It's time to hit the road and explore a bit, and if you're traveling with the family, you want to know that you've got somewhere good to stop should the hangries kick in after the snacks run out. So, no matter where your travels take you, the places we've chosen are geographically scattered across the region and do a great job of catering to families—and, in some cases, kids directly. Some of them even offer a bit of a throwback, retro vibe.
Pop's Malt Shoppe
208 W. Main St., Kutztown | 484.646.9509 | popsmaltshoppe.com
You know what you're getting with a name like Pop's Malt Shoppe, even down to the old-timey spelling: 1950s nostalgia, served with a smile.
Pop's has been around for 18 years and is owned and operated by Joel and Dakota Seidel. The menu has morphed in that time a bit, but the theme has been consistent. “We've got scoops, milkshakes, malt shakes, sundaes, burgers, fries, munchies and sandwiches,” says Joel.
“When customers visit, they often tell us they feel as if they're stepping back in time with our retro décor and '50s music playing while they enjoy their food,” he says.
So many things are on this menu here, in addition to the standards—there's grilled paninis, salads and even waffles. (You know, so you can top it with one of their hand-dipped ice creams.)
They're doing something right, because Joel says they have been watching families grow up. “We get a lot of applications from local kids telling us their parents or grandparents used to bring them as kids, so they feel a connection to us and want to work for us as young adults,” he says. “We have many regulars that we know on a first-name basis. We really enjoy being part of a small town and are happy that our family also calls it home.”
Mountain Dude's Good Food
1278 Rte. 22, Phillipsburg, NJ | 908.386.3488 | themountaindudes.com
You may have noticed that the former Sammy's drive-in, across from the Phillipsburg Mall, looked like it was going to be the location of a business called Mountain Dudes. You may be wondering where they went—it looks like the dudes never set up shop there. However, that's not true.
Mountain Dudes opened at that spot for a short stint last August as a trial. “We had a custom-made food truck and did a test menu with the intentions of opening up inside,” says Chris Sterlacci, owner. What happened? People kept coming, and capacity (20 seats!) was stretched. “It just wasn't going to work for us,” he says. Instead, they moved to a bigger brick-and-mortar location in Pohatcong Plaza in February.
The striking, cheeky logo and concept is the brainchild of Sterlacci, whose background is in branding and development. “It was actually just a design concept before I teamed up with our head chef and chose to build an actual place that serves food,” says Sterlacci, laughing.
Menu items for kids (little dudes) include the usual concepts but also a pizza bagel (fun!), and the menu even caters to vegans. Major crowd faves include the Sasquatch, a smoked brisket sandwich with sautéed onions, fried egg and whatever cheese you like. Or opt for the Mountaineer Burger, which is topped with brisket (yes, a burger topped with beef), crunchy onions, jalapeños and pepper jack cheese.
“I worked really hard to preserve a family owned and welcoming environment, with good wholesome food and a kind staff. It's pretty much all the things [as a customer] I've ever wanted to see in a restaurant,” says Sterlacci.
Wiz Kids
65 E. Elizabeth Ave., Bethlehem | 610.419.2566 | 4817 Freemansburg Ave., Easton | 610.419.4144 | wizkidzlv.com
The idea behind Wiz Kidz, which is owned by Bayou Boys Hospitality Group, came from a pretty straightforward place, according to Mo Taylor, one of the co-owners. Kids need cheesesteaks, too.
“There's kids' burgers and chicken fingers, but no kids' cheesesteaks. We thought, why not?” says Taylor.
At Wiz Kidz, where the retro vibe is the 1980s, the classic steak-and-cheese sandwich is scaled down for smaller appetites.
Elsewhere, cheesesteaks are often way too big, and sometimes they have ingredients that kids aren't excited about (like onions or mushrooms). Parents end up cutting them into segments, which gets messy.
