The informal headquarters of the University of Chicago since 1962 — a diner and café on East 57th Street where generations of Nobel laureates, graduate students, economists, and visiting scholars have eaten mediocre-to-decent food in surroundings that have never been updated and never needed to be. The carved wooden booths are covered with decades of student graffiti; the menu runs from breakfast eggs through burgers and pizza to a brief dinner selection.
The food is unremarkable but the atmosphere is irreplaceable — this is what an authentic university neighbourhood gathering place looks and feels like. Breakfast and lunch are the strongest meals. The adjacent bakery sells excellent bread and pastries. Cash accepted; cards too. Open seven days.