Lunch at the Capitol

The Capitol Diner has been sitting on upper Broadway near 207th Street since 1927. It's basically your last chance for standard-issue diner food before you hit the Bronx.


As is often the case with aged Greek diners, the splendid oldness of the place ends with the facade. Great sign. Inside, it's a more mundane oldness at work, probably only stretching back to the 1970s. The food's nothing special, but serviceable. The "homemade" cream of chicken soup was obviously Campbell's. The fries weren't bad. And I was impressed with a regular's very specific order: "Can you give me a burger, medium rare, no bun, with mozzarella, fried onions and gravy on top."


This tile design on the wall kind of blinded me. A bold choice.


I have no idea why, but the Capitol was serving drinks out of cups advertising The Hat, a California fast-food chain that specializes in pastrami.

One other thing that clinches this place's fabulousness: It's the Capitol Diner, ladies and gentlemen, not the Capital Diner. "O," not "A." As in the place where Congress meets.

Not good spellers? Or do the owners truly revere the American democratic model?