Shakers American Café: The Elegant Spin On Classic Diner Provisions

Shakers American Café: The Elegant Spin On Classic Diner Provisions


Shakers American Café showcases an elegant spin on classic diner provisions. Located in College Park, Shakers is as close to an American institution that a single standing restaurant can get. If you haven’t heard of, or been to, Shakers American Café, we’re sure you’ll want to pay them a visit after reading this food review.

Recently we had the absolute pleasure of visiting Shakers American Café, sampling some of their popular dishes, and speaking with the owner and head chef, Greg Granda. Some of our favorite food of all time and above all else is classic, American, diner fare. Something that Shakers offers up in spades. However, Shakers isn’t traditional by a long shot.

The Shakers Specials Board


Greg studied at the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) and his background in the culinary arts greatly shines through his food. Primarily the locally coveted specials board.

“If I serve 300 people on a Saturday, 100 of those people are going to order off of our breakfast specials board.” – Greg Granda

Greg purchased Shakers about ten years ago and was asked by regular customers not to change a thing. Something that Greg has valued and stuck to all these years. However, Greg did add his own flair to the menu by introducing some new items in the form of specials. Greg’s specials were such a big hit that they’ve never left the specials board. Luckily, we were able to try a few choice picks.

The Short Rib Hash Of Your Dreams


Oh, you’ve never heard of short rib hash? That’s a shame. Short rib hash is a serendipitous creation that is the byproduct of culinary imagination and a supply of short ribs. Just one of Greg’s many popular specialties that have stood the test of time. This special dish consists of tender, juicy, flavorful short rib with carrots, and home fries smothered in caramelized onions. Pair that with a few eggs cooked your way, and you have one of the most wholesome, flavorful, and satisfying dishes to ever come out of a diner kitchen. The short rib hash is almost like a pot roast dinner that has been tweaked for breakfast.

You’ve heard us talk about how the simplest of items, and how they’re prepared, will tell you all you need to know about the competence of a kitchen. Shakers exhibits this with their caramelized onions by perfectly caramelizing them to extract the sugars and wonderful flavors, usually hidden under the onion’s layers. This may seem simple, but we’re sure you’ll notice a difference between the caramelized onions in the short rib hash at Shakers American Café and other establishments. Do yourself a favor, keep up with Shakers on social media by clicking one of the buttons below. Take a look at their options for yourself if you’re not going to take our word for it.

The Maple Pork Belly Benedict


Wow, what a home run from Shakers American Café. This is without a doubt on of the best eggs benedict dishes we’ve ever tasted. Its important to mention that Shakers makes almost all their menu items from scratch. This includes their biscuits and muffins etc. You all know by now how much we appreciate scratch kitchens, because the quality of food is elevated to an entirely different level. This is especially true for the maple pork belly benedict.

The maple pork belly benedict is served up with thick sliced pork belly slathered in a maple syrup concoction atop a deliciously toasted English muffin. Of course, you have your poached eggs and a generous helping of their hollandaise sauce, dusted with maple sugar. This special is packed to the brim with flavor. Even if you don’t have a sweet tooth, you’ll appreciate this dish whole heartedly. You can order this special, and other dishes, from Shakers American Café by clicking the button below. 

Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth With The Cinnamon Bun Pancakes


Okay, so we’re not usually a huge fan of sweets (aside from the Shakers maple pork belly benedict) but the Shakers cinnamon bun pancake is out of this world. At first glance you may think you’ve ordered a typical pancake breakfast. This is not the case. Greg has created his own blend of brown sugar and cinnamon to swirl into his pancake batter. The result is beautiful, sweet, and tasty cinnamon bun pancakes that melt in your mouth. Did we mention that these pancakes are topped with a cream cheese icing?

These pancakes are indistinguishable from a cinnamon bun. However, they remain fluffy and light. The cinnamon bun pancakes are another piece of evidence that Shakers is operating on a different frequency than a lot of other diners in town. You can visit Shakers American Café 7 days a week and enjoy breakfast or lunch until about 2:30 PM almost every day. Make sure to have a look at their menu ahead of time by clicking the button below.

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