MANCHESTER, MI – With a menu highlighted by homemade jams, breakfast burritos, and chicken and waffles, Manchester Diner is anything but your typical restaurant.
The restaurant serves an upgraded version of normal dinner fare, focusing on farm-to-table meats and freshly prepared home cooking.
“So the whole concept was trying to bring home cooking, like comfort food, a little higher, without being pretentious,” said owner Leslie Streit, who took over the business in November 2021.
While much of the menu was established by the previous owner, Streit said she tried to take the next step, making much of the updated menu from scratch. Homemade dishes include corned beef, a variety of jams, weekly soups and the sausage sauce served with the country fried steak.
In addition to the homemade sausage sauce, the country fried steak is served with two eggs anyhow, red potato house fries, toast and homemade jam. Other fan favorites include the breakfast burrito, served with homemade chorizo, black beans and homemade salsa, and a farro salad with caramelized shallots, red peppers and apples, served on the arugula with a honey mustard vinaigrette.
The farro salad, which is served as a special, also includes salmon. Another popular specialty was the chicken and waffle dish, which features white cheddar cheese and scallions in the batter, locally sourced chicken tenderloins marinated in hot sauce, and chipotle maple tenderloin.
“So it’s kind of a soft, warm thing,” she said.
Streit’s weekly specials, which she uses to “kind of say who I am,” have been a hit with the community, she said.
“I have an older gentleman trying my special, whatever it is,” Streit said. “He doesn’t even ask what it is; he wants to try”
Manchester Diner, 112 Adrian St. in Manchester, is open 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. Find the restaurant on social media or by phone at 734-428-0721.
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