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When you walk into Peter Pan Diner you take a trip back in time. The famous Oakland Park diner has maintained its old Florida charm and its tradition of serving up timeless classics and Greek favorites at affordable prices. As a result Peter Pan Diner is a place where Oakland Parkers from all walks of life feel at home.
Becoming Peter Pan
But the Peter Pan we know today was not always Peter Pan. Back in the 1960s the diner was Sir George’s Buffet. In 1979 Peter Kourkoumelis bought the diner with the idea of transforming it into Peter’s Pans. His idea was to cook food in sautée pans for the customers, according to his son Jeronimos Kourkoumelis, the current owner.
Kourkoumelis sent the paperwork to the State of Florida with the name of his new business. When the State of Florida returned the paperwork instead of it saying Peter’s Pans it said Peter Pan. So from an innocent mistake, Peter Pan Diner, an Oakland Park icon was born.
A Local Favorite
Over the years Peter Pan has became a local favorite. Once open 24 hours it was the place to go after hours for those craving good ol’ comfort food. Now, despite not being open 24 hours, it is still home to locals and employees alike. According to Jeronimos Kourkoumelis, the current owner, Peter Pan is one big family. They have regulars that come several times a week and employees that have worked there for over 30 years. Kourkoumelis shared with Living In Oakland Park that
“Peter Pan is like Cheers where everybody knows your name”
The pictures of Peter Pan speak for themselves! One big happy family enjoying good times, day in and day out.
The Big Win!
Over the years Peter Pan has been recognized by the New Times as having the Best Breakfast. To drive this win home Channel 10 voters also voted Peter Pan the Best Breakfast in town. But big win came recently with a phone call from the Food Network.
Kourkoumelis shares that when he got the call he was a little diffident. “Surely they want to sell me something”, he thought. Nevertheless he figured he had nothing to lose and agreed to the interview with the Food Network. Everything went well and he and the interviewer had a good laugh when she confirmed they really were not selling anything.
Kourkoumelis didn’t hear anything for weeks and thought nothing came of the interview. Then last week he got the big news, Peter Pan had been named Florida’s diner by the Food Network! Kourkoumelis was overjoyed with this national accolade. On his Facebook page he posted
Want some of the deliciousness that Peter Pan serves up? Stop by Peter Pan any time between 6:00 am to 12:00 am and enjoy!!
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*LivingInOaklandPark.com is an independent publication, not affiliated with the City of Oakland Park.
About the Author
Désirée Ávila has called Oakland Park her home for over 31 years. In addition to publishing LivingInOaklandPark.com , Désirée publishes three other blogs and has been featured in print publications, locally and abroad. Désirée was an award winning teacher for 10 years and has a doctoral level education in Educational Technology. She is currently a licensed Florida Realtor® and is committed to a high-level of professionalism and to helping others with their real estate endeavors through education. Désirée is fluent in Portuguese, Spanish, French and Italian.
