Griddle Me This

Here’s an eternal question to ponder over a mug of coffee and a slice of pie: What is a diner?

They’re unpretentious and affordable. Their waitstaff keeps the coffee coming, and their menus care about breakfast as much as the rest of the day’s food. They’re tied to tradition, whether that harks back to the 1950s, or earlier to full-service diner cars on trains. They serve what’s called “quintessentially American” cuisine—burgers, sandwiches and platters along with pancakes, bacon and eggs—but it doesn’t mean their chefs have to forget their roots and assimilate.

Diners are often local neighborhood features, but even franchises offer the promise of quality assurance, no matter where in the state you dine. And, ultimately, they foster a sense of connection and community for hungry guests, no matter what brings them in or how many times they visit.

Ron and Shari Bergquist’s diner Shari’s started this way, sprouting like a watermelon from Hermiston in 1978 and bulging in its prime to become one of America’s 10 largest family restaurant chains. Losing that source of homegrown pride stung all the more when every Shari’s diner in Oregon closed in October. Stories of what Shari’s meant to local diners abound, with nearly as many tsk-tsks for not eating there more often. It’s debatable whether more Shari’s runs would have saved the hexagonal em-pie-re, but Oregonian hospitality and diner magic can still be found outside those six walls.

Yes, Shari’s is gone, but there’s hope. We put together a foolproof quiz to help you find your next great nostalgic diner if you’re unwilling to cross the Columbia for Shari’s—or if you live in the ’Couv and want to try a different diner. If that doesn’t lead you to your next spot, we taste-tested a few of Portland’s main drag diners to see how they do and don’t live up to classic eggs-pectations. We spoke to regulars at diners all over town to hear what they love about their chosen diners too. And if you still haven’t found your next favorite pie-and-scramble haunt, the folks keeping the coffee fresh at Gateway Breakfast House offer tips on how to bring home some magic from their kitchen to yours.

There would be nothing finer than trying all of Portland’s diners, but we hope you’ll remember the last time a stranger served you a warm meal and made you feel at home—and keep it going. —Andrew Jankowski, Assistant Arts & Culture Editor