The Place
This week I am moving right along on Monmouth to the next spot up for review, Pepper Pod Restaurant. I have driven past this spot many of times and this will be my first time visiting. If you've never taking a drive up Monmouth Street it is definitely worth the trip. There are a number of cute old school restaurants, shops, and other businesses. It is kind of a fun place to go when your out with no agenda in mind.
Location & Parking
Pepper Pod Restaurant is located in the middle of Monmouth. There is free on-street parking up and down the street, also noticed a small parking lot next to the restaurant. No reservation needed.
Atmosphere
The atmosphere at Pepper Pod is a classic American style diner. The decor is old school, but it works for them. There are juke boxes on the walls and a counter in the middle of the main dining room. There is also a more private dining room off to the side. I was greeted by a friendly waitress, who instructed me to have a seat wherever I liked. She came over and provided coffee right away. The waitress seemed to know everyone when they walked and everyone seemed to know each other. The coffee was great, bottomless, and tasted very fresh. Exactly what I would expect at this style of restaurant. I overheard the waitress say that they were short staffed that day. This did affect service when it came to the preparation and delivery of food to the table. I had to do a double take when I saw someone sitting at a booth in front of me smoking. I can't remember the last time I have been in a restaurant where smoking was permitted.
Order-Up
French Toast & Loaded Hashbrowns
I ordered the French Toast and Loaded Hashbrowns. I was hoping to have it topped with strawberries and whipped cream as advertised on their website, but they did not have strawberry topping on this particular morning. Despite not being able to have it prepared the way I like, it was delicious. The portion size was generous, it had a great vanilla flavor, and came with whipped butter. The loaded hashbrowns were really good as well. The hashbrowns were cooked perfectly and topped with American cheese, chopped pepper, onions, and ham. This was an amazing breakfast.
Overall Experience
The overall experience at Pepper Pod Restaurant was nice. The coffee was good and the food was even better. There were some downsides when it came to atmosphere because they permit smoking and service was a bit slow. I always feel bad dinging for service when places are short-staffed because the people who do show up are working hard to make up for the ones who call-in.
Rating: 3⭐
Pepper Pod Restaurant gets 3 stars: one star for AM Cocktail (In this case, coffee) and Plate. They receive half a star for service (long wait time for food and no strawberry topping as advertised) and half a star for atmosphere (smoking sections). The food and drink here was wonderful! However, because of the smoking situation this would probably not be the first place I would stop and eat if cruising for a last minute spot on Monmouth.
Comments