Pamela’s P&G Diner
232 North Ave. (map it!)
Pittsburgh, PA 15209
(412) 821-4655
Open Mon-Fri, 8a-4p; Sat, 8a-3p; Sun, 8a-2p
Accepts cash only
Visited: Sunday, July 9, 2017 at 10 a.m.
It should be no surprise that our recent adventures to Pittsburgh (read about them here and here) included breakfast explorations. The Saturday morning of our stay there, we managed to catch up with Rick Sebak, producer for WQED Pittsburgh, and he recommended Pamela’s P&G Diner in Millvale for Sunday breakfast. There are six Pamela’s Diners spread around greater Pittsburgh, and Rick named the Millvale stop as one of his favorites. And when Rick suggests a breakfast on his home turf of Pittsburgh – you go!
And on arrival we discover that obviously this isn’t the first time he’s recommended it!
But what a recommendation. Pamela’s is the perfect encapsulation of the weekend breakfast diner: noisy, bustling, the smell of pancakes being seared in butter. It’s delightful.
It took some figuring (with Rick’s help) to understand the name of the restaurant. The group of restaurants are known as Pamela’s P&G Diner, although this location in particular shares a space with the Lincoln Pharmacy (and it’s on the corner of Lincoln Avenue and North Avenue), so it’s often known as P&G Diner at the Lincoln or The Pamela’s in the Lincoln Pharmacy. The menu designates specialties as Pamela’s and Lincoln’s, from Pamela’s hotcakes to The Big Lincoln. All of this adds to the ambiance and the wonderful throw-back feel of the old sandwich counter inside the pharmacy.
There are booths and tables spread throughout the diner portion of the building, plus a long counter looking into the kitchen.
We knew going in that the pancakes and the Lyonnaise potatoes were the house specialties, and amongst our group we ended up sampling both. The menu covers all the lovable diner classics, like buttered toast, scrambled eggs, and (house-made, we checked) corned beef hash.
Classic breakfast plates like eggs, sausage, and their Lyonnaise potatoes, which means potatoes roughly chopped (more like home fries than hash browns) then fried crisp with onions (and probably lots of butter).
The other house specialty is the Pamela’s hotcakes, which are plate-sized, thin, and buttery.
I tried the chorizo hash, which included peppers, onions, cheese, and sour cream. The chorizo had a nice little kick, and it came with a side of tortillas.
The croissant French toast is exactly what you’d figure: croissants battered and grilled, then served with powdered sugar and caramel. Not a hard sell.
And an omelet with those Lyonnaise potatoes.
The meal is all you could ask for in a diner breakfast: uncomplicated, filling, and flavorful.
It’s always rewarding to find the local diner when we’re on the road, so we left the Lincoln P&G Diner feeling pretty satisfied.
