Plato’s Diner: rarely exceptional, always reliable.
Sometimes, College Park can feel like a cruel wasteland. As an upperclassman who no longer can enjoy the pleasures of late-night dining hall food, it can be pretty bleak when you find yourself hungry in the wee hours, when Route 1 has been overtaken with inebriated college students, and all of the food establishments have shut their doors. It can be devastating to find out that after 10 p.m. some of your few options to eat out include Ratsie’s Pizza and Panda, which can turn into war zones the later it gets into the night. But after countless disappointments of getting to Krazi Kebob or Noodles & Company a little too late, I’ve found a beacon of light that leads me to believe there’s hope in this town after all: diners.
Diners have been familiar to me for a long time, but it wasn’t until I lived off the campus that I truly appreciated their value to the College Park community. Diners are some of the only restaurants that are open late in College Park. The three different diners each offer something unique depending on your specific state of mind: Silver Diner, College Park Diner and Plato’s Diner. In the past year I have frequented each of these places more than I would prefer to admit. But I have traveled these lands well, and now I hand my wisdom off to you fellow Terps so you can accurately decide where to satisfy your midnight cravings and where to hold your bleary-eyed brunch.
College Park Diner:
College Park Diner is the diner equivalent to Town Hall Liquors’ bar. It isn’t located close enough to campus to make it a staple for students, but the locals seem to love it. (I’ve had to wait up to 20 or 30 minutes for a table on a Sunday morning.) I wouldn’t say College Park Diner is bad, necessarily — I’ve had my hangovers cured quite a few times by its “Big B” breakfast special. But I wouldn’t say this is a place you would want to go every single week. It’s a place that’s good for the novelty of its classic breakfast offerings and cast of College Park townies, but it’s only worth a trip every once in a while. On the other hand, I do have a friend who swears by the diner’s country fried steak.
Plato’s Diner:
Plato’s is the classic College Park diner and the one I — and many others students — have frequented most during my time as an undergraduate. Going to Plato’s is like a trip back to the ’80s, with its pastel vinyl booths and murals mimicking paintings of ancient Greek philosophers. Plato’s is a place to take your parents if you’re trying to have a casual meal or a place to binge on sundaes while procrastinating for exams. It’s the closest diner to the campus, so it’s the most ideal place to go if you’re craving diner food and don’t have access to a car. I’ve had the best experience with its breakfast food (like College Park Diner), but I’ve never had anything that truly wowed me. That said, I keep going back, so it must be doing something right.
Silver Diner:
Silver Diner is the farthest diner from the campus (It’s located a little ways down Greenbelt Road.) but completely worth it. It has a campy-old-diner look complete with pink neon lights and tiny jukeboxes that have a whole page dedicated to Whitney Houston. Everyone there is exceptionally friendly and accommodating, a trait that’s surprisingly refreshing. And the food! Silver Diner goes beyond normal diner food of greasy eggs and bacon and mediocre burgers. It has everything from peanut butter Heath bar milkshakes to fish tacos to eggs Benedict all under the facade of an average diner. I’ve loved every meal I’ve had at Silver Diner and have tried something different every time I’ve been there. Its sweet potato fries are some of the best I’ve ever had. Oh Silver Diner, I will cherish the brief time we’ve had together before graduation.
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