Counter Culture

You’ll find feel-good food at these all-American diners, with a heaping helping of nostalgia on the side.

By Laura Kostelny and Caroline McKenzie

Loveless Cafe

Nashville, Tennessee

The front porch entrance of the Loveless Cafe remains largely unchanged since its 1950s opening.

The Loveless Cafe has been dishing up Southern comfort since 1951, when Lon and Annie Loveless began serving fried chicken and biscuits from their front porch to travelers on the nearby Natchez Trace Parkway. Eventually the “drive-thru” gave way to a proper restaurant and a 14-room motor court. While the motel is a thing of the past, the food — and iconic neon sign — still beckon. Inside, the walls are lined with a who’s who of celebrities unable to resist the siren song of the cafe’s famed buttermilk biscuits. They make up to 10,000 fresh daily! Other can’t-miss dishes include the fried chicken and the hickory-smoked country ham topped with red-eye gravy. (615) 646-9700

The Palace Diner

Biddeford, Maine

Tucked along a narrow plot in Biddeford, Maine, the Palace Diner has been serving hungry Mainers since 1927, making it the state’s oldest diner. Built by the Pollard Company, the vintage rail car diner retains its original mint green floor tiles, gleaming stainless steel backsplashes and well-worn counter lined with just 15 black vinyl stools — no booths, no tables. On the exterior, a hand-painted “Ladies Invited” sign still greets visitors, a nod to the diner’s mill-town origins. Chefs Greg Mitchell and Chad Conley helm the griddle, turning out diner classics such as tuna melts on pillowy challah bread, house-brined corned beef hash with marble rye and the beloved Palace Potatoes: red-skinned spuds boiled, smashed and seared to crispy perfection. (207) 284-0015

Mary Lou’s Milk Bottle

Spokane, Washington

Towering at 38 feet, Mary Lou’s Milk Bottle is a legendary Spokane landmark that serves legendary milkshakes.

If you find yourself driving through Spokane, Washington’s Garland District, you’re sure to spot an old-fashioned soda shop housed in a 38-foot-tall milk bottle-shaped tower. The quirky spot was constructed in 1935 by the Benewah Creamery. Since 1986, it’s been home to the aptly named Mary Lou’s Milk Bottle, a beloved diner owned by the Ritchie family. Its exterior sets the tone, but the unforgettable menu is what keeps people coming back. Locals and travelers alike can be found lining up for hand-patted burgers on fresh buns and above all, legendary milkshakes — the huckleberry, made with fresh local berries, is the signature. (509) 325-1772

The Serving Spoon

Inglewood, California

Sibling duo Justin Johnson and Jessica Bane, third-generation owners of The Serving Spoon.

When Harold “Howard” E. Sparks left his job at General Motors, he had a simple dream: bring home-cooked soul food to the West Coast. Over 40 years later, his Inglewood, California, diner The Serving Spoon does just that. Now run by Sparks’ grandchildren, the eatery has been honored with the James Beard Foundation’s American Classics Award. Inside the unassuming eatery, you’ll find a menu that reads like a love letter to Southern cooking: tender liver and onions, crispy bone-in catfish paired with buttery grits, and fluffy waffles. Don’t skip the famous everything omelet topped with chili, or a plate of oxtails and mac and cheese. Over the decades, “The Spoon” has fed everyone from neighbors to entertainers to politicians — proof that great soul food brings everybody to the same table. (310) 412-3927

Diner 66

Albuquerque, New Mexico

Formerly a gas station, Diner 66 now fuels travelers with hearty meals.

This roadside wonder started life in 1945 as Sam’s Service Center, a Phillips 66 gas station and repair garage located along iconic Route 66. Today it’s Diner 66, an out-west pit stop steeped in Americana with turquoise vinyl booths, boomerang Formica countertops, a glowing jukebox and a working soda fountain. Come with an appetite and plan to order the “Pile Up”: a hearty stack of fried potatoes, bacon, green chile, eggs and cheddar smothered in red or green sauce. (505) 247-1421

Lou Mitchell’s

Chicago, Illinois

Lou Mitchell’s neon sign has welcomed West Loop diners since 1923.

Just steps from the official start of Route 66, Lou Mitchell’s has been fueling road-trippers and Union Station commuters since 1923, earning its nickname as “the first stop on the Mother Road.” The family-run landmark still honors the Greek hospitality traditions of its namesake, Uncle Lou — who gave women and children waiting in line complimentary boxes of Milk Duds, while everyone else got warm doughnut holes. In the kitchen, only hand-sorted double-yolk eggs make it into the jumbo omelets, served alongside fresh-baked breads, pastries and the house orange marmalade, simmered for hours with honey and orange slices. Wash it all down with what loyalists insist is the world’s finest coffee. Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2006, this West Loop institution proves some things only get better with a century of practice. (312) 939-3111

Photo credit: Courtesy Loveless Cafe; Morgan Trinker; courtesy of The Serving Spoon; Getty Images North America; Getty Images/Interim Archives/Contributor