There are just two 24-hour diners located in our fine city. See how they both stack up.
South Street Diner, Boston, MA
By Jon Mael
This place is the real deal. Opened in 1947, it is one of the longest continually running restaurants in Boston. Open 12 hours a day, seven days a week, South Street is known around the city for it’s huge portions and good prices. If you’re looking for high browed fine dining, don’t go here. If you’re in the mood for some great food at good prices, get your ass down to 178 Kneeland Street and order up.
For breakfast 2 eggs with home fries, and toast is just $6. There are some monstrous pancake options for $9 a piece as well, including chocolate chip and banana walnut. My personal favorite for breakfast is the 4 egg Supreme Omelet for $9. You can choose up to four add ins to give you a monstrous plate of food that is more like a week’s worth of breakfast than one morning’s (in the interest of full disclosure, I ate mine in one sitting).
The great options don’t slow down for the lunch hour. The Chicken Kabob Sub is awesome, and at $9, it’s a good option for it’s size. For those of you that want to eat healthy, the Greek Salad is a great choice for $6, mainly because of its big portion size.
When it comes to deli classics, South Street’s got you covered as well. Choices for sandwiches include the Reuben, the BLT, and a good burger selection. What really puts South Street over the top, however, are it’s after hours activities. After 9 p.m. the diner transforms into a bar, open until 1 a.m. Wine, Mimosas, and a number of different beers are served along with the same great sandwich and dinner options offered all day.
All things considered, South Street is the best diner option in Beantown because of its old school, 50’s approach, awesome breakfast options and it’s versatility after hours.
Victoria’s Diner, Boston, MA
By Nicholas A. Dayal
Greeted at the front door with, “Hiya Hun!” and constantly being referred to as “Sweetie” by a nice older lady whose voice betrays her pack-a-day habit, walking into Victoria’s Diner is like something out of Happy Days. The black and white checkered floors, big comfy booths, and pictures of James Dean and Marilyn Monroe lining the walls presents the perfect décor in which to have a couple of drinks and eat a midnight breakfast.
The menu is the type of menu you need “a few more minutes” to look at, because everything sounds delicious.
For breakfast, I usually go with the “The Rehab,” a hang over cure that includes two eggs, two buttermilk pancakes (or French toast), home fries, toast, and sausage, bacon, or ham for $9.49. For a little extra you can substitute a Belgian waffle. There are also six types of eggs benedict, SIX TYPES OF EGGS BENEDICT!
The rest of the nine-page menu is a feast of homemade burgers and dogs, signature sandwiches and paninis, specialty salads and affordable appetizers, fruit smoothies and creamy milkshakes, and over twenty dinner entrees. Sophomore economics major, Tyler Costa, lets us in on his secret. “I usually just come for a burger, but I end up staying for the beer.” Tyler is a smart man.
There are ten beers to choose from that are all under five dollars, and they are served with a chilled glass. Nothing says “classy” liked a chilled glass for your 16oz. can of Pabst Blue Ribbon. For those of you with an especially long day of classes ahead, there are six liquored-up coffee drinks to start your day. Unless, deep down you are an alcoholic sixty-year old lady like I am, and would prefer an orange mimosa, which is just one of the eleven cocktails to choose from. There are also sixteen different red and white wines, and nine different cordials for those of you that know what the heck a cordial is.
Open all night on the weekends, Victoria’s Diner is the perfect way for you to start, finish, or compliment your day with some good food and drinks. And forget about the South Street Diner. Jon Mael wouldn’t know good taste if he got hit by a Ben and Jerry’s ice cream truck.
