America's Best Diners

Chef and owner Chad Harris taps into the agricultural gifts of the surrounding Carneros region to enliven his elevated take on comfort food, which at breakfast includes a fresh sunny-side up egg over house-smoked black-pepper brisket. A rusty pickup parked out front and walls lined with Harris's own antiques lend this tiny wine country waypoint—open since 2009—a throwback charm. thefremontdiner.com

Sure, you can get a very SoCal breakfast of chicken salad-filled fresh Hawaiian papaya at Harry's. But we're guessing its 50-plus years of service is more thanks to the bacon-studded waffles, warm cinnamon rolls, old-fashioned milk shakes and famously strong joe. harryscoffeeshop.com

Touches like the checkered flooring and swiveling, vinyl-topped counter stools give Hopscotch its homey diner bona fides, as do menu favorites like buttermilk fried chicken and the First Base burger (it's layered with griddled beef tongue). But thoughtful cocktails and chef Kyle Itani's grounding in Japanese cuisine—evident in his elegant, roe-topped Yonsei oyster—make this modern diner a foodie destination to boot. hopscotchoakland.com

Chef Monica May and general manager Kristen Trattner took a gamble rehabbing a 1940s-era diner so close to Skid Row, but downtown L.A. has embraced Nickel and its refined (but no less hearty) approach to the classics of American diner-dom. Just try to finish the generous Double Stuffed Chicken. Or better yet, leave room for sweets like Nickel's beloved maple-bacon doughnut. nickeldiner.com

Let's be honest, sometimes we seek out diners to nurse a hangover. At Plow, the airy space works in tandem with the comforting food to set you right again. The diner's eponymous dish provides a tour of Plow's breakfast-centric all-day menu, with a combination of two eggs, sausage or bacon, two lemon-ricotta pancakes and the diner's celebrated crispy potatoes. eatatplow.com

Since 1944, all of DC—from the political power broker to the value-conscious everyman—comes to the Florida Avenue Grill for a soul-food fix. Those in the know favor breakfast options (available all day) like hotcakes, biscuits, and fried catfish and grits. floridaavenuegrill.com

It appears rather fancy for a greasy spoon, but one look at Au Cheval's menu assures that you're comfortably in diner territory. And how: The lusted-for griddled cheeseburgers come with bonus patties (a single is a double, etc.), and eggs mingle with pretty much everything, from fries to foie gras. auchevalchicago.com

Chef Stephanie Izard's follow-up to her reliably packed Girl & the Goat is a big, rich, satisfying update of the traditional diner concept, complete with a dozen inventive sandwiches and offbeat breakfasts like spaghetti with clams, eggs and guanciale. The attached bread shop supplies an array of fresh, crusty starches. littlegoatchicago.com

In more than 80 years of family ownership, Moody's has been a standard-bearer for New England's unfussy working-class cuisine. (One daughter has even published a Moody's cookbook.) Chowders, fried haddock and lobster rolls anchor the seafood-heavy dinner menu. And no breakfast at Moody's would be complete without one of its cinnamon rolls or blueberry muffins. moodysdiner.com

A1 may be housed in a humble, 1946-vintage Worcester Lunch Car, but owners Mike Giberson and Neil Andersen have admirably high culinary aspirations for their 25-year-old establishment. International flavors crop up on an ever-changing roster of specials, which complements a menu of more familiar diner classics. facebook.com/A1Diner

The coffee starts flowing at owner Becky Rand's friendly diner at 4 a.m., to serve Portland's early-rising lobstermen. But this diner with a scenic harbor view does a good job on much more than just java: Visitors love the blueberry pancakes, chowder and build-your-own club sandwiches. Naturally, lobster finds its way into a number of dishes, including the bib-worthy double lobster dinner. beckysdiner.com

From the 24-hour service to the charming 1930s prefab Art Deco structure, Mickey's is a classic of the genre. Order a thick shake to wash down one of the epic half-pound burgers. Or check out another favorite, Potatoes O'Brien—a pan-seared hash made with ham, onions and peppers. mickeysdiningcar.com

The Connelly family acquired this former A&W Root Beer stand in the `50s and has been perfecting its menu of diner staples ever since. For the particularly ravenous, the plates of chicken and waffles can be piled with as much as half a bird. Then there's the famous Wilbur Omelet, a beast of a breakfast stuffed with hash browns, green pepper, onion and tomato, topped with chili and cheddar cheese. goodygoodydiner.com

By doing the important stuff right—meaty chili, hand-dipped malts and shakes, craveable griddle-kissed burgers with onions on fresh steamed buns—Town Topic has expanded to three locations in the Kansas City area, including one that's open 24 hours. towntopic.com

Tops is a gem in a state rich with great diners. If you can't find something you like on its novel of a menu, then you don’t like to eat. The list of lovingly crafted cheesecakes alone exceeds a dozen varieties. thetopsdiner.com

Believed to be only surviving Orleans Company-built diner, this handsomely restored Rochester institution traffics in well-executed home-style cooking with contemporary flourishes. Fans adore the fresh-squeezed orange juice, corned beef hash and home-style apple pie. highland-park-diner.com

New York City's diner scene has suffered some tough losses lately, so it’s all the more comforting to tuck into a booth at this funky, septuagenarian landmark in Prospect Heights. Tom's selection of fluffy pancakes is seemingly inexhaustible. Throwback sippables like the cherry-lime rickey,egg cream and root beer float complete the classic soda-fountain picture.

You can't leave Sid's without one of owner Marty Hall's onion-fried burgers, an El Reno delicacy where the patty and thinly sliced onions magically become one on the griddle (well, thanks to a few spirited whacks of the spatula).

In the state where the American diner was born, the Modern is a standout. This 1941 Sterling Streamliner-manufactured diner has earned a spot on the National Register of Historic Places. The list of daily specials is known to be impressively long, as is the selection of eggs Benedicts.

Chef Andrew Curren's fresh approach to comfort food, available round-the-clock, has garnered 24 heaps of praise. The ground brisket burger and grilled cheese on sourdough are just two of many favorites. Stop in Tuesdays for that paragon of Southern-style good eating, chicken and dumplings. 24diner.com

Chefs/partners Tom Fleming and Carl Strelecki are well-versed in haute cuisine, but their passion is perfecting down-to-earth American fare. Pastry cred comes in the form of delectable cinnamon sticky buns, topped with caramel-pecan sauce. For protein (and, well, fat), the pork schnitzel, chicken-fried steak and house-made corn beef don't disappoint. crossroads-diner.com

Updates by various owners over the years have kept this 80-year-old diner feeling fresh without sacrificing its vintage charm. The patio attracts crowds in summertime, but it's the diner staples like biscuits and gravy and a unique raspberry chicken dish that keeps Ruth's busy year-round. ruthsdiner.com

Skillet's food-driven reimagination of the traditional diner menu was originally sold from chef Josh Henderson's Airstream trailer. Now the enterprise includes brick-and-mortar diners in Capitol Hill and Ballard, known for decadent mac and cheese and a bacon jam burger topping that is so good, it's practically gone viral. skilletstreetfood.com