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Adventures Out

Diners: An American Icon

Some restaurant chains try to look like they’ve been part of the local landscape for decades by acquiring old street signs, high school sports photos, and e-Bay memorabilia. But if you want to show your kids a true slice of Americana, find a real diner.

Styled after late 19th-century horse-drawn lunch wagons and embellished with details from railroad dining cars, more than 5,000 diners dotted the American landscape by the 1950s. But then their concept of “good food quick” led to a new breed of fast-food restaurants and franchising.

Luckily, in the Boston area, a number of real diners still offer comfort food with a twist. They’re beloved for their art deco designs, neon lights, Formica lunch counters, swivel stools, stainless steel backsplashes, cozy booths, ceramic tiles, and wooden interiors.

Here are three for starters. Check for others on your travels. And keep in mind that some accept cash only, no credit cards, just like in the good old days.

Waffles in Watertown

Since 1947, the family-owned Deluxe Town Diner in Watertown has been drawing crowds and winning awards. The menu includes “blue plate specials,” such as meatloaf, chicken pot pie, and beef stew, but also Kobe beef, tofu, huevos rancheros, a variety of omelets and Middle Eastern wraps. From the griddle, try sweet potato, buckwheat flour, potato or stone-ground blue corn meal pancakes; challah or harvest bread French toast; or the weekends-only brunch waffle---all served with real maple syrup. The food is great and the waitstaff is attentive. If you’re on the go, there’s a take-out area with a separate entrance. The diner also sells mugs, T-shirts, and its very own pancake mix.

DeluxeTown Diner, 627 Mount Auburn Street, Watertown, 617-926-8400. Open daily, 7am to 10pm.

A Treasure in Lynn

Like the Deluxe Town Diner, the bright red Capitol Diner in Lynn is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Built by the J.G. Brill Company of Philadelphia in 1928, its design echoes that of a railway car, with entrances at each end. (It’s near the commuter tracks too.) Outside, there’s a small deck for dining that overlooks a lovely garden. Besides the regular diner fare, there are special takes on favorites, such as waffles with fruit, eggs benedict with asparagus, eggs with chorizo, crab sandwiches and quesadillas.

Capitol Diner, 431 Union Street, Lynn, 781-595-9314. Open Monday through Friday, 6am to 3pm; Saturday 7am to 2pm; Sunday 7am to 1pm.

1950s Fare in Somerville

Between 1917 and 1956, Jerry O’Mahoney Inc. built 2,000 diners at its manufacturing plant in New Jersey, but only a handful still exist. Among them is Kelly’s Diner in Somerville, a 1953 two-piece dining car. It’s only been at Ball Square in Somerville since 1996. Before that, the diner served the Delaware area. True to its era, Kelly’s has a life-size James Dean statue, a jukebox, and a Betty Boop inflatable. The food is good, old-fashioned diner fare with generous portions served by waitresses with character. Breakfast offerings include linguica and eggs, French toast made with challah bread, and the Kelly Super: two eggs, two pancakes, bacon or sausage, homefries, and toast for $7.99.

(BPP, 11/08)

Side Streets

Before your next night on the town, visit Restaurant.com for big savings at local eateries. 

 Bypass theater ticket lines. Buy movie tickets in advance at Fandango.com. Read reviews and find showtimes for any movie in the U.S.

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