Mabel’s Main St Grill — Restaurant in Town of Bath

In 1966 I was a student at Penn College of Technology. I lived near Batavia NY and sometimes took the bus to school on Sunday nights. The 3 1/2 hour trip by car, took 6 hours by bus. The bus made a regular stop at The Savona Dinner. Being an artist, that stop always put me in mind of the painting, "Nighthawks by Edward Hopper". In 2016 while heading south, I took a slight detour and was pleasantly surprised to see she was still there and thriving. On my way to the races in Watkins Glen, reliving another youthful experience, about a month ago I stop in again. The Savona Diner is a classic local diner with the kind of food you'd expect. Robust, delicious and generous servings. Love the homemade rye bread. The waitresses are friendly and quick in their attention and with their wit. The gal that waited on my friend and me reminded me a little of Flo on the TV show Alice. If you're in the area on I-86 you should stop and enjoy this classic. I hope to be stopping in on the 18th on my way to a woodworking show in PA. I hope restaurants like Mom's Savona Dinner will always be there. It's an American Classic. No...

I've been there 3 times in recent years, the last time only because a friend lives nearby and wanted to meet there. A few points:

They don't tell you that it's cash only until you get to the register to pay. The only sign that I could see to inform customers of the policy was lying flat on the counter in front of the register. The last time I went there, several years prior, I didn't know that and barely had enough cash to cover the bill with only $3 left for the tip. The waitress was so angry she started marching all over the restaurant yelling that she doesn't make the rules there and making a big scene. This last time I went I made sure that I had cash. However I found that the food wasn't near as good as it used to be, nothing that would draw me to return again. This last time, though the entrees were inexpensive, anything else was very costly, including $5 for a small milk, and $2.25 for a glass of WATER (again, they don't tell you about this when you order - just another nasty surprise when the bill comes)!! Needless to say, I won't...

Update: I did go back and it was worse. Food was repulsive. Server was nice but yuck. I give up. Yikes. I understand Corona made things weird but Wowie. There was a man cleaning windows when I arrived and thought, Great!, until I went inside. This place was FILTHY from the floor to the ceiling and into the bathroom. Do NOT ask for the highchair! Disgusting. Even my silverware was dirty. I was overcharged. My sandwich was listed as $6 but I paid $7.50. Kids meal for $7.50 that never got the ice cream. I was charged twice for fries but only got one order. This is on top of being a little pricey in general. The food was mediocre. First time my kid ever turned down a cheeseburger (could mean nothing since toddlers are jerks) but my overpriced sandwich was good. Whoever answered the phone that day was so nice and made me excited to come in. My server was also very polite. I Might try again when this virus stuff dies down but for a messed up ticket for 1.5 people, and a gross restaurant with someone having time to clean outside - I am...