Whitey’s Grille

Loved it for a few years while I could and leave with fond memories and new friends.
Great food, down to earth atmosphere and regulars I came to know and appreciate. Amazing how fast the newbies came to be regulars all the time. Thanks, Ken & Leslie — looking forward to the next one!
As for Melissa O: You ever notice the ones who preach PC and «tolerance» are the first to write someone off at the drop of a hat? I’ll vouch for the Whiteheads any day — you should take the time to live your principles Melissa. I’ll take a man who speaks his mind, even when the words are indelicate, over a snarky back-​bench sniper any day.

If you are looking for good food with an extra large helping of white supremacy and clearly advertised bigotry, then this is the place for you! Not only will you enjoy specialty pancakes that will make you mouth water and tummy full, but your ears will also filled with foul language by the cook (the owner), racist remarks and uneducated opinions about government, politics, and the world in general. Feel free to try out their new location coming soon, where they will be happy to refill your coffee cup while simultaneously cramming intolerance and prejudice down your throat. Any upright citizen — especially our lawmakers and officers of the law — should not support such an outright close-​minded view of what a real American is. A REAL American accepts others, is tolerant of different cultures and embraces the differences which makes us unique. Good food, yes. Horrible portrayal of a good American, absolutely. Support such a business, NO WAY.

As of Sunday, Nov 21, Whitey’s is closed. The lease expired and the landlord wanted too much money. Thanks to Ken and Leslie for running a great restaurant and I look forward to whatever ventures are in the future. I wish there were more restaurants (or any business for that matter) run with such passion and pride. My stomach is very sad.

Holy cow the food is good here. There are rotating specials on the menu board, but I always come for the breakfasts. Their weekend special of S.O.S. is just perfect. The right amount of creamy mystery meat with the works… okay now I have to go there again just to eat this.
One time I took my father here and he was terrified that the house rules stated you didn’t get your check until you either cleaned your plate or sang «I’m a Little Teapot.» Never saw a man clean his plate to the last crumb that fast… There’s a certain charm to this place and it’s very unpretentious, not a manufactured hipster charm, if you understand what I mean.
Heck, I saw an «Armed Infidel» sign on the door one time. Wonder if the chef has an M&P9 stashed under the register. Would probably be the safest restaurant I’ve ever eaten in.
Parking is kind of rough, though. Street parking only and the joint seems that it caters to a lot of people who walk, not drive.

If you give the right answers you get to eat some great food. Well worth finding our way off the highway to this hole in the wall. Just before we arrived they had thrown out some guy who refused to interact. Whitey was a little imposing as the grille is adjacent to the door, but a sly smile and the jovial quality of the clientele told us this would be a fun experience. His wife Leslie was helpful, making breakfast recommendations off a very imaginative menu. I was disappointed with the coffee but the OJ was great., Great people! PS, I understand they will be moving in November. Look for them on Facebook

Loved it so much the first day that my friends and I had to go back the next!
They take standard diner food and go ape sh@t with it. The choices of sides also stood out: two types of sausage, double smoked ham, bacon, hash browns (with amazing toppings just ask), and more. All for a great price. The best part were the laughs. If your an engaging person the staff will pick up on it and make your brunch.

Wife and I had a late breakfast at Whitey’s Grille this morning, and they were nice enough to extend breakfast hours. The service was fast, atmosphere friendly, prices very reasonable, the food was great, and they greeted us with a real smile. We loved the biscuits n gravy, the ham steak was fork tender, perfect pancakes, and good coffee. The home cooking and hospitality made this a perfect experience for us.

My first experience at Whitey’s Grille was not a pleasant one. He had just opened up a few weeks earlier and needed to get the kinks worked out. The only customers at the time were his friends and family-​which is always a caveat to me since friends and family will eat anything. The locally known heroin addict was my server and the food was well below par. On top of that Whitey had such a pretentiousness and touted he «has to be wearing his whites» «OK» I thought, he took a few cooking classes and now thinks he is the executive chef at Le Bernardin (for those not kowing Le Bernardin is a four star restaurant run by chef Eric Ripert). I was put off by the food quality and the attitude. I did not return for well over a year or more.
When I did return I was surprised that the attitude was gone, the food was DRASTICALLY improved and I had an enjoyable time. I ordered the pastrami sandwich which was full of meat and quite tasty. The fries were crispy, hot and fresh-​unlike the first time I was there. My lunch mate ordered the cheesesteak and I could tell it was meat cut directly from an eye round roast and NOT frozen «Steak-​UM» type meat. Two points: The waitress made a rude comment about something (which I can’t remember) and the prices were a bit high for a corner eatery. Other than that I would go back and revisit.

I debated whether to post a review, as the place is small and would hate to have to wait in the future, but, alas, I will post one. The other reviews are very descriptive and accurate, without a doubt this place should be on the top of your list of breakfast places to try. Don’t let the outside fool you, the food is FANTASTIC, reasonably priced and great service. The only «issue» would be the size which is small but kind of adds to the atmosphere. I’m originally from Bethlehem and cannot believe I’ve never heard of the place before now! You must try and will not be sorry.

