Our Story
The original location served as The Collegeville train station which opened in 1868 along the Perkiomen Railroad (later part of the Reading Railroad), and its naming actually inspired the name of the entire town of Collegeville, Pennsylvania. According to the borough, in 1868, when the railroad arrived, locals debated naming the station "Perkiomen Bridge" or "Freeland". Following local unrest, the rail company named the stop "Collegeville" to keep the peace, choosing a name closer to the Pennsylvania Female College than the local village.
Ursinus College was founded a year later, meaning the town's name technically derives from the short-lived female college rather than Ursinus. The tracks were completely removed by 1980, and the original station building was eventually demolished and a Pizza Hut later occupied the former site. The old rail corridor has since been transformed into the popular Perkioman trail.
The Collegeville Diner was constructed in 2005 and purchased by Jim Voutsinas and Matthew Kalogerakis in 2016. From the moment you enter the doors, the retro ambiance of booths, stainless steel and neon lights gives you the feeling of the classic diner. The vast menu gives patrons options of generous portions for any time of the day whether it’s all day breakfast, enormous salads, gourmet sandwiches, traditional club sandwiches, huge burgers, authentic Greek dishes, classic comfort food, Steaks and fresh Seafood dishes. There are also Gluten Free options.
The Collegeville Diner opened its doors at 290 E Main Street in 2005, with a simple goal: serve honest, generous, made-fresh comfort food to the Collegeville community. In 2016, the diner was taken over by Jim Voutsinas and Matthew Kalogerakis, who kept the recipes and the regulars that made it a Main Street institution.
Part of the Collegeville Community
Collegeville itself was incorporated in 1896 and has been home to Ursinus College since 1869 — making this stretch of Main Street a hub for the borough for well over a century. The diner has grown up alongside that community: generations of Ursinus students have grabbed breakfast here before finals, and Collegeville families have made it a regular stop for everything from Sunday brunch to after-school dinners.
A Local Favorite, Recipe by Recipe
Over the years, certain dishes have become synonymous with the diner itself — the pot roast, the matzoh ball soup, the pumpkin pancakes (seasonal), and a lemon meringue pie good enough that customers have requested custom orders for birthdays. This no-frills Diner & bakery serves a long menu of American classics plus Greek specialty dishes.
Still Serving Collegeville, Every Day
Today, the Collegeville Diner remains what it's always been: a dependable, welcoming Main Street diner where the coffee's fresh, the staff is friendly, and there's always room for one more at the counter. Twenty one years in, and counting.
