The Country Club Diner in Northeast Philly’s Rawnhurst section excels at Jewish specialties. Go for a breakfast platter of whitefish salad or nova lox, a cheese blintz, or the Dairy Sample Plate, which features a blintz, a potato pancake, a potato knish, and a serving of sweet noodle kugel with sour cream.

Diner menus are often nearly identical, standing out from one another based solely on specialties. At the Dining Car in Torresdale, the chicken croquettes are good, and the French onion soup is solid, but the best part, hands down, is the baked goods. Definitely save room for thick slices of Jewish apple cake, Fat Elvis cake, cheesecake, pies, and cookies by the pound.

Liberty Bell Diner owner Halil Ceylan moved to the U.S. from his native Turkey in 2004, and he’s been serving the community since. Come for the large portions, friendly service, and baked goods made on-site, then round out your meal with Philly’s favorite frozen dessert — water ice. This Mayfair diner is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, a rare sight in Philly nowadays.

Though everybody in the Northeast has their diner loyalties, the Mayfair is arguably the best known. Big and efficient, this is the place to go on Frankford Avenue when you have a crowd to feed. Red leather booths and an abundance of chrome set an old-timey scene for tackling a specialty sundae or one of Mayfair’s famous milkshakes.

A charming little red, white, and stainless steel shoebox of a diner open since 1935, Bob’s Diner perches on Ridge Avenue at Lyceum at the top of Roxborough. Settle into one of the handful of small booths or at the long counter and don’t miss the Bob Muffin, a sausage and cheese breakfast sandwich on an English muffin, or a slice of the house-made cakes and pies. The menu is a manageable length, and the staff is incredibly friendly and warm.

Nothing can replace dearly departed Little Pete’s in Rittenhouse, but Little Pete’s in the Philadelphian, near the Philadelphia Museum of Art, might help scratch that itch. What it lacks in gritty, late-night gruffness it makes up for with a charming outdoor patio and a menu of classics that delivers. 

Silk City is an unusual hybrid of classic diner, neighborhood bar, nightclub, and outdoor beer garden. The Northern Liberties diner/bar part is housed in a 1950s dining car, with the attached nightclub to one side and the big, colorful, covered, and heated beer garden on the other. Open daily for dinner and Saturdays and Sundays for brunch, Silk City offers a full-service bar through it all. Try a unique cocktail like the Black and Blue Espresso Martini, blending blueberry vodka, cold brew, Kahlua, Frangelico, and lavender syrup.

Down Home Diner, on the Filbert Street side of Reading Terminal Market, serves rib-sticking food like corn hoecakes with turkey sausage, a scrapple burger, and cast-iron fried chicken. It also happens to be one of the few eateries at Reading Terminal with booth seating, so for those who need a break from the busyness of the market, Down Home is a good bet. 

This hip breakfast and lunch spot is less a diner and more a diner-inspired cafe serving refined versions of classics like egg and cheese sandwiches, Italian hoagies, and grilled cheese with tomato soup. Plus, owner Matthew Cahn was so in love with Little Pete’s in Rittenhouse that when it closed he got his hands on a piece of the original floor. It hangs, framed, on the wall. 

A longtime Bella Vista favorite, Sam’s Morning Glory Diner serves restaurant-quality breakfast, brunch, and lunch food at diner prices. Think warm buttermilk biscuits, fresh-squeezed orange juice, house-made ketchup, hot coffee in stainless steel mugs, and a daily menu of creatively named specials. Sam’s is also a better option for vegans than most diners, thanks to a daily tofu scramble.

New owners bought and refurbished this city stalwart in 2011, and it was a 24-hour joint until the pandemic. While Broad Street Diner may not have the late-night bustle and throwback charm of a few others on this list, it does have a robust menu of diner standards available right in the heart of the city.

In the heart of South Philly, you’ll find Brunic’s, a no-frills eatery beloved for its variety of breakfast sandwiches and hot dogs.  On weekends you can also score a plate of old-school creamed chipped beef over bread with hash browns.

Seven days a week, Oregon Diner serves plates of 2+2+2+2. That’s two eggs, two strips of bacon, two sausage links, and two hot cakes or slices of French toast. You could also go for the Oregon Special Egg-el: a bagel with melted cheese, a fried egg, and a disk of Canadian bacon. Need to feed a crowd before or after an event at one of the stadiums? This place has party rooms.

Stargate Diner in Ridley Park is a lifeline for anyone near the Philadelphia International Airport at odd hours. This 24/7 diner is a meat lover’s paradise — there’s an entire category dedicated to specialty Porker sandwiches featuring slow-roasted pulled pork with toppings like bacon, melted cheddar, and onion rings.