Mike's City Diner

City's Best Dining: Winners;Boston's Best

Know Before You Go: Portions are uniformly huge; couples and cash-strapped students should consider sharing.

When to Go: Don't pop in weekends expecting lunch: Only breakfast is served.

While the South End is all about trendy hot-spots, Mike's stands apart for being the sort of nostalgic American diner politicians choose for photo ops. President Clinton stopped in once to eat ham and eggs with grits at one of the classic checker-clothed tables. The place remains a favorite among neighborhood folks, cabbies, cops and workers from the nearby hospitals. Mike himself is no longer...

Mike's is the sort of nostalgic American diner politicians choose for photo ops: Indeed, President Clinton once ate ham and eggs with grits at one of its classic checker-clothed tables, among neighborhood folks, cabbies, cops and workers… Read More

There are "no surprises" at this "cash-only", "cheap-eats" "corner dive" in the South End, just the "freshest made-from-scratch" diner fare portioned into "huge" breakfasts and lunches to cure any "hangover"; "don't let the line scare you" – "polite" servers keep it moving "fast", and anyway, "it's worth the wait" (still, "get there quick", since it closes at 3 PM).

The Scene
This is as authentic as diners get, right down to the black-and-white checked tablecloths. Harried but friendly waitresses dart from table to table with trays of food, stepping...

For over 10 years now, Mike's City Diner has been a Boston favorite for a hearty, home-style meal. Whether its Mike's homemade soups and stews, fresh-roasted turkeys, daily lunch specials, or weekend-favorites eggs benedict and decadent fruit-topped waffles and French toast, Mike's prides itself on serving "huge portions of great food."