Boulevard Diner: Worcester, MA

Okay, so here's the long-promised post.

Dharia and I went on our first date at the Boulevard Diner ("the Bully" as it is affectionately known by some). So we like to go there on our anniversary. Below is a picture of the two of us, in front of the word "Diner". Okay, everyone say "awwwww."

Now that you've got that out of your system, we can get down to what I'd really like to talk about: the diner itself. The Bully is an institution in Worcester, MA--itself a feat, since Worcester is where the majority of diners in the NE United States were manufactured. (See Richard Gutman's excellent book on the topic for more info.) It's a 1936 Worcester Lunch Car diner, if I'm not mistaken on the date, but the Boulevard Diner actually has been on the location since 1932 (they got a new diner in '36 I believe). Also, it's a 24 hour diner, not including Sunday evenings when they close for 6 or so hours.

The interior is wonderful, a classic Worcester Lunch Car with the wooden interior and wooden booths. There's seating for maybe 10 at the counter (it's a 12-counter car with a seat or two missing at the waitress station), and the 6 booths comfortably fit 4 people each.

The food ranges from good to great. Of note is the Italian bread: it's fresh and very thick-cut and incredibly gooey and good. If your meal doesn't come with the bread, I suggest you ask for some on the side. I'd highly recommend the French toast, as it's made with the stuff. They do eggs well, although the home fries are very plain. But the omlettes are nice and fluffy and they have good stuff to put in it (pepperoni and broccoli is my favorite).

Lunch and dinner stuff is also good. I like the eggplant parmesan a lot. Being a cheese steak snob, I was surprised to find that I actually like the one they offer quite a bit. But what I really like is that you can get a Brazilian-style hamburger, which means you get a fried egg on top! Holy crap. I've never ordered it, but watching my friend Mike eat it was something to behold.

That's my brief take on the Boulevard Diner. I'm sure Dharia has more to say. In the meantime, here's the pertinent info:

Boulevard Diner
(508) 791-4535
155 Shrewsbury St
Worcester, MA 01604
(Google Local/Map)

posted by Darius Kazemi @ 9:34 PM