Review: The Copperline Eatery

The Copperline Eatery of 409 Broadway St., Chicopee, Mass is, in my opinion, the best diner in I've ever been to. Now, I have to admit, I do have a personal connection to the place...Owner Glenn Chamberland is my uncle, and I worked there bussing and serving for over six years...but still, I've been to a lot of other diners in the area, and the food at the Copperline is by far the best diner food, and the least expensive, that I've found in the area. And I'm not the only one who thinks so. On Saturday and Sunday mornings, the line to wait for a seat is usually out of both doors that lead into the restaurant. Most of those in line are regulars who get their "usual" every week, a sign that Copperline has two very important things in the restaurant business-quality and consistency.

The inside of the restaurant is small and cozy. There are nine four-person booths, six two-person booths, and one eight-person booth. The only other seating is at the counter, which, playing off the name, is made of real copper, and seats about 10 people on rotating bar stools. The restaurant has a friendly atmosphere, and all of the food is prepared right in the same room where the seating is. So, if you sit at the counter, you can watch as the chefs prepare your breakfast, lunch or dinner for you.

The Copperline is famous for two things. First, is their eggs Benedict, which consists of two poached eggs, served on English muffin halves, topped with Canadian bacon and homemade hollandaise sauce (you can substitute regular bacon or even ham for the Canadian bacon if you want). They finish it with a side of their signature home fries, which are hearty chunks of boiled and then grilled potatoes, seasoned with paprika and a few other secret ingredients. A sprinkling of parsley and the dish is complete, and although it's decadent, many customers come in more than one time a week just to have it, and they say that it's the best eggs Benedict in town.

The second item that they're known for is their homemade corned beef hash. It's a little bit spicy, with finely-shredded corned beef and pieces of potato, and it gets put on the grill and weighted so that the outside gets crispy and the inside stays soft. At $1.95 for a small and $3.25 for a large, it's full of bold flavor and if you're a fan of hash, you'll never go back to the canned stuff after you try this. Every time my family and friends go camping, we get a bucket of hash to take with us. The stuff lasts for days and there's never any leftovers-it's that good.

Another one of my favorite things about Copperline is the way in which the omelet selection is set up. All omelets come with a side of home fries and your choice of toast, and you can get whatever you want in your omelet for no extra charge. None of this "please choose one meat, one cheese and one vegetable" stuff. A two-egg omelet is $5.45 and a three-egg is $5.95 and it ends there. You can literally put every single item in your omelet for no extra charge-ask for an "everything". My recommendation, however, is a two-egg with egg whites, spinach, tomatoes, onions, and Swiss cheese. At $5.95, you can't go wrong. Add a side of rye toast or try their homemade whole wheat bread (for 50 cents extra) and you're good to go. It's light, yet filling, and pretty healthy too. They also have items like the Copperline special, which comes with three eggs, two pancakes or french toast, home fries, and toast all for just $5.50. The breakfast sandwiches are awesome. Try a bacon, egg, and American cheese on a water roll, which rings in at only $3.30.

But they don't just stop at breakfast. The Copperline also serves lunch Monday through Saturday, and dinner Monday through Thursday. They open at 6:00 am Monday through Saturday and at 7:00 am on Sundays. I've never been for dinner, and even though they have great lunch food too (I love the potato and cheese pierogi) I always find myself ordering breakfast whenever I can.

If you're looking for a great place to eat breakfast, it'd be in your best interest to go with what the locals say on this one, because there's a reason that so many people come back to the Copperline week after week for the same thing. The Copperline Eatery is a small, friendly, and very inexpensive place to get a flavorful and filling meal any day of the week.

*All of The Copperline Eatery's menus are available at their website listed above.