the Texas Toast, there was a lot of bread and not a lot of cheese.  Like myself, she enjoyed the buttered bread.  Her sandwich and fries were more than enough as she had a few fries left on her plate.

Our bill was about $15 before tip.  The waitress left the bill on the table, but it wasn’t added up so we had to do some quick math in our head before bringing it to the register to pay.  The food was really good and there was plenty of it.  We were both surprised at just how many people were in there for lunch.  The dining room was pretty full and most seemed to be regulars.  The waitresses and cooks seemed to know most people in there and there was lively conversation.  I was impressed with the Hometown Diner.  It’s got the dive diner feel, but the food is much better than the greasy dive food I’ve come to expect.  The added touch of Texas Toast instead of regular white bread scores big points with me.  I’m curious to try their breakfast now.  It’s definitly a place I would take an out-of-towner in a pinch.