The Best Diner Restaurants in Queen Street East, Toronto, Ontario

Diners are often open late and offer a wide range of mostly American foods that are cheap, familiar and easy to prepare. Although traditional diners in American are often prefabricated buildings, they follow other building conventions too. Some design characteristics include having wide banks of windows so patrons can see into and out of the diner easily, bar or counter seating where patrons in a rush can grab a meal alone and a retro interior design which includes brightly coloured fabrics and stainless steel.
The first diners were built with the appeal that they were open late at night and served lunch foods at late hours, meaning that you could stop in at any top and get a hot hamburger or perhaps a full English breakfast. Other traditional American meals include club sandwiches, hash browns, waffles or pulled pork sandwiches. Coffee is often readily available at diners, although alcoholic drinks are not normally served. Regional variation in diner's exists, like in many other cuisines, and restaurateurs must choose their influences carefully when creating great menu items. Today's urban diners have evolved from the original idea into what you would call diner-restaurants, serving variations on traditional American comfort foods with an updated décor that puts a contemporary twist on the classic prefabricated design of the original American diners.
Breakfast is a staple in diners today and most orders include eggs, either bacon, ham or sausage and either coffee or tea. A diner is likely to serve scrambled and fried eggs and even omelette but many don't go as far as serving eggs benedict or poached egg preparations that are significant departures from the full English breakfast tradition. Pancakes and French toast are also typically served with prepackaged jams and marmalade or fresh oranges and other fruit.Omelettes may be served to order with specific combinations of ingredients, such as the western omelette which includes bacon, green peppers and mushrooms.
Ready-made cold sandwiches are frequently available at traditional diners where patrons are passing through quickly on their way home from work. Bagels with cheese or cream cheese are sold along with ham, turkey and roast beef sandwiches. These sandwiches are usually somewhat plain because the addition of lettuce or tomato would make them soggy throughout the day. Fresh sandwiches are also made cold and excellent examples are available which show the versatility of the sandwich as a meal. Try a grilled Reuben sandwich, traditionally made with Pastrami, Swiss cheese and sauerkraut on Rye bread, or a decadent grilled cheese made with American Cheddar, pepper jack cheese and provolone. These choices showcase the versatility of American comfort food. Diner restaurants also frequently serve hamburgers, hot dogs, BLT sandwiches with fresh lettuce and tomato and open-faced hot sandwiches made with meat loaf. These classic favourites pay homage to the fare served in original diners in the 1920s.
Contemporary diners provide a modern twist on old favourites and incorporate new elements into the diner culture. Dishes can be described as American comfort food with contemporary flavours. Variations of macaroni and cheese, and flat iron steaks are commonly found along with traditional English Fish and Chips and Southern fried chicken. Items like poutine, spaghetti and meatballs and nachos bring a cross-cultural element to the traditional of American comfort food, often using familiar ingredients in distinctly ethnic or ethnically influenced dishes.
Diners are an important aspect of American culture and often appear in pop culture as symbols of loneliness and solitude. Diners in Toronto are often open 24 hours of the day and serve night shift workers during their lunch break as well as bartenders and cooks who finish shifts in the wee hours of the morning. For this reason, many diners are located near factories. Other diners can be found near night clubs and bars in the entertainment district. These venues can get a little bit rowdy at times, but they provide a place for young people to get together and wind down with a good meal after a night of dancing. The cultural influence of diners is clear with big franchises like Denny's and Nickel's that have systematized and corporatized the diner atmosphere into an end product for the consumer. Specialty diners however, tend to have more to offer in terms of unique and delicious kitchen innovation.
The diner has played a role in the American lifestyle and culture, and although the days in which it was created remain in the distant past, the spirit of delicious comfort food made to order at any time of day lives on. Menu Palace has listings for the best diners and diner restaurants in Toronto and the Greater Toronto Area.