When you visit this diner it's like stepping back in time.

American Diners

What is it exactly that makes a restaurant a diner?  Well according to Delighted Cooking, a diner is a place that typically specializes in American fare, and offers seating at tables, and a communal counter.

Diners date all the way back to the late 1800s, but they actually peaked in popularity around mid-century from the 1930s-the 1960s.

One major feature of a diner is the style and type of food. Many diners serve a variety of breakfast foods at any hour of the day. Common fare includes scrambled eggs, pancakes, burgers, sandwiches, pie and the like. Prices are traditionally quite reasonable and specials of the day are common.

Delighted Cooking has an excellent deep dive into diners and why they became so popular in American culture.  There's a sense of nostalgia that surrounds diners, and recently I was reading an article from Family Destination Guide that highlighted one diner in Illinois will make you feel like you traveled back in time.

The Choo Choo

Located in Des Plaines, Illinois is a small diner known for delivering your meal by train.  The Choo Choo immediately evokes a sense of nostalgia, and that's because the history of this small diner dates back to the 1950s.

In 1951, a young entrepreneur and his wife opened a diner in Des Plaines with the hopes that they could operate a successful business that would be an entertaining experience for all ages.

They were James Ballowe and his wife Marilyn, and the diner was the Choo-Choo Restaurant. As James Ballowe once said, "Trains go fast, and that's how we wanted our customers to be served." The diner quickly became a source of popularity among adults and children alike.

As you can imagine, this was a popular concept, and many years later The Choo Choo still serves up delicious American cuisine by train to this day.  In 2001 the diner was purchased by Jean Paxton-Eisenberg who worked hard to restore the diner to its former glory and keep the classic elements front and center.   To this day, Jean's family still operates the diner and works to keep the sense of nostalgia alive and well.

Food Delivered by Train

Of course, one of the most famous aspects of this little diner is that your food is delivered by train.  All seats are trackside, so when you place an order, you just wait for the train to stop at your table and grab your grub!

The Choo Choo is known for their delicious Choo Choo Burgers, which sound like the perfect, smash burger.

They also have a variety of sandwiches and salads, as well as kids meals, and don't leave before getting dessert! Milk shakes, cupcakes, ice cream sundaes and more are waiting!