The Diner $

2453 18th St. NW
202/232-8800
www.dinerdc.com [1]

HOURS: Daily 24 hours

COST: Most entrées less than $10

The Diner is one of those places where you go for a simple meal and end up leaving full, happy, and surprised by the check, which will be pretty low compared to many in this city given the quality of food you just consumed.

The only bad thing about the Diner is that it is not a secret; hence the wait for a table can be fairly long on a weekend morning. Fans love the Croque and Dagger, a breakfast twist on a croque-madame made with two eggs, bacon, and béchamel on French bread and topped with gooey gruyère; the Irish Benedict, which swaps out corned beef hash as the main meat; and the fresh homemade pies and the inventive milk shakes, including frozen adult libations like mint liqueur and chocolate.

Morning people can avoid lines by getting there by 8 a.m. on weekends.