pilot

Mill Street Café not run of the mill……..

by Cate Murway

Plunge head-first into an everlasting era when people truly make money "the old-fashioned way", earning it with their sweat and tears! Enter almost as an interloper, watching the toil of daily lives unfurl, and leave as a friend!

A match made on Mill Street!

“Makin' your way in the world today

Takes everything you've got

Taking a break from all your worries

Sure would help a lot

Wouldn't you like to get away?”

The 6 months old Mill Street Café captures the very essence of a hometown diner, doing dining right, in a nice welcoming style! An ideal location, it’s just past the corner of Pond and Mill Streets, the entrance to historic Bristol on the Delaware. In your quest for the best breakfast, the friendliest waitress, or the mingled smell of coffee and fresh home cooking, grab a seat at 407 Mill Street.

Join in the spirit with across-the-counter banter [customers can never get enough of that!]. Most days are jammed with people trying to get a taste of the great Mill Street hamburger or other healthy choice menus. This is the sort of place that a politician might visit to chat with locals while campaigning. It has a welcoming unselfconsciousness about it and boasts a distinctive charm all its own.

Mill Street Café is comfortable and good at comfort food. It deserves a mile high ovation.

Enjoy the experience!

“Sometimes you wanna go

Where Everybody Knows Your Name

And they're always glad you came

You wanna be where you can see

Our troubles are all the same

You wanna be Where Everybody Knows Your Name”

Mustafa Pksi is from Keşap, a small town on the Black Sea coast of Turkey, similar in population size to historic Bristol on the Delaware. He currently resides in Hightstown, NJ and he has 3 children. He and Levittown resident and soccer enthusiast Tim Kaplan [dad to 2-year-old twins, Emir and Nur] cooked together for 12 years, including a stint in the Crystal Diner in Trenton before opening the 65 seat, teal colored decor Mill Street Café. It has traditional swivel diner stool bar seating, as well as roomy booths and tables. There’s plenty of on-street parking and parking in the nearby municipal lot.

You are welcomed with a large selection of yummy breakfast foods, and a multicultural melting pot throughout the day where carved meats, pastas, beef Shish Kebob, prime rib, meatballs, and baklava peacefully coexist under one roof. Assorted wraps, a variety of salads, club sandwiches and so much more. Your eyes will dance over the menu, finding one thing and then another that sounds appealing and then circling back. Descriptions are minimal, but the sheer amount of choice is amazing.

The food specials change daily and over 90 different items

are offered each day of the week.

Wait staff Lynn shared, “Tim is an excellent, a phenomenal cook.”

He clearly cooks for people who like to eat!

It’s a friendly place, a lot like the town, that has plenty of charm, where kindness is a universal language.

Mustafa and Tim have a brilliant way of taking an ordinary breakfast and turning it into fun! Try the Mill Street Specialties- one piece pancake, one piece french toast and any style eggs, or the Mill Street Café omelette with bacon, sausage, ham, onion, pepper, tomato and cheese.

“I’ve eaten breakfast there several times. Delicious and reasonable!” said Rich Vallejo, President of The Bristol Borough Business Association and proprietor of “Another Time Antiques” on Mill Street.

When the four-sided lighted clock tower on the Grundy Commons declares it is lunch, then let the choices begin!

Reach for a classic Reuben, generously layered with corned beef, cheese and sauerkraut all grilled together for a mouthwatering sandwich, or partake in the popular warm crunchy tuna melt for another delicious experience.

If eating rather than cooking is your forte, you’ve come to the right place! Come in to enjoy their extensive entrees; some are very unusual for a diner. The “sautéed” menu, with a soup or salad and two vegetables includes flavorful offerings with rave reviews such as chicken francaise, sweet and cracker chicken, fettuccine Alfredo and penne Siciliana. The awesomely good Italian selections include eggplant parmesan, along with ravioli, stuffed shells and manicotti with a soup or salad. Indulge in two huge pieces of boneless chicken parmesan over pasta for just $10.95. They know how to build flavor into a dish! These generous portions are thoroughly enjoyed by the collective tastebuds of the masses.

Every Friday there are “fin”omenal fish specials, including perfectly battered haddock, the premium whitefish and husky chips [it's all about the potato!] for only $9.95.

Bring your best bud!

Tender salmon fillets are baked with lemon, rosemary, and olive oil, a simply delicious preparation for an impressive romantic meal! The ingredients don't overpower the delicate taste of the salmon. You just can't top that!

Or try the fresh lump crab cakes. They are terrific as a main dish or an appetizer!

Great stuff!

Don’t desert them before dessert!

Try some of the no raisins and no cinnamon, not super sweet homemade rice pudding, or if you are a big-time fan, [caution- you will be made a convert!] test their creamy, classically delicious ultimate quintessential tapioca.

Mill Street Café is also vegan-friendly, offering tasty and filling vegetarian options.

Tim and Mustafa are always conscientious about your dietary needs.

Milk is on the beverage menu and there are special nutritious selections for kids, including their beverage.

Currently, Mustafa, Tim and their wait staff are working on putting together a “mini- meals” selection for the senior citizens.

Request a budget-friendly packed picnic lunch to take with yourself when you’re headed to the historic waterfront Bristol Lion's park that is equipped with a Victorian gazebo, park benches and unequaled views of the Delaware River. Grab a “Pilot” and the current month’s copy of the Bristol Borough Calendar and be on your way!

Ask about their “celebration specials” and catering services for luncheons, meetings, parties and other unique occasions.

"Where there is an open mind, there will always be a frontier." -- Charles F. Kettering [1876-1958]

The Mill Street Café is a great place with personality for an affordable, high-quality meal before “Summer Jazz” at the Bristol Riverside Theatre this weekend. [Borough residents may PAY WHAT THEY WILL at the BRT!].

Way to go for eating and a show!

Pros: fabulous food, courteous employees, comfortable atmosphere.

Cons: nothing at all!

Kudos for the wait staff, Najma and Borough resident Lynn for their manner, speed, and near-flawlessness, who make the dining relaxed and really pleasant!

From a review on yelp.com

“The ranch chicken wrap came with a pickle, cole slaw, and potato wedges, yes, I said POTATO WEDGES! (I love potato wedges). The potato wedges were fantastic by the way. It's a 4 because the portion was perfect and the potato wedges are fantastic.”

Brian L., Gloucester City, NJ

Whether you’re sipping a milkshake or enjoying the sweetened layers of dough and crushed pistachio nuts in the authentic Turkish baklava, if you’re at the Mill Street Café, you’re probably having a good time. You will instantly like the place and feel welcome.

You will be back!

“Roll out of bed, Mr. Coffee's dead

The morning's looking bright…

Be glad there's one place in the world

Where Everybody Knows Your Name

And they're always glad you came.”

Mill Street Café

breakfast, lunch & dinner

407 Mill Street

Bristol, PA 19007

215.458.7287

7:00 a.m. –9:00 p.m.