Montoursville is located on the ancestral homelands of the tribes of the Iroquois Confederacy.

Date of Visit: December 5, 2025

On an early December Friday, as we explored the north-central part of the state, we needed a family-friendly spot for a quick lunch. We found that at Grigg’s Coffee and Dolly’s Diner in Mountoursville. 

The dual business is located just off the Montoursville exit of I-180. The two-story building would be unremarkable on the outside if not for the dark wood trim. Inside, though, we found a bustling, if not rustic diner. 

Grigg’s Coffee has more than 100 years of history in the region, and the coffee roaster moved to Montoursville in the 1990s. The old roasting machinery stood opposite the entrance, impossible to miss when you walked in. 

Dolly’s moved into the building in the early 2010s. It’s a tight space, but they make it work with little room to spare in between tables. Arriving right at 12 noon, the lunch rush was on. 

With no seats available, we stood against the front wall until a table opened up. It gave us time to look around the room. As the servers hurried from table to table with plates of comfort food, it felt like a traditional diner except instead of stainless steel everywhere, the fixtures were all wood – from the counter seating on the left to the booths by the back wall. But it felt authentic to the building. 

It took less than 10 minutes for a table to clear and for us to be seated in one of the booths. Our server was very friendly and attentive, taking our orders quickly and bringing our drinks just a short time later. 

I am not a coffee drinker, but I do love a good chai. The diner was offering a special raspberry chai, and I just couldn’t resist. The raspberry syrup was so sweet and the tea was extra creamy. While it was a stretch to call it chai at that point, it was a very worthwhile indulgence. 

As if my chai wasn’t enough sweets, I doubled down with an order of French toast cobbler for my meal. The French toast was topped with my choice of apple or peach pie filling – I opted for peach. 

It was delicious, just like eating pie for breakfast. The French toast was good on its own, but the peach pie filling made it memorable. 

To help tone down the sweetness, I also ordered a side of homefries. I had more than enough food without them, but it was nice to have a non-sweet item. And their homefries were done perfectly. 

Julie had the more sensible meal with a Rachel wrap and chips. It was a typical wrap and included turkey, Swiss cheese, coleslaw and Thousand Island dressing. It wasn’t anything outstanding, but it was a very good version of a Rachel that was satisfying.

Dolly’s had plenty to offer for the kids, too. For breakfast, kids get one egg, one meat, and one bread for $8.99. That may not sound like much, but when you consider the bread includes pancake waffle or French toast, it’s a great deal. 

Jakob – our eight-year-old – had a pancake with scrambled eggs and a sausage patty. It was a generous portion for a kids meal. The “small” pancake was as big as the plate. He must have really enjoyed it because there was nothing left of any of the pancake, egg or sausage when he was done. 

For Lukas, our picky two-year-old, we ordered off the lunch menu. For the same $8.99, it included an entree, side and drink. We got him mac and cheese with a side of applesauce. 

The first thing we noticed was that, unlike many diners, Dolly’s didn’t take a shortcut and serve the kids mac and cheese from a blue and yellow box. It seemed homemade with light yellow cheese.  

In total, we still only spent a little more than $50 for the four of us – you can’t beat diner prices – and we were in and out in an hour, giving up our spot for one of the many groups waiting by the door. On a nice day, there’s plenty of room to wait outside. But on a 20-degree day in early December, it was extra crowded by the entrance as everyone jammed inside to stay warm while they waited. 

Still, it was the perfect diner meal with a little coffee shop flair. It was exactly what we were looking for in a roadtrip lunch.

Grigg’s Coffee/Dolly’s Diner
707 Claire Road
Montoursville, PA 17754

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