Diner

Phillips Avenue Diner, Sioux Falls, 9/25/26

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exterior – 121 South Phillips Avenue, Sioux Falls, SD 57104

Phillips Avenue Diner was an Airstream trailer that combined with some buildings to become a restaurant.  From their website I learned that the trailer used to be the Market Diner in 1996 and the owners wanted to expand so moved it downtown.  Open every day for breakfast and lunch they stay open till 8pm Tues through Sat for dinner.   It offers a very “diner” experience with lots of stainless steel, elevated and floor level booths and counter stools.   Tile on the floor and vintage music in the background, vintage photos on the walls and lots of windows finish out the interior.  They’ve got the fountain options but we were there for a breakfast before another day of sight-seeing.   Service was friendly and efficient.  One interesting quirk was they served packages of peanut butter in addition to the jelly options.  The food was good and I’d go again if in the area. Continue reading →

Palace Diner, Biddeford, ME., 6/17/25

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exterior – 18 Franklin St, Biddeford, ME 04005-2502

The Palace Diner was re-opened by Greg Mitchell and Chad Conley in 2014, the sixth proprietors of the property.  They picked a Pollard Company car built in Lowell, Massachesetts in 1927.  It has been in Biddeford, Maine its entire life and is one of only 2 Pollard cars remaining in America.   The red and black car has windows on 3 sides on the top half of the walls.  Outside the yellow letters spell out their name on the red bottom portion of the car with a “Ladies Invited” sign next to it.   Inside green tile is below the windows and a well worn formica counter divides the diners from the stainless steel and wood walls and fixtures.   A large pass through window looks into the kitchen that was added in the 1980s.   They are open 7 days a week for breakfast and lunch.  They do not take reservations and we were lucky to be seated immediately.  The diner next to me said he waited in line 20 minutes for a one of the 15 seats at the counter.    It is a cash only place with a few parking spots out front but a large city lot adjacent to it.   The place had real atmosphere with welcoming staff and great food.  Make sure and check it out when you are in the area. Continue reading →

Denny’s Diner, Wisconsin Dells, 7/21/24

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exterior – 2 W Munroe Ave, Wisconsin Dells, WI 53965

Denny’s Diner has been owned by the Van Schoyck family since 1980.  Named for Molly Van Schoyck’s husband Denny, it serves breakfast and lunch every day 6:30 am to 2:00 pm.  Filled with toys and collectables they are noteworthy for their daily baked cinnamon rolls.  Most importantly they are not in anyway affiliated with the national Denny’s chain restaurant.  Seating is in a number of booths next to the windows to the street and tables that can be re-arranged to accomodate groups of many sizes.  There is also seating at the counter.  After you’ve looked over the large menu you can entertain yourself with the 50s-60s music in the background as well as watching a toy train go round overhead or visit Superman in the old phone booth.  It’s a visual feast of items.  My advice is go for a drink and cinnamon roll of any variation and skip the rest of the food.  Please note that it is cash or check only. Continue reading →

Goober’s Diner, Wilmington, DE., 4/6/24

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exterior – 1203 N Lincoln St, Wilmington, DE 19806

Goober’s Diner was a classic retro stainless steel diner on 2 levels that seats 80 people.  It arrived on flatbed trucks from Atlanta after being assembled there and then broken apart for shipping.  The construction took about 2 years and it opened in late 2020.  It was put in place next to Goober’s Garage where owner Vance Kershner keeps his car collection.  Co-owner Tom Hannum has many years of restaurant experience so you can stop in for a meal and then roam around a huge collection of classic cars.   They created some outdoor seating in the parking lot in front of both so parking is as you can find it on the street.  Inside you’ll find stools at a counter, red booths, some free-standing tables and lots of red tiles and light fixtures.  They have an elevator as well as stairs to the second floor so I also snapped a photo up there.  Lots of stainless steel and the curved ceiling give it an old diner feel.  Two bakery cases were at the entry as this diner has a pastry chef.  Open daily, they serve all-day breakfast as well as lunch and dinner (Wed-Sat) but only after 11:00 am.  The food was fine and the service was fast but I think I liked roaming through the cars as much as breakfast. Continue reading →

