New Hampshire Diners
History
Great diner culture is not confined to the popular 1982 movie, “Diner.” It also is alive and sizzling in authentic diners throughout New England. Various places try to claim themselves as the “home of the diner,” but Providence, Rhode Island, in fact, is. The creator of the diner is Walter Scott, a part time pressman at the Providence Journal newspaper. In 1872, Scott began to sell prepared food from a horse-drawn freight wagon outside the newspaper's building.
As lunch wagons were becoming popular, entrepreneurs began buying horse-drawn streetcars and converting them to diners. By the 1930s, diners began to adopt a more modern, railroad-car appearance. In the 1950s, diners began to lose a share of their market to the new fast food establishments. A revival began in the late 1970s. New England hot spots for diner history lovers also include Worcester, Massachusetts, home of the former Worcester Lunch Car Company.
LITTLETON
Littleton Diner
170 Main Street
Littleton, New Hampshire
Phone: 603-444-3994
Hours: Open daily, 6 a.m.-8 p.m.
Built in Merrimack, Ma in 1928 and transported to Littleton - where it opened in 1930. In 1940 a new Sterling Diner was constructed on the original site, where the Littleton Diner has continued to serve as an integral part of the community. Littleton Diner has been chosen Yankee Magazine Editor's Choice in 2010 and Food Network Magazine’s 50 States/ 50 Best Breakfasts. Serving classic diner food in a warm, inviting atmosphere.
MANCHESTER and MILFORD
Red Arrow Diner
61 Lowell Street
Manchester, New Hampshire
Phone: 603-626-1118
Hours: Open 24 hours a day
and
Red Arrow Diner
63 Union Square
Milford, New Hampshire
Phone: 603-249-9222
Hours: Open 24 hours a day
By sticking to the simple formula of good food, low prices, courteous service, and clean atmosphere, the Red Arrow packs 'em in." says Randy Garbin of Roadside Magazine. The 24-hour diner in downtown Manchester, recently went smoke-free and is enjoying a booming business as a result. "The excellent food helps too." Garbin recommends the breakfast chili omelet, "an unusual concoction, but grilled without a hint of browning." And don't miss the pies, especially the "splendid brownie cream pie and soul-satisfying coconut cream." Slogan: “We really serve it on a blue plate” the diner says of its Blue Plate Specials.
NEW HAMPTON
The 104 Diner
752 NH Route 104
New Hampton, New Hampshire
Phone: 603-744-0120
Hours: Open daily at 7 a.m. Serving breakfast and lunch until 2:30 p.m. on Monday and Tuesday. Serving breakfast, lunch and dinner Sunday, Wednesday, and Thursday until 8 p.m., and Friday and Saturday until 9 p.m.
Try some home cookin' in this 1950s-style roadside diner setting. Delicious breakfast served all day and comfort foods galore! Try the famous tuna melt, barbecue pulled pork sandwich, or diner classics like homemade mac 'n cheese or shepherd's pie. Just like Mom used to make. Satisfy your sweet tooth with home spun frappes or malts, an old-fashioned vanilla Coke or a slice of homemade pie. A member of the Common Man family of restaurants.
PORTSMOUTH
Roundabout Diner & Lounge
580 US 1 Bypass (Portsmouth Traffic Circle)
Portsmouth, New Hampshire
Phone: 603-431-1440
Hours: Open daily at 5:30 a.m.; serving to 10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday and to 11 p.m. Friday-Saturday
At the Roundabout, you can enjoy all your favorite diner classics. Excellent meals include burgers and sandwiches, Phantom Gourmet award-winning barbecue, comfort food classics like meatloaf, roast turkey, and of course, New England favorites like fish and chips, and the best lobster roll around. The roundabout uses locally sourced ingredients wherever possible, like bread from When Pigs Fly Bakery, breakfast sausage made in Vermont, local cheeses, and more. And all desserts are made onsite, from scratch.
