#51 - Eat a Mish at Chateau Coffee Shop

The , located across from the Woodmere train station, is the self-proclaimed “home of the original mish,” a finely-chopped salad that has gained in popularity over the years and inspired many other local eateries to offer mish creations of their own.

There are more than 20 different mishes to choose from, including tuna, chef salad, seafood, Greek and Waldorf chicken. These range from $6 to $9.50.

For a small additional charge, you can customize it with extras like walnuts, raisins, cheese, turkey and others. They all come with melba toast, but it’s most popularly served with grilled pita bread.

“You can go anywhere in this country — if they heard of the mish, that means they’re from Long Island. And it started in this place 35 years ago,” said owner Larry Lackman, who bought Chateau from his cousin seven years ago.

The Chateau is a quaint little place, reminiscent of soda shops from years ago. It offers traditional hot breakfasts, and big muffins that are made fresh each morning on premises. For lunch, they have dozens of sandwiches, burgers, sides and several complete hot meals. For an old-fashioned treat, order a frothy egg cream.

For the younger set, the kids/students menu is a great deal. You get a choice of grilled cheese, a burger, tuna, chicken fingers or hot dogs. Each comes with French fries, cold slaw, pickle and a fountain drink for only $6.50.

Surprisingly, only a small portion of the shop’s business is derived from train commuters, Lackman said. Most customers are locals who have been going there for years.