3 Diners that Take You Back to the 50’s

By Matthew Stein

Grand Rapids, Michigan is known for it’s restaurants and the many varieties there are. You can choose from almost any culture’s cuisine and also the time period the food is from. Diners in Grand Rapids provide this type of experience.
Pal’s Diner on 28th Street, is a legendary restaurant that started in New Jersey, and then moved (literally) to Grand Rapids. The entire building was hauled from one state to the next before making it’s arrival complete with a police escort. This establishment has also been featured in commercials and movies both national and international. When it was located in New Jersey, Les Paul (famous for Gibson Guitars), frequented the joint. Everyone used to call the original owner John Dezemey a Pal, thus giving name to his restaurant.
Pal’s has a classic American menu offering both hot and cold sandwiches plus 1/3 pound burgers. Their salads are creative and if you order one, you can choose from either a blueberry muffin or ahomed mini loaf as a side.
Another great diner on Plainfield Avenue is the Choo Choo Grill. The building has been on site since 1924 and was originally known as The Shipman Coal Company. In 1946, the restaurant started functioning. They pride themselves on their cheeseburgers, one called The Legend, which is a mere one pound burger with all the fixings, and the other is the Red Caboose, which is a cheeseburger that weighs 1/2 pounds.
The Choo Choo also offers breakfast and a lunch menu, but don’t forget about their famous chocolate peanut butter malt. They claim their burgers are “the best burgers on earth or anywhere else”.
Continuing in our diner venture, we come along to Fat Boy Burgers, located also on Plainfield Avenue. This business was started in 1952 and it offers an extensive menu for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. One thing that they pride themselves on is how fresh the ingredients are and that they are local. They even make their own sausage and they grind their own meat. Sourcing from another local business, the coffee comes from Ferris Coffee & Nut. There are 9 different types of burgers you can order, all with great toppings to pick from. They also offer hot dogs, a wide variety of grilled sandwiches, pizza, omelettes, and classic breakfasts.
All of these diners in the Grand Rapids area are great choices for feeling like you’re back in the fifties. From burgers to breakfast, milkshakes and malts, you will definitely have to rock ’n roll and check out  these tasty spots.