I had the opportunity recently to meet John and Maria Kolombos, owners of Good Eats, which is located on Grand Avenue in Maspeth. What nice people! They are friendly and cordial and immediately I felt like I’ve known them for quite a long time!
We talked about their beautiful restaurant, Good Eats, and Maria was quick to state that they’re all about the food. She’s not kidding! Take a look at their extensive menu which is varied and runs the gamut from breakfast to dinner. They’re open from 6am to 10pm at night and they have free delivery to Maspeth and Middle Village.
Good Eats’ breakfasts are to die for with delicious servings of bacon and egg omelets, made right in the pan, not on a grill like most restaurants, pancakes, waffles and all the good stuff you think of for breakfast that you never have time to make for yourself! You don’t have to, Maria and John Kolombos will make it for you! What a treat!
For lunch or dinner there’s a varied menu to appeal to every palette, with fresh-made Angus burgers, not frozen, being one of their “star” choices and Good Eats serves salads made fresh daily. There are also choices from a diet menu, sandwiches, all of them identified with local names like the Maspeth, the Irish, the Mazeau, the Plateau, the Metropolitan, the Grand, the Juniper etc. You can order your favorite “name” sandwich making it easy to identify. Then there’s a varied fish menu for seafood lovers, paninis, wraps, delicious desserts, including ice cream and that all time favorite, the banana split! I could go on and on but you get the message. There’s something at Good Eats for everyone. The portions of all the meals are large and very often there’s the “doggy bag” to take home and enjoy another delicious meal in your own house! They also offer a complimentary wine or dessert with any dinner choice served at the restaurant from the menu.
Good Eats has another winner to offer. They serve brunch on Saturdays and Sundays from 9am to 4pm with a varied brunch menu.
These brunches are great for anyone who wants to combine a breakfast and lunch in one sitting. Good Eats has it, try it on your next weekend!
Maria said she always makes it a point to tell customers that the food is cooked fresh, nothing is pre-cooked or frozen. She wants this known because customers can sometimes be impatient for their food and rest assured that what seems like a “little longer” to wait is just the Kolombos making sure that what gets to your table is the best they can offer, cooked to perfection.
There were some customers at the counter at about 10:30am when I met with the Kolombos and this is what they had to say,
“Doc” stated “this is the right place to eat and make sure you come early so you get a seat, food is great,” Frank, had this to offer, “there’s a family atmosphere, everyone including the staff is very friendly and the food is the best.”
JPCA members also have been to Good Eats and they have totally bragged about how delicious the food is and how the ambiance is so neighborhood friendly. One of them is Manny Caruana who is a JPCA Officer. He has told me many times, “you have to eat at this place, it’s great!” There you have it, reviews right from the hometown folks! Does it get any more reliable than that?
On the personal side, John Kolombos came here from Greece when he was just 11 years old. He grew up knowing the meaning of hard work and it shows in his Good Eats business. Every detail is refined and at the point of presentation when it’s time for the “close-up” everything is in place and your job is just to relax, let the Kolombos spoil you and enjoy the moment!
Maria told me she did the decorating job in the restaurant and worked tirelessly with the contractors to get it to the cozy, eye-catching place it is today. Prior to it becoming Good Eats it was known as The Newport Diner and the Kolombos ran the diner under that name until last year, when it became “Good Eats.”
In response to my question to Maria Kolombos when I asked her if they live in the area she stated, “around the corner for twenty-five years.” They raised their three boys in Maspeth and two of them have gone on to college, one at Baruch and the other at Yale and their “baby” is still in high school. Maria also stated that during the summers her boys always help out in the business. The Kolombos are all about family and you see that immediately when you enter the doors at Good Eats.
There is no doubt, this is a friendly, neighborhood restaurant where you can have great food, served up by a competent Good Eats’ staff and mingle with your neighbors. Stop in next chance you get, bring your appetite or, if you’re not so hungry, try brunch on Saturday or Sunday. Somehow the word “brunch” always has that lighter, more delicate approach to “appetite.” I know from experience, however, how “brunch” can be totally satisfying as a down home type, hearty meal.
Let me tell you this also, Maria and John Kolombos want to take this opportunity to thank everyone for their support and good wishes with their beautiful new restaurant.
You have to believe I love saying this – you don’t have to cook anymore, there’s Good Eats to do it for you! Let John and Maria Kolombos fuss over you! Tell them you read about them in the Juniper Berry. They’ll love it, and so will you!