PORTSMOUTH
Gilley’s Diner
175 Fleet Street
Portsmouth, New Hampshire
Phone: 603-431-6343
Hours: Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-2:30 a.m.; Saturday-Sunday, 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
Named a winner of the Phantom Gourmet’s Hidden Jewel award. This is a no frills burger and dog joint. Also, fries and poutine. Open ‘til 2:30 a.m.! Fun in a borderline-dingy corner of a great little city. The Gilley's Lunch cart was built in 1940 by the Worcester Diner Co. of Massachusetts. This diner is one of only five that were built and is the only one remaining in full operation today. This diner and its predecessor were hauled into Market Square each evening in preparation for the evening's business. Originally the diner was towed by horse, then tractor, and finally by truck. Gilley's was moved to its present location in June 1974. Although permanently situated, Gilley's retains the same characteristics as when it was mobile. The truck that towed the diner is still attached to the front of the structure and the wheels remain under the skirting. Every effort is made to retain the original charm and character of this historic diner.
RUMNEY
Plain Jane’s Diner
897 Old Route 25
Rumney, New Hampshire
Phone: 603-786-2525
Hours: Daily, 6 a.m.-8 p.m.
Plain Jane's Diner serves classic American food to visitors and local people in the White Mountain and Lakes Region areas. Located just before the Polar Caves on Route 25, PJ's Diner boasts the friendliest staff and the most authentic dining experience you will find. PJ's Diner is where the cooking is from the pan, not the can!
TILTON
Tilt’n Diner
61 Laconia Road -- Exit 20 off Route 93
Tilton, New Hampshire
Phone: 603-286-2204
Hours: Sunday- Thursday, 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday-Saturday, 6 a.m.-10 p.m.
“Where our coffee is strong and waitresses are fresh!” Tilt'n Diner is a traditional ‘50s-style diner located near the Tanger Outlet Center. Complete with be-boppin' music, hearty breakfasts served all day, including the popular "Cadillac," and classic comfort food favorites like baked shepherd's pie and White Mountain meat loaf, Tilt'n Diner offers something for everyone. Don't forget the classic frappes, flavored Cokes and home-made pies! Breakfast served all day - lunch and dinner items start at 11 a.m.
WEST LEBANON
4 Aces Diner
23 Bridge Street (Route 4)
West Lebanon, New Hampshire
Phone: 603-298-5515
Hours: Open daily, Monday-Saturday, 5 a.m.-3 p.m.; Sunday, 7 a.m.-3 p.m.
“Where the locals eat.” This place is what a diner should be. Interior is totally vintage, built around a 1952 Worcester Diner Car #837. A staff favorite is the corned beef hash. Also, don’t miss the fries with melted cheese. The cook will stuff pancakes with almost anything you ask for. Look for homemade cakes, pies and huge doughnuts, along with daily specials with fresh ingredients.
Web Sites
Diner Reading
Lost Diners and Roadside Restaurants of New England and New York, Will Anderson, 2001
American Diner, Richard Gutman, 1979.
Diners: People and Places, Gerd Kittel, 1990.
Blue Plate Specials and Blue Ribbon Chefs: The Heart and Soul of America's Great Roadside Restaurants, Jane Stern, 2001.
Greasy Spoon. A quarterly periodical.
Diner Slang
Some diner slang –- like “cup of Joe” for a cup of coffee or “Adam and Eve on a raft” for two eggs on toast -- has entered mainstream American English, but much of this unique language has be consigned to background chatter in 1940s-style film noir movies. But people who relish diner slang have dredged up a lot of it. You might try it on your soup jockey (waitress) at your next meal at a diner to see if you can strike a linguistic mother lode of diner history.
Take breakfast, for instance. You might open with a java (coffee) and a sun kiss (orange juice) or a baby juice (glass of milk) and then move on to a couple of life preservers (doughnuts) or a stack of blowout patches (pancakes) with Vermont (maple syrup). How about scrambled eggs? Tell the waitress to wreck ’em. A shingle with a shimmy and a shake is toast with jelly. If you’re feeling international, ask for toasted English muffins, also known a burn the British. If you are in the mood for risk, tell the waitress to sweep the kitchen or clean up the kitchen and she’ll bring you a plate of hash.
Lunchtime is the right time for Noah’s boy (Ham) on bread – a ham sandwich. For a hamburger with lettuce, tomato, and onion, your waitress may tell the cook to burn one, take it through the garden, and pin a rose on it. Then, there are the details: cow paste for butter; dog soup for a glass of water; an M.D. for a Dr. Pepper; sea dust for salt; Mike and Ike for salt and pepper shakers.
If this list doesn’t cover your dining needs, the American Diner Museum can tell you much more.