Slice of Americana at Smith Street Diner

Today's photo was taken at Smith Street Diner, located on Smith Street near the baseball park and Deep Roots Co-op; just behind Orell Design. Weekends, breakfast at the diner is standing room only. You get your name on a waitlist and give them a cell phone number. Diners wait in their car if it is cold, since there is no room to wait inside. The hostess calls your cell when a table is available. For those in a hurry, usually, there is a seat or two at the counter. It is really fun to sit at the counter and watch all the people come and go and to see the first-time  customers have that jaw-dropping experience of being served a plate-sized biscuit. The diners at the counter usually love talking to each other.

It is getting harder and harder to find an establishment that sells made-to-order breakfast and Smith Street even serves freshly squeezed orange juice. No brand on the market replicates the flavor of fresh orange juice. The ambiance at Smith Street can be described as warmer than an Edward Hopper painting, but slightly less bubbly than a Norman Rockwell: somewhere in-between. As the diner advertises, they are open eight days a week--  and there is no shortage of decorated, pig pictures.

(This is a cell phone photo; so, please forgive the quality).

 

Comments

[Jane T. Mitchell]

We need to do that again. It is real Americana down to the blue jeans and the tattoo.

[Tbreese823]

sounds like a great place..we look for places like this when we are out being tourists! i also love the idea of waiting in your car and having them call you!

[Billy Jones]

Again, Greensboro's history is erased. Smith Street Diner was originally Robinson's Restaurant. Mr Robinson was an all star baseball player from Greensboro who played in the old Negro Baseball League and founded the restaurant upon his retirement from baseball.

Sadly, the new owners saw no need to remember his legacy, no need to remember Greensboro's legacy.