Best Diner
Little Anthony's Diner
READERS' PICK: Little Anthony's Diner is a perfect place for a date, a family outing or a 12-year-old's birthday party. The food is good--hamburgers, hot dogs, fries, pizza, shakes, malts--you know, '50s-diner fare. The jukebox is terrific, and the Happy Days theme is never cloying or overdone--although it's a little jarring when they answer the phone, "Little Anthony's, What's shakin'?" More importantly, the waitstaff is always eager, helpful and patient, even when dealing with huge groups of hungry kids. It is the enthusiasm, more than any other aspect, that makes dining at Little Anthony's a pleasurable experience. Little Anthony's is open seven days a week for lunch and dinner; breakfast is served on weekends only.
7010 E. BroadwayREADERS' POLL RUNNER-UP: The diner tradition at The Grill may be up-dated, but it respects the past like no highly capitalized corporate new-do would or could. With bootstrap help from the group of artists and craftsmen who make downtown's Toole Shed Studios, photographer-chef James Graham and sculptor-designer-organizer Julia Latané resurrected the space and reconstructed antique appliances, stoves, and other kitchen gear, supplementing only where necessary. The result has the feel, comfort, and surprise that only time bestows. The menu takes some fresh twists on the expected, as well. Try the burgers. These are lean, fresh beef ground coarse, served with toasted bun, fresh sliced rounds of tomato, onion pan-wilted, and pickle slices that haven't dried in the air. Crisp, golden shoestring fries accompany. The omelets are also eye-poppers: a puffed envelope of egg surrounding slices of lox, cream cheese and a bit of sharp, fresh onion, served with toast and a griddled mash of potato, onions and peppers. Another killer dish on the menu is the meatloaf, thick slices cut from the whole, studded with cooked onion and peppers, and topped with a light brown gravy of fresh shiitake mushrooms. There are the standard breakfast items, including good grits with a pat of butter. And the bread is the good stuff that comes from the Small Planet bakers. Grill is at 100 E. Congress St.
STAFF PICK: We couldn't think of a better way to parlay your winnings from Casino of the Sun than to spend them at Jimmy's Diner, 7500 S. Nogales Hwy. Even if you only have a couple of bucks left in your pocket, you can still afford the Hobo's Breakfast for $1.40. From the moment you step up to this early-1900s rail car, greeted by the sign, "After you come in, SHUT THE DAMN DOOR," you know you're in for something different. With a nickel-plated antique cash register and saltine crackers in the sugar shakers, Jimmy's is the only real old-fashioned diner in town. Open at 6:30 a.m. seven days a week, owner and cigar-stub-munching cook Jim Veck conducts business right across the street from the Nogales spur of the Southern Pacific to the satisfaction of a mostly blue-collar clientele. Smoking is definitely allowed so be sure to open up the windows. There are toy trains, crayons and bubble soap to occupy the little passengers. Veck serves hearty breakfast fare, along with a lunch menu split between Mexican dishes and the meat-heavy, early-American-diner choices. At Jimmy's the job is to always keep the customers happy or they could easily be run out of town on a rail.
