When you think about finding a decent restaurant for less-than-wealthy college students, two criteria come to mind: affordability and portion size. Rolando’s Diner, located in Downtown Binghamton, offers both in reasonable ratio, which means a large amount of cheap food.

It may be the perfect place to nurse a hangover on a Sunday morning and talk to your friends about the night before. Rolando’s offers all the classic morning breakfast staples like pancakes, eggs, toast, bacon, sausage, home fries and omelettes, and all for a reasonable price. For example, Rolando’s offers you three pancakes, two eggs, two sausages, home fries and a bottomless cup of coffee for just $5.15. Let IHOP try to beat that.

Rolando’s also offers a decently sized and reasonably priced lunch and dinner menu. It serves hamburgers and fries for less than $4 and chicken parmesan for $5.15. As with most diner-style restaurants, you can order any part of the menu at any time of day. However, the diner closes at 7 p.m. during the week, so lunch and dinner at Rolando’s is probably not the best option for busy college students.

Rolando’s Diner has been located in Binghamton since 1971. The restaurant recently celebrated its 40th anniversary last week. The original owners, Rolando Anagnostakos and his wife Patti, still come in every day to assist with the operation of the restaurant.

Rolando, originally from Sparta, Greece, opened the diner after spending about five years in the Binghamton area. Their son Louis recently returned from Buffalo to raise a family and help run the restaurant.

Overall, Rolando’s is a great value. Cheap prices, large portions and great food make this one of Binghamton’s hidden gems. To make things even better, its service is quick and there is hardly a wait. However, the restaurant is small with limited seating, so it is not an ideal place to bring a large group of people.

Rolando’s is located at 140 Court St., across the street from the Binghamton Public Library. You can access its menu online at http://www.rolandosdiner.com. The restaurant is open Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m., on Saturday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. and on Sunday from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. Rolando’s accepts cash only, so don’t forget to stop at the ATM on the way.