Mike’s City Diner
I love the South End of Boston. This neighborhood has something for everyone and so much soul. But I think the true meeting place, the true landmark of the South End, is Mike's City Diner.
In a neighborhood with amazing history. Mike's has been here for 30 years, and they're still doing it 7am to 2pm seven days a week.
“A good comfort meal and that’s what we’re about. We're not fancy...our people have been here for years, and I think that's our secret sauce here, is that everybody is friendly. We've been here a long time, and everything's consistent.”
Jay Hajj has been my buddy for years. He is a true Renaissance man. He wrote a cookbook called Beirut to Boston… He's involved in a lot of the coolest restaurants including Toro next door and this man really lights up when he talks about his pride and joy, Mike’s City Diner.
“We want that old school diner feel. We want the black and white, the tile, the neon clock, but we also want to have almost like a family atmosphere. You come in here. Everybody knows each other. It's a very Boston vibe, actually.”
Mike's is famous for their turkey. Which they slow roast every day.
I definitely recommend the turkey hash. They chop up that Turkey, then they mix in some potatoes and onions. They serve two sunny side eggs on top of the hash. So as soon as you put your fork into those eggs, they run into the hash. I'm telling you, Turkey hash does not get any better than this.
“And It's extremely tasty, especially with eggs. My God, it's great.”
Mike’s has amazing sandwiches for lunch including the one that really put them on the map. It's called the pilgrim.
They put it on a double braided bun, they load it up with the turkey. They add stuffing and cranberry and gravy. If you’re a real hard core turkey sandwich lover, you may want to order it with the gravy inside and then an extra bit of gravy for dipping.
Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday because it's really only about food and family, and when you think about it, that’s what Mike’s City Diner does. That's why you should get their turkey dinner. It's famous for a reason. It features their slow roasted turkey, then you've got stuffing, cranberries, green beans and lots of homemade, delicious gravy. If you can't wait for Thanksgiving, come in here and get some right now.
“We're bringing our turkeys and freshly baking them daily. When you walk in, you can smell the turkey baking in the oven. Hands down. We make the best Turkey in Boston.”
When you get to Mike's to begin your breakfast journey, I think right off the bat, you want to get a cup of coffee and a blueberry muffin.
“My favorite is the blueberry. It's beautiful. They're full of blueberries. They're nice and hot and soft and crunchy from the outside, just delicious. I think it's one of the best muffins in town.”
My favorite breakfast at Mike's is the Intensive Care named in honor of the hospital nearby. This comes with a sirloin steak…This is a big, thick, meaty sirloin steak, three eggs, any way you want them, your choice of potatoes or grits. Here they do my favorite way, cheese melted on top of the grits.
“It's heaven. Put it all together, piece of meat, little egg, little grits with cheese, and it just tastes delicious all together.”
If you can't decide between breakfast and lunch. I say go with the chicken and waffles…
When you eat it, you want to try to get a little bit of fried chicken and a little bit of waffle and a little bit of syrup in every bite.
I don't want to quote her, but this is Mayor Wu approved.
Mike's makes a great steak and cheese sandwich. They use ribeye steak, they add mushrooms, onions and peppers on that big fluffy, twice braided roll with sesame. It is a tremendous steak and cheese sandwich.
“We use American cheese instead of Cheese Whiz. But it's just as wonderful, if not better.”
If you've been searching all over for a great Reuben sandwich, the food gods are about to answer your prayers, because that sandwich is a specialty here at Mike's. This is corned beef cut very thick. They slow roast the corned beef themselves. Most restaurants don't do that.
“Oh, it's incredible… The grilled reuben in an incredible bite…You got the thick corn beef, you got the sauerkraut, the dressing.
I would put that sandwich against any great delis that I go to whether it's in New York or in Boston.”
This is one of those places that just makes me feel like everything in the world is just right. So I say come down here, get one of their famous Turkey items, get about seven cups of coffee, meet a bunch of great people and enjoy one of the amazing institutions in the city of Boston, Mike's City Diner.
“Maybe I'm biased, but I think it's one of the best diners around. We don’t cut corners, everything from scratch, even to this day. Come and try it. You'd love it.”
