Bites Nearby: Windsor 75 Diner

Therese and George Calos know what they like, and that's exactly what they hope to provide to patrons of their Windsor 75 Diner.

“We enjoy people and food that is nice, easy and not expensive,” said co-owner Therese Calos.

The restaurant serves an array of choices for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Calos pointed out that some of the best-selling orders include the chicken walnut Craisin salad (which is the biggest salad on the menu), the seafood because it is always fresh, her homemade lasagna and the banana walnut pancakes. The breakfast menu can be ordered from all day (the home fries are delicious).

Some other items on the menu include a classic Caesar salad ($6.79), roast turkey breast ($10.99) and the baked seafood medley ($17.99).

Specials menus are available on a weekly basis through “George’s Specials” and “Therese’s Drink Specials.” Also available is the “Over 55” menu for those customers over the age of 55. On this menu, “the prices are lower, and the portions are the right size to provide just enough food for an older crowd,” said Calos. The restaurant is currently developing a kid-friendly special menu.

George and Therese bought the diner in January of 1997. The couple were able to turn around the negativity previously associated with the establishment and build a family-friendly and successful restaurant. “The two of them, they make a good team,” said dedicated-customer Jim Morris of East Hampton. “They’re both very hard workers.”

The success of the restaurant is not just luck and hard work, however. In addition to a New York diner experience in the kitchen, Mr. and Mrs. Calos owned a pizza restaurant in East Hampton for 15 years until the property was sold and demolished.

“There was a lot of sadness in town when they left,” said Morris. “It was bittersweet to hear of the new place and that it was doing well in Windsor,” he said while remembering Diamond Pizza Family Restaurant.

“We cook the way we know how to cook,” Calos said. “We use fresh ingredients—never frozen or processed because I wouldn’t use that stuff at home—and provide a home-style cooked meal.”

 The tables in the restaurant are covered in a sheet of white paper, and staff encourages customers to doodle while they eat. “I always tell people to write each other love letters,” said Calos.

Some upcoming changes you can expect to Windsor 75 Diner include the opening of the outside patio and more Greek specials will be made available on the menu as well.

“I’ve received a lot of requests for Greek food. People are much more open to new foods,” Calos said. With her Italian heritage and her husband’s Greek descent, these new menu items promise to be delicious.

Windsor 75 Diner, 35 Poquonock Avenue, Windsor, is open seven days a week: Sunday & Monday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Tuesday through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Specials and the regular menu are available online at www.windsor75.com . There is also a private dining room with a fireplace available upon request.