Old-Fashioned Small Town Diners

Capitol Diner Harrisburg PennsylvaniaHow many of you enjoy dining from time to time at an old-fashioned diner? I know they’re more common in small towns and we often look for them when we’re traveling.

In the northeast you can still find a good diner. When it comes to the city, they’re much harder to find. There are websites online that can help you locate them if you plan on doing any traveling.

The Capitol Diner is located in the suburbs of Harrisburg Pennsylvania and was made famous when Hillary Clinton held a small rally there several years ago. (cough, cough, I’m no fan of Mrs. Clinton, so I didn’t attend). It’s the diner that I’m featuring in my post today.

Anyway, I think diners get a bad wrap of having greasy food and dirty establishments and frankly, I find that to NOT be true. When we travel, we often will stop at various diners to grab a quick bite to eat and to use the facilities.

Capitol Diner Harrisburg Pennsylvania

The majority of the diners that we stumble upon have great tasting food and are very clean. On top of that, their food is usually very affordable too. One of the things I love about visiting good old-fashioned diners is that often times they serve some of my favorite comfort foods like meatloaf, grilled chicken, macaroni and cheese, spaghetti and meatballs, etc.

What’s great about America is that a large portion of diners located in our great country are owned by small business owners and are not affiliated with large chain restaurants. I firmly believe that we all need to do more to help support small business owners in our country.

So, today…I would like to hear your thoughts on diners. Do you enjoy visiting them? Do you feel that they get a bad wrap? Do you have any favorites that you would recommend to others? What type of food do you typical order?

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Comments

  1. Jo-Ann Brightman says

    I too enjoy eating at diners. I find that they often have good food and a lot of it, usually at a reasonable price.

  2. Cathy Jarolin says

    I love eating in small town diners. My Town is small. 4300 people. we have several diners in town. The one is right on RT 66 Thats our favorite. Very Quaint & delicious food. We especially like their Breakfast ! This one has alot of locals and Travelers.. Its called the 66 Family Restaurant.

  3. I so love old-fashioned small town diners and have my favorite in our area that we go to all the time. I love down home cooking and hate going to restaurant chains. I love a “greasy spoon” I love the large portions and homemade items.

    • Yup, I couldn’t agree more! Plus, your supporting a small business owner!!! A lot of the diners around here offer take-out now too. Much better than quickie drive-thru’s!

  4. I so enjoy going to diners in small towns. The ones I have visited have some of the best comfort meals with real sized servings at reasonable prices. One of my favorite items to order is the meatloaf cause it is always delicious.

  5. I moved to a little town three years ago. We are still looking for cafes with that “diner style” meals. They are far and few between. We would rather eat there.

  6. We ALWAYS look for small diners. We only go on road trips of less than a day due to obligations here. Some of the very best places to eat can be found in small towns. Going up main street and finding where the locals eat.Where the food is good, the prices are decent, and yes they are family owned. We have found some terrific ones. One not far from us (about 45 miles) is Dave’s Chicken Shack- the best chicken anywhere bar none. Fried and broiled and in the summer BBQ.

  7. I haven’t been to a diner in a long time. My favorite thing is a good old fashioned milk shake.

  8. My husband and I enjoy stopping at diners too Shelly! There is just something about burgers and fries or pot roast and mashed potatoes or even a slice of apple pie that just taste delicious in a diner setting. Our absolute favorite diner is Marietta Diner in Marietta, GA. The next time you are down south and near Atlanta, stop by Marietta Diner; you won’t be disappointed.