Went to Whiteys for brunch this morning. WOW. This is a great little place, family owned and operated and a great atmosphere. It seems as though the husband is on the grill and the wife takes orders. She is very personable and took the time to go over every special with us. I got the SOS and it was absolutely amazing — creamy, buttery, melt in your mouth, perfect portion. I cannot say enough about this place, I will definitely be going back.

Boyfriend and I wanted to try a new place for brunch this afternoon and were sold after reading Jim D’s review. We were a bit taken aback by the size (small) of the place, but took seats at the counter and were immediately greeted by owner/​cook Ken Whitehead (aka Whitey) and the Mrs.
The menu isn’t extensive, but the list of specials was large and definitely intriguing. I went with a pastrami and Swiss omelet (WOW!) and boyfriend got some boozy French Irish toast (made with Baileys). They also offer raspberry French toast made with Chambord and just about any other boozy French toast you can think of, which is made with a baguette.
There a photos of customers/​friends lining the walls, a flat screen in the back that happened to be playing football, and some very friendly patrons. After we’d finished our meal, we chatted up Ken and learned about this business (going strong for 3 years and here’s to many more), a bit of background on Ken himself and about the blues festival block party he throws each year. Ken also assured us that, if we were steak people, we really needed to return and order the flat iron steak because it’s amazing. He also promised that by our third or fourth visit, he’d remember our names and we’d undoubtedly become friends as he does with almost all of his customers.
We’ll definitely be back and will be encouraging others to patronize the joint as well. We’ve decided that, based on his utter awesomeness, great food and views of how to run a business, Ken Whitehead is a great American hero. We will be back.

Dave C. — No you are NOT a regular.
I am in here at least twice a week for both breakfast and lunch. Us real regulars know the in’s and out’s of this esatblishment. If you don’t finish your food you get to sing the teapot song. Yes the teapot song. You don’t talk on your cell phone inside, you can go on the porch for that, afterall you are there for eating, not talking on the phone right? Beside’s wouldn’t you rather spend your time eating DELISH food than talking to your mother about her constipation dilemma? Whatever you want to eat, if Ken has it it’s yours. If you want to bring something in he will make it to your discretion though I highly reccommend the SOS, Cheeseburgers and the North St. Grinder. Absolutely to DIE for.
Now Leslie is almost 8 months preggers and it’s getting a little harder for her to move around and fit through spaces as she goes so if you (like Dave C did and without asking) move tables to block the cooler AND the bathrooms knowing she has to get in there for all of the condiments just to sit your fat a** and truck load of kids down you can surely expect her husband to say something as any good husband would do. At Whiteys Grille they are honest to your face as well as your back. Thats why us «regular’s» come here. If you want to eat somewhere that lets you treat people’s establishment’s badly don’t come here because you will be asked to leave nicely the first time so take your heiny on over to that place on Broad St. You know, the guy with all the illegals in the kitchen. I’m sure they’ll be happy to clean up after you.
PS.
THEY ARE NOW OPEN FOR DINNER WEDNESDAY THROUGH SATURDAY!!!

Was in the area and
this place the review’s where to good to pass this place up so my wife, daughter and I went thier and at first were like we neeed to find a nicer place but it is true looks are deceiveing cause the food was really great here and the people that work thier were awesome !!! Would go back thier if I was in the neighborhood for sure we loved it!

I Unilocaled for a breakfast spot near Allentown PA while traveling. This spot had highest marks from Unilocalers. They were right!!! Awesome breakfast. Get the Redneck SOS.

I am in utter shock I haven’t come to Whitey’s before. I’ve passed this place countless times and never ventured inside… until this weekend. I decided to come here for Sunday brunch ’cause hey, brunch is perhaps the best meal of the week.
Turns out this is a family run, local business and it truly shows (in a great way). Ken, the husband, is the cook and Leslie, the wife, does everything else. It’s a relatively small space (max capacity is like 16 – 17?) but they have no problems filling this place up for Sunday brunch. It has a very low-​key, laid back feel to it which adds to its appeal.
Let’s get right to the most important part: the food. It’s simple, hearty, and fantastic. Moderate portions that taste great. I ordered the Triple Deux: 2 pancakes, two eggs, and two strips of bacon. All good eats. My friend ordered the SOS (creamed chipped beef over hash browns). HOLY EFFING SH*T is that delicious! It tastes like beef stroganoff. It apparently is not on the regular menu, they only make it on the weekends and it’s usually gone by 10am. I don’t even know why I am telling y’all this ’cause frankly, this ought to be kept a secret. I tend not to order the same thing at places I revisit, but I could easily bend my rules and order this dish repeatedly and faithfully.
Now if you don’t know what to get, heed my advice. Do not order from the menu! It’s merely there for show. They often have their specials written on a whiteboard but Ken can make just about anything you ask. Also, Leslie will probably run down a whirlwind list of other specials they have going on that aren’t listed. Trust me, you will want to hear them!
Service is equally fantastic. Considering Leslie (who is absolutely awesome!!) was the only person taking orders, cleaning, serving, etc), we never really had to wait for anything. Our coffee was always refilled and we even exchanged some witty banter.
Prices are pretty reasonable too. A meal will cost you about $ 8-​$ 9 on average. Not bad at all.
I thought I had a well-​established favorite breakfast place in Darto’s, but after visiting Whitey’s this weekend, it might be time for a change.