Lou’s Diner
Coffee
Housemade Cinnamon Roll
Flapjacks
Monte Cristo
Banana Cream Pie
Lemon Cake
Located on Decatur and feeding locals for decades under the watchful eye of its eponymous owner, Lou’s Diner is the sort of place one could drive by one hundred times without even a second thought, and yet with prices a fraction of those just a few miles east plus the sort of old-timey service guaranteed to leave a smile on every face the spacious spot is perhaps the very definition of diamond in the rough.
Certainly not upscale, and not exactly sporting much curb appeal in the back of a complex near Arizona Charlies and the Charleston Antique Mall, a visit to Lou’s Diner is the sort that starts with a bit of skepticism about what will be found inside, but greeted with warm smiles and walls decorated with every sort of nick-knack imaginable the scene unfolds much like any similar spot in middle America, though in this case several-fold cleaner with a specials board complimenting a well-culled menu of breakfasts, soups, sandwiches, and more.
Seating perhaps sixty, and soon to reach half-capacity about thirty minutes after a 6:45am arrival, it was after short perusal that decisions were made from the all-day options, and with jokes made that “you must real hungry” from the waitress it was with the second of about thirty coffee warm-ups that she departed, a curious Lou and her spouse stopping by inquisitively to ask why pictures were being taken before offering to lead me around the and show off the map of where all their visitors had come from – the wall of mismatched mugs belonging to “regulars” an appropriate amenity as nearly every other diner was greeted by name by the staff nearly the moment they opened the front door.
Ordering with a request for items to be brought as ready it would not be long before the Housemade Cinnamon Roll arrived beneath a ladle of of sweetened cream cheese, and with a core rife with cinnamon plus plenty of yeastiness acting to offset the richness the results spoke to old-school craftsmanship without a whole lot of fuss, a similar style employed in two desserts enjoyed later that day in the form of a moist lemon layer cake and banana cream pie that was unfortunately a bit short on fruit but still quite flavorful with a pudding base beneath a mountain of whipped cream.
Assuredly a place with skilled line-cooks, on this particular morning a trio working at great pace with plates coming through the window every couple minutes, course two arrived shortly after the last of the frosting was scraped from the cinnamon roll plate and quickly eschewing pseudo-syrup in favor of pure maple goodness brought from home the thin flapjacks proved fluffy and full of buttermilk while the Monte Cristo finally answered the question of where to find an authentic iteration in the (702) – each deep fried bite packed with ham and turkey bursting forth with flavor beneath two gooey cheeses, a powdered sugar sprinkling and spread of strawberry jam seeing the Diner-classic complete.
THREE AND A HALF STARS: Easily overlooked in favor of familiar chains, local groups slowly expanding their brand, and fanciful new spots on The Strip, Lou’s Diner is a throwback to ‘greasy spoons’ speckled across America – a place that feels familiar, friendly, and full of nostalgia with the sort of food that is at-worst straightforward, and otherwise genuinely delicious and authentic.
RECOMMENDED: Monte Cristo, Lemon Cake, Cinnamon Roll.
AVOID: The Banana Cream Pie was a bit of a letdown given the lack of fruit, but still quite the slice for a mere $3.55.
TIP: Open at 5:30am daily with specials announced by dry-erase boards over the counter.
WHAT THE STARS MEAN: 5 World Class, 4 Excellent, 3 Good, 2 Fair, 1 Poor
