For Boston residents craving the perfect omelet and buttery toast with a tall glass of orange juice, they need not make a trip to the New Jersey Turnpike for their fill of expansive menus, ’50s nostalgia and crotchety waitresses.
Featuring a handful of late-night, affordable eateries scattered around the area, Boston proves that it, too, can handle both families breakfasting after morning church service as well as the drunken, late-night diner crowd all in one restaurant.
Though only a few of the city’s restaurants welcome customers 24 hours a day, seven days a week, the South Street Diner comes pretty close, serving meals — including staple dishes made with eggs, steaks and French Toast — from 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays, and features non-stop service from Friday night to Monday morning.
Established in 1947, the ’50s-style diner, located a few blocks from the Boston Common, features a jukebox with an eclectic selection. The decor is so authentic that the diner is often used as a location for photo shoots and film scenes.
The popular diner has been called Boston’s best late-night eatery by AOL’s City Guide, while Rolling Stone magazine once called it, “The place for college students to start the spring break tour.”
The crowd is typically comprised of college students and waiters and bartenders just getting off work, said owner Sol Sidell, who took over the diner in 1997.
“Whether you’re a famous person, a rich guy or just a kid, you’re welcome here and you’ll be treated the same,” Sidell said.
While the South End Diner is a considerable distance from the Boston University campus, Zaftig’s, a kosher diner in Allston, provides similar service minus the taxi fare.
Zaftig’s, which means “voluptuous” in Yiddish and whose slogan is, “Let us be your Jewish mother,” serves a wide array of customers, ranging from freshmen to old men, said manager Christine Graziano.
Graziano said Zaftig’s offers the classic diner staple foods one would expect, as well as a helping of traditional Kosher food like Matzah ball soup.
A portrait of a large woman in a red dress painted by a local artist welcomes patrons into the restaurant.
“We definitely have a cool decor,” Graziano said. “We have a local artist that does cool collages that we switch up fairly frequently.”
The Busy Bee Diner in Brookline offers BU students yet another nostalgic, late-night dining experience and has been open since 1920.
“It used to be shiny when they built it, but now it’s slightly grimy – but to me, that makes it more appealing,” said College of Arts and Sciences sophomore Meghan Schultz. “It’s everything a diner is supposed to be. It’s the most perfect diner experience in the world.”
A fan of good food of any type, Schulz recommends a surprising dish.
“I’m a vegetarian, but there’s this roast beef sandwich — it’s the cheapest thing,” she said, adding her boyfriend frequently orders it. “It’s great.”