Rod's Dogs
325 Northampton St., Easton | 484.548.1646 | hotdogseaston.com
The nostalgia continues at Rod's Dogs, named in honor of owner Mike Pichetto's grandfather, who operated a hot dog cart in North Jersey after he returned home from World War II. Rod's took over the spot occupied by Full of Crepe at the Easton Public Market in October 2021.
The hot dog style might be a little different, depending on where you're from—they sell a type known as rippers. “Ripper hot dogs are made to be fried until they rip open,” says manager Felix Grzymala.
Rod's is supplied by Thumann's hot dogs from Carlstadt, New Jersey, which specializes in this kind of hot dog. “They are a specialty of North Jersey that we are proud to bring to the Lehigh Valley,” says Grzymala.
Special heads up for chili cheese dog lovers: “We make our chili from scratch and it's a perfect pairing with the dog,” he says. Unless, of course, you want a burger, and theirs are hand ground every morning by Saylors & Co., the onsite butcher at the market. Old-school sodas are available, too, from Reading Soda Works—think birch beer, orange cream, root beer and strawberry cream. They make for a great ice cream float, with scoops from Bank Street Creamery.
Petey's Eateys
5879 Sullivan Trl., Nazareth | 610.759.0143 | peteyseateys.com
We've featured this roadside spot before, not far from the entrance to Jacobsburg State Park, much beloved for its wide menu and quick, friendly service. It's a little different for a few reasons, the first of which is that they offer breakfast sandwiches, and a ton of food they offer can be prepped to go—whether it's homemade egg salad or tuna salad, pickled eggs, homemade soup or any of its many, many sandwiches. It's not your run-of-the-mill roadside stop.
But everything is made to order, and that's one of the best things about Petey's.
The name rhyme is fun, and it's an homage to the owner Dennis Einfalt's bulldog Petey, who passed away unexpectedly during the process of planning for the concept but who sure loved to eat. Pull up with the family and eat outside. Naturally, four-legged family members (a.k.a., dogs) are welcome, too—just keep them well-managed on a leash.
Dinky's Ice Cream Parlor & Grill
103 Broadway, Bangor | 610.588.1131 | 312 E. 3rd St., Bethlehem | 610.419.4716 | dinkysicecream.com
The throwback vibe is on in full force at Dinky's, owned by husband-and-wife team Norman and Jill Matthews. They've been serving up burgers and shakes since 2012 at their original spot in Bangor, and added a second location in June 2020.
The business was born out of a career pivot when Norman injured his back and decided to instead follow up on his childhood dream of opening an ice cream shop. The business takes its name from Norman's childhood nickname. But the nostalgia vibe is real—his love for classic cars made opening the restaurant possible; he sold his 1957 Chevy Bel Air to make Dinky's a reality.
Stop in for a burger—there are so many to choose from, all of them quarter-pounders—or all-beef hot dogs with every fixin' you can imagine, and, of course, homemade hard ice cream. (Take home some ice cream sandwiches to stash away in your freezer in case of an ice cream emergency—you know they're real!)
Drip: The Flavor Lab
1310 Main St., Hellertown | 484.851.3700 | driptheflavorlab.com
Despite the name, Drip isn't a coffeehouse. (The name is a long story better told at another time.) It's a creative reworking of fast food classics, done right, with meticulous attention to detail, in an energetic space, spearheaded by a classically trained chef (Andrew Murtha) and his co-owner Bob Weill.
When describing the concept, Murtha says it was a bit of an intentional affront to fast food concepts, but opting instead for high-quality food made to order. Extensive testing went into the menu items at Drip.
For example, Murtha says they tweaked both the burger and the bun, many times over, to allow for proper shrinkage of the beef while cooking, but so that it wasn't too small—or too large—for the bun. (Note: These are the kinds of people you want making your food.) The burgers are custom ground, the shakes are thick and drippy, and the filet of chicken (an obvious play on words poking at the fast food chain) is soaked in buttermilk for 24 hours before it's breaded and fried. Nothing gets wrapped in a foil-lined pouch.
