There’s a new charcoal-burning grill next to the flattop at the Diner Grill, but each time I’ve been by it’s been cold. Perhaps it’s just as well given the flammable nature of the 78-year-old Lakeview institution. Late-night louts waited nearly a year and a half for it to reopen after the Christmas Eve fire that in 2016 gutted one of the two vaulted streetcars that housed the grill, counter, and its emerald-green upholstered stools. Maybe you remember the previous fire that shut it down it in 2008.
If you’re a crazy person you can order a slinger through GrubHub now, but despite all this progress, the Diner Grill has maintained its practical appeal. It’s still there for you if at 4 AM you need to preempt a hangover with cheeseburgers and eggs. It’s still there for you if you’re the sort of person who gets a kick out of dick-shaped pancakes. If you like to pretend you’re Shelley Levene in Glengarry Glen Ross or a wisecracking drifter from a Tom Waits song, it’s still there for you.
“All the ingredients individually are incredibly average,” he said, pushing it away. “The combination is incredibly mediocre.” I tried to explain that if he didn’t finish the whole thing he wouldn’t be awarded the commemorative certificate, signed by Kenny Coster himself, that would prove his strength and courage to his children and his children’s children.
1635 W. Irving Park 773-248-2030
