Newton Citizen

Banana cream pie is one of the many homemade desserts on the menu at the Covington Diner.

The Covington Diner boasts well more than 100 menu items and restaurant manger Dave Tzikas said should someone get a hankering for an item not listed, he'll do his best to fulfill the customer's request.

"Our thing is choice. If we don't have it, I'll go get it," Tzikas said. "We have a little bit of everything for everyone."

Tzikas, whose father emigrated to the U.S. from Greece as a child, said his family used to operate diners in Florida, and the Galaxy Diner near North Lake Mall in Atlanta. The family currently owns part of the Landmark Diner in Atlanta.

"My father has been running diners his whole life, and so has my uncle," said Tzikas, who is part owner of the Covington Diner.

Not surprisingly, the Covington Diner specializes in Greek food with dinner items such as moussaka (layers of eggplant, potatoes and ground beef), Greek gyro platter, spanakopita (spinach pie), and souvlaki (skewers of pork with Greek salad) on the menu.

Other dinner choices include traditional meals such as steaks, pork chops, fried chicken and hot roast beef along with Italian specialities including lasagna, baked manicotti, cheese ravioli, spaghetti and stuffed shells. Seafood options include flounder, tilapia, shrimp and catfish.

If it's lunch your looking for, the menu features melts of all kinds, from turkey to tuna; hot Italian sandwiches, like chicken parmesan; Philly style sandwiches -- think gyro, cheesesteak; seven kinds of hamburgers, including a veggie burger; sandwiches, from Reubens and BLTs to roast beef and egg salad; and several chicken breast sandwiches.

Health conscious individuals can partake of the salad bar or any number of fresh garden salads including Caesar and chef.

For those who just want to nibble, there's lots of appetizers including potato skins with cheddar and bacon bits, loaded nachos, feta cheese and olives, chicken wings and fried calamari, as well as sides like fries, onion rings and garlic bread, along with a selection of soups.

The diner also serves breakfast -- scrambled and fried eggs, bacon, Belgian waffles, country fried steak, corn beef hash, omelets, pancakes, French toast -- all day.

"Breakfast any time is a big deal," said Tzikas, who said the diner is open 6 a.m. to 11 p.m., Sunday through Wednesday, and 24 hours a day, Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

Tzikas said all the desserts are made from scratch and include coconut cake, carrot cake, triple chocolate cake, strawberry cheesecake, fruit pies, M&M cookies, milkshakes and sundaes.

Tzikas said his family liked Covington, and took advantage of the opportunity to open the restaurant, which he said is in a great location at 6238 Turner Lake Road, right at the corner of Turner Lake Road and U.S. Highway 278. He and his cousin moved to the area to help run the establishment.

"The city needed something and we wanted to create jobs and feed the people," Tzikas said.

Tzikas said the diner is very family-oriented, and there's a private room for large parties. He prides himself on the diner offering not only plenty of choices but also good service and atmosphere.

"It's very vibrant," Tzikas said.

To learn more, call 678-712-6502 or visit the Covington Diner's Facebook page.