Location Details
Open the door to Bitter Ends Luncheonette, in the location of the former Bloomfield Sandwich Shop, and inside you’ll find a cozy little room with mint-green tiling and kitschy decor.
To the left is the kitchen, the register and a host of tempting pastries and desserts under glass, anchored by a counter and stools. The other side of the restaurant — truly, a luncheonette — offers just two tables and a bench.
Needlepoints of various veggies hang on the walls, flowers in vases perch on the tables, and a collection of delightfully mismatched mugs lines the area under the register. It’s a snug space, but the warm decor and careful placement of seating prevents the eatery from feeling cramped. The smell of coffee and freshly cooked eggs, greens and sausage fills the air, blending companionably with the chatter of both diners and folks waiting for take-out.
Bitter Ends Luncheonette has a playful vibe, but the food is seriously good. The smashed griddled potatoes, with red onions and parsley, are filling and comforting, especially when paired with an egg sandwich. The sunny-side-up egg will likely be cooked to perfection before your very eyes by James Beard-nominated chef Becca Hegarty while she chats with patrons sitting at the counter.
Hegarty, who previously worked at Café Carnegie and Dinette, recently opened Bitter Ends with Jason Oddo. The pair operates a small organic farm in Verona (which helps supply the diner), and previous sold salads and sandwiches at farmers’ markets and popups around town.
In addition to savory food like sandwiches, salads and soups, the breakfast-and-lunch joint serves coffee (from Commonplace) and delicious pastries, such as doughnuts, scones and cakes. (The sugared doughnut holes strike the perfect balance of sweet and savory.)
The menu at Luncheonette changes seasonally. (Now is the time to get that slice of pumpkin pie.) Hearty fall vegetables currently occupy much of the menu, so expect a lot of food that feels like a nice, warm hug for your stomach.
