Cleveland: Diner on 55th

Before a day spent creeping on abandoned places around Northeast Ohio (ending with the spectacular Rubber Bowl), JMP and I knew a proper diner breakfast was the only option. She scouted out a few diners around the Cleveland area, and after a false start at one that turned out to be a catering company, we ended up at the Diner on 55th. The diner is named after where it's located: on East 55th and St. Clair, just east of downtown Cleveland.

Although it looks straight out of the 1950s, the diner—from a pre-fab diner company and built in three pieces so it can be reassembled anywhere—is relatively new. The owner, a proper Greek, diner-lover named Dmetrios Anagnostos, came out of retirement and opened the Diner on 55th in 2001 after visiting a diner in Georgia and deciding that maybe he wasn't done with the Cleveland restaurant scene after all.

Seated at a table next to us was who I can only assume to be Anagnostos himself. Noticing my very conspicuous camera, he asked where we were from. When I told him I lived in New York, he talked fondly of the diners here and mentioned that New Jersey is also a bit of a diner goldmine. He was friendly and warm, and his love of diners was so obvious that I loved him (and his diner) immediately.

The inside of the diner is a veritable shrine to Coca-Cola, with a red-and-white color scheme to match. Even though the decor (and even the dining car itself) falls into the category of diner I like to call "faux retro," the service and food really made the visit memorable. My breakfast sandwich was incredible, my grits were the best I've had north of the Mason-Dixon line, and despite the very busy day that followed, I wasn't hungry until dinner time.