Deluxe Diner - Comfort Food [GNR nomination]

I discovered the Deluxe when I was a freshman in college and home for long weekends and vacations. My friends and I were always in search of a late-night place for us to sit, drink coffee and have milkshakes. After I had some off pancakes at the Golden Nugget one night we tried the Deluxe, and we've been going back ever since. It's open 24 hours and full of traditional diner fare, as well as a very decent Mexican selection, and a few oddball offerings. All of the appetizers are fantastic, but the mozzarella sticks will blow you all the way to Naperville they're so good. I'm a big believer in breakfast food at 3am, and the omelettes, pancakes and other breakfast choices at the Deluxe are unbelievable, with huge portions and low prices. Their ice cream sundaes are also mammoth and divine, and their burgers are perfectly done and loaded with whatever you ask for.

Service at the Deluxe is awesome and hilarious. Get the Ukrainian waiter if you can, because he's super-nice and very attentive. Food comes quickly, coffee refills are constant, and you never get that annoying feeling like you're bothering the waitress by giving your order.

Across the street from a gay bar called Touche, Deluxe often hosts random conglomerations of diners, some of whom wear black leather, and others who read the Wall Street Journal and complain about the Cubs losing. There's tons of seating, and for now smoking is allowed in the smoking section. They play oldies, and if you're not careful you'll catch yourself tapping your foot to 'My Boyfriend's Back.' The walls feature photography by a local artist.

If you want fancy high-fallutin' food, the Deluxe is not for you. But if you live on the North Side and you don't want to travel far for big portions, great service, and a a good place to sit and gossip about the latest breakup in your posse, head to the Deluxe as soon as you can!

Deluxe Diner
Corner of Clark and Devon
6349 N Clark St
Chicago, IL
(773) 743-8244

I'll second this place. I always get the two eggs. It comes with hashbrowns and either toast or pancakes, and if memory serves me correct, it's $3.29. It's a steal! If I still lived up in the neighborhood of this place I'd be there all the time...alas it's a drive for me now.

Been there. Average diner food. Unimpressed. Is there an LTH track record on this place?

It's a sister of Leona's (as is adjoining Marie's Pizza), owned by the same people -- it's OK, certainly reliable, probably even not ever bad, but I think that's still a far cry from great. FWIW, not that this necessarily counts, but I've never seen the men's room in better condition than unpleasant, and it's only been that nice once.

While I'm not nominating it by any stretch, just using it to highlight a difference, I think a much better neighborhood restaurant is The Little Corner Restaurant at Thorndale and Broadway. That's the kind of place where I've seen pierced African-Asian-American hipsters nursing their hangovers in the booth across from the blue-haired ladies who've just gotten out of church. It isn't even Seinfeldian, thankfully; it's just a place the entire neighborhood appreciates.

I second the nomination of Touche'.

The Deluxe Diner was previously posted here: http://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.ph ... luxe+diner

It's a nice place for breakfast on Sundays or late at night after a local theatre visit for coffee and cokes. It has a cheery ambience, they play great 60's songs and they're fast with the food.

I would only recommend breakfast. I've had their hamburger and Cobb salad. I don't recommend either. The hamburger was very dry and the Cobb salad was mediocre. Their breakfast is good, not great.

(I'm a better editor than writer.)

Christopher Gordon wrote:I second the nomination of Touche'.

Whaaa?

dicksond wrote:

Christopher Gordon wrote:I second the nomination of Touche'.

Whaaa?

Christopher was making a joke. Touche' is a gay bar* located across the street from Deluxe Diner. It was mentioned by the OP as one of the many sources of Deluxe Diner's diverse mix of customers. I think Christoper may be saying that as restaurants go, at least Deluxe Diner is near a good bar. Christopher???

* Apparently Touche' is a place with a sense of humor about itself; n.b. the "Bears and Packers" reference on Touche's homepage.

The original Touche's, on Lincoln just north of Diversey, before it burned down, was superior.

Comfy three sided wood burning fireplace, freaky upstairs backroom scene and .25 night drinks on Tuesdays...

My '80's.....

At the risk of deflating any vestige of snarky amusement in my first comment, an explanation:

I've enjoyed the handful of times I've grabbed a beer at Touche'. It's a somewhat culturally-specific watering hole and therefore, perhaps not the best gaybar(tm) for those merely exposed to the Boystown ilk. Go with someone who knows the score.

point being:

The Deluxe Diner is nothing special. It suffices, but so does The Golden Nugget, etc.