New owners celebrate a successful year in small town Wayne County
Mastering the art of homemade pierogi
Learn how to make delicious pierogis from scratch with this easy-to-follow recipe. Includes step-by-step instructions for the perfect dough and filling, plus cooking tips for boiling and frying. Enjoy!
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Lefteris and Aris Charalampidis are happy to share their Greek heritage as part of the food at Route 52 Diner & Coffee Shop in the basement of Kidron Town & Country on Kidron Road in Kidron.
The Charalampidis brothers are celebrating their first anniversary as restaurant owners this month.
Lefteris Charalampidis and his wife Maria Theodoridou have been running the restaurant since fall 2022, when they took over the management of the former Town & Country Café. Aris Charalampidis came on board last summer when the brothers bought the place.
Together, they made subtle changes, turning the place into the popular eatery it was, with a few additional new menu items, and added a cafe offering gourmet coffee and homemade pastries.
“We’ve kept the menu basically the same, but we’ve added some new dishes,” Lefteris said. “Customers come for the same good meals they always get here, but some are trying Greek food. At the last Greek buffet, we made 32 different Greek recipes, and you know what, I’ll do anything.”
The same menu with a little Greek flair
“We offer some Greek dishes at a traditional American dinner,” Aris added.
Lefteris worked in a restaurant in Greece before arriving in Kidron and cooks all the dishes at Route 52 Diner & Coffee Shop. Everything is homemade, including the pastries.
The menu includes a variety of burgers, trail bologna and ham and cheese, as well as veal steak, fish or a hot dog. BLT, grilled cheese and several chicken sandwiches and wraps. They also offer traditional Amish breakfasts of sausage, gravy and biscuits, pancakes and bacon. There is a breakfast buffet every Saturday.
The diner offers a variety of salads, from Greek to Caesar salad, a chef’s salad, spinach salad, BLT salad and apple walnut salad.
The evening menu offers meatloaf, roast ham, veal steak, various chicken dishes and fried fish.
There are also daily specials, including specialties such as special Greek gyros, a Greek burger, a secret beef dish with rice, schnitzel, pork knuckle or tas kebab.
They plan to offer outdoor dining in the future using their food truck, but for now they are content with serving smiles and variety.
Route 52 Diner & Coffee Shop is open Tuesday through Saturday. It is closed Sunday and Monday. Hours of operation are 6:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., except Friday and Saturday when the restaurant closes at 7 p.m.
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