|
Brother’s
Coffee Shop
166-02
Jamaica Avenue, Jamaica
718-291-2804,
718-658-9003
Cuisine:
Diner
Hours:
6 a.m. to 6 p.m., every day
Amid
the hustle and bustle of one of Downtown Jamaica’s busiest stretches
is an old-school diner that’s not only a nice place to wind down,
but a great place to get a fresh homestyle meal, too.
Brother’s
Coffee Shop, on Jamaica Avenue at 166th Street, is surrounded by
competition.
Sort of.
There
are fast food establishments serving processed meats and other foods
all around the small diner.
But how they differ—and how Brother’s shines—is in the
fact that their food is delivered in the morning in refrigerated
trucks and microwaved for the lunch crowd.
Everything at Brother’s is cooked fresh and made to order.
The
atmosphere is nice, too.
The faded windows and sign—a requirement for all authentic
diners— is a reminder that Brother’s is a place to slow down and
enjoy a meal.
And
if customers are too busy to stop and smell the bacon, they can always
get their meal from Brother’s delivered.
With a central location in the middle of thousands of Jamaica
Center employees and a $3 minimum for deliveries, Brother’s meals
are always ready to eat.
The
menu is extensive.
With a 6 a.m. opening time, the breakfast menu is very popular.
There
are about 15 egg sandwiches, many of them mini-omelets with bread.
They range from just $1 for a one-egg sandwich to just $3 for a
two-egg omelet with different combinations of cheese, bacon, ham and
sausage.
Full-size
omelets are also very popular, and cheap.
About eight kinds, served with French fries and toast, cost
between $2.75 and $3.99.
Breakfast
specials, served between 6 a.m. and noon, make all of Brother’s
breakfast choices even more affordable.
Late risers with no money finally have a place of their own.
Other
breakfast items include pancakes, French toast, corned beef hash and
assorted muffins and bagels.
Everything is cheap and fresh.
While
Brother’s closes not long after many Jamaica Center denizens get out
of work, and before many others do, the little, unassuming diner also
has extensive lunch and dinner menus.
The
number of choices is staggering.
There are about a dozen kinds of burgers, made with not only
beef, but turkey, vegetables and chicken, too.
Bacon and pizza embellishments are popular for the burgers,
which range from $2 to $5.
There
is a similar number of cold sandwiches available, all under $4.
There are also about 15 hot sandwiches available, mostly in
hero or “triple decker” form.
Those not on a diet should enjoy these choices, especially the
pastrami, corned beef and Swiss cheese sandwich.
One
unique menu section is the one with Jamaican-style cheese steaks.
Unlike the plain “Philly” variation that’s common
everywhere, these lay on the spices for a hotter taste.
The BBQ Steak Hero is the best example, with gobbles of
barbecue sauce and onions.
Dinner
at this diner is cheap, and hearty.
Big portions of pasta are all under $5.
There are eight choices.
It’s
the same story with the diner’s Spanish and Greek menus, which offer
hot, aromatic dishes made mostly with meats and spices on different
kinds of breads.
A
traditional “entree” menu is especially representative of the
fresh-meat-for-cheap theme at Brother’s.
Platefuls of chop steak, open roast beef, open corned beef,
pepper steak and meat loaf, served with mashed potatoes or French
fries and vegetables or salad, are all about $5.
While
we can’t speak for space left in your stomach, you’ll easily have
money left in your pocket after a meal at Brother’s for some
dessert. Ice
cream and assorted cakes and pies baked on the premises are available
for under $2 per serving.
—
Shams Tarek
|