Modern Diner, Pawtucket, RI, 5/26/22

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exterior – 364 East Ave., Pawtucket, RI

The Modern Diner was chosen to be the first diner in the nation to be accepted on the National Register for Historic Places.  It is a Sterling Streamliner, manufactured in the late 1930’s and early 40’s and one of 2 still in operation.  They serve breakfast and lunch daily with a ton of specials posted on the walls.    There is a counter with stools and a number of booths for 1 – 4 people.  A back room was added but sitting in the front gives you the real feel of the place.  The curved ceiling and shiny surfaces have the diner feel you’d miss in the addition.  The once silver roof is now red and marked with a “Modern Diner” sign that really makes you want to go in the place.  They do have a parking lot next to it.  Service was friendly and efficient.  I would go again if I’m in the area, not as much for the food as for the ambiance. Continue reading →

Swan Street Diner, Buffalo, 9/2/21

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exterior

The Swan Street Diner is an example of one of the early Sterling Company diner cars made by a Mass. company from 1936 to 1942.  Swan Street is No. 397 from  1937, featuring mahogany trim, barrel vaulted ceiling and walls of porcelain enamel.  This one was originally in Newark, NY as a diner and assembled onsite from pieces.  Since then it has had 3 owners and in 2013 Larkin Development Group purchased it, took it to Akron, Ohio and then to Buffalo for full restoration.  The interior enamel panels, bar stools and wood trim are original and the rest was fabricated onsite, trying to hold to the original design.  The Larkin Soap Company made china among other things and Swan Street was able to purchase some of the last plates and mugs made in Buffalo for the Diner.  They offer breakfast and lunch and have a couple specials.  The food is high quality and it’s a beautifully restored diner with a few original parts.  Great, friendly service. Continue reading →

Delta Diner (update), Delta, 7/13/19

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exterior
exterior

It’s been 3 years since Frankie and I wrote up some visits to the Delta Diner in the “middle of nowhere” Delta, Wisconsin.  The Chequamegon National Forest is another draw for this area but the Diner, a real draw, can commonly have a wait for seating in the summer months. Now you have an alternate dining option with The Tin Taphouse and the Chicken Shack – a bit of Jamaica in the middle of the Northwoods.  It’s only open on weekends and probably will close in October, as it is open air and it starts to get cold up there about that time.  But during the warmer months there could be no better way to enjoy the weather than at one of the picnic tables in the back (overlooking the White River) or on one of the stools at the bar enjoying the fun people manning the taps for locally brewed Earth Rider beers.  The place is composed from two railroad containers joined with an arch of metal.  Bright murals are painted on the outside walls and lots of plants bring the essence of a lush island setting.  Owners of the Delta Diner, Todd and Nina Bucher, are grilling up the jerk chicken and making the sides that will help absorb the quantities of beer you’ll want to consume.   There’s lots of parking and then you can walk into Island time.  For additional details check their website <deltadiner.com>. Continue reading →

Mr. Donahue’s, New York City, 5/20/17

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building
building

Mr. Donahue’s is a tiny place with a couple 2-top tables and 9 barstools for various counters.  There are some outside tables if weather permits.  A retro look is accomplished with the tile floor,  marble top tables, round stools and the interesting decorations all over, including signs with pictures of the food.  The one server was very helpful and nicely opinionated about what to get.  Vegetables are all fresh and desserts made in house.  Drink options are limited but adequate.   They offer a small menu of a main plate with 2 sides and a sauce for $19.99 or a couple sandwiches.  There is roast beef after 5:00 pm.   This is the second restaurant by the owners with the first being a Michelin starred Thai restaurant.  This is just good old American food.   Continue reading →

Delta Diner, Delta, 6/3-7/16

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Exterior
Exterior

The Delta Diner is located in northwestern Wisconsin in a small town called Delta. It is a rebuilt 1940’s Silk City Diner that opened in 2003 and gets quite a crowd of locals and destination eaters, especially in the summer.  It doesn’t have a printed menu but rather uses the old fashioned menu boards  which are explained by your server. Last year they went to a no tipping policy and instead a 20% service charge is added to your check which is used to allow both back and front house staff to make a living wage.  They were ahead of the curve in implementing this policy and for those concerned about the quality of service – there is no need to.   Continue reading →