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Bob & Edith's Diner, Owner Greg Bolton's 24-Hour Diner Now in Several Virginia Locations


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The grilled muffins at Bob & Ediths are pretty good as well. I'd never really heard of them, don't think they are on the menu really. Basically they take on of the fairly largish muffins they have, slice it in half (top to bottom), put on some butter, then grill it on the grill to warm it up and make the buttered part just a bit crispy. I'd never really thought to do it and the waitress the last time I was there just asked if we wanted them like that. Never had in the other 5 or so times I've been.

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The grilled muffins at Bob & Ediths are pretty good as well. I'd never really heard of them, don't think they are on the menu really. Basically they take on of the fairly largish muffins they have, slice it in half (top to bottom), put on some butter, then grill it on the grill to warm it up and make the buttered part just a bit crispy. I'd never really thought to do it and the waitress the last time I was there just asked if we wanted them like that. Never had in the other 5 or so times I've been.

Grilled Chocolate Muffins are the best....mmmmmmm Must have salted butter, tho.

Rob

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Wow. What a great night at Bob and Edith's, as always...

We frequent there many more times than we've posted...and tonight, well...

Of course, I ordered the usual (chzburger everything no pickle with ff), as did el Senor ("steak and cheese w/ff) and mayo on the side.

What was really cool, however, was meeting the grandson of the original founders. Although it was his "first day back," his service was outstanding. El Senor first noticed because we always seem to sit at the same small table, a little out of the way of the usual diner traffic, and right there in front of me are the photos of the family who make this restaurant run. Yes, the kid in the pictures actually waited on us, and it was a pleasant surprise being that we frequent B & E's a few times a week, have met his father and sister but today met him for the very first time.

In addition, this diner has no written record of our patronage, but somehow the regular staff "just know us," and are always working with a smile and a nod of recognition. So simple, yet so divine. This is something I strive for...just knowing a return guest by greeting them at the door.

On this particular Friday night, the music was blaring, I was enjoying my time, and of course, late night weekend nights are prime for social entertainment. Everyone goes to Bob and Edith's. How cool.

Kudos!

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I always enjoyed the late night/early morning vibe at B&E's back in the day, more than the various Tastee Diners and the Au Pied du Chon in Georgetown. Rather than just late night hipsters or drunk college kids, there was always a real cross-section of humanity at Bob and Edith's. You'd have the late bar/restaurant crews, military guys, hookers, etc. and you always seemed to run into random people you hadn't seen in years. That's a fun place, glad to hear it's still going strong.

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Bob & Edith's has always been a favorite of mine; way before my TCWHS days, at any rate I went there after mulitple rounds of hold'em on Saturday night...er Sunday morning. What I love about this place is the fact that it is always consistent. Country fried steak, 3 over easy, sub grits w/cheese for hash and white toast. This has been my standard order for many years (I order the same for all of my friends). But what really chaps my ass is that they are a godamn cowboys restaurant. :):lol:

Just had to vent... lil fired up for (fantasy and regular) football season.

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Ode to Bob & Edith

At 2am on Monday night,

My girl and I were starving, right?

We searched and searched for late night fare,

What it was we did not care.

Pizza, Chinese, nope all closed,

That's no matter, we were hosed!

Rummaged the cupboards,

Looked in the fridge,

DC delivery doesn't cross Key Bridge!

And then I thought,

What's open now?

Where can we get good fast chow?

Called a cab and made a trip,

To Bob & Edith's in a zip!

Got a milkshake, 1st time ever,

After a burger, felt much better.

She and I then went back home,

To count the dough that we had blown.

Wasn't much for drunken grub,

But man the cab charge was no fun!

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I might be mistaken and I would be glad to be wrong, but is the second Bob and Edith's (further west on Columbia Pike) closed permanently or just shut for the summer? We went by last weekend hoping to take advantage of the erratic nice weather and the outdoor seating had all be packed away and the interior of the restaurant looked pretty bare.

The original location (not initially chosen because it can get a little smokey for brunch) was so packed that we had to go elsewhere, so it's hard to believe that B and E's has fallen on hard times for want of diner love.

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Looks like the second location has been permanently closed since 2007. Here's what I found on google (look under the May 2008 newsletter):

Local developer Bob Eisenberg is refining plans for a 4-story mixed-use project at 4707 Columbia Pike, the former home of a Bob & Edith's Diner. Eisenberg, who is President of Heritage Property Co. LLC, a firm he established in 2006, said he has had his eyes on the site for some time, and is excited about the opportunities that Columbia Pike presents. He is committed to following the Columbia Pike Form Based Code, and said he "wants to build something the neighborhood will be proud of." Eisenberg recently attended a meeting of the Barcroft School and Civic League where he met some of those neighbors and presented conceptual plans for his site. The development, which is expected to cost $26 million, is slated to include 13,000 sq. ft. of ground floor retail space, and 65 apartments on the three floors above. Eisenberg hopes to obtain approvals and start construction in about a year, and complete the project in the summer of 2010.

Also this article.

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I might be mistaken and I would be glad to be wrong, but is the second Bob and Edith's (further west on Columbia Pike) closed permanently or just shut for the summer? We went by last weekend hoping to take advantage of the erratic nice weather and the outdoor seating had all be packed away and the interior of the restaurant looked pretty bare.

The original location (not initially chosen because it can get a little smokey for brunch) was so packed that we had to go elsewhere, so it's hard to believe that B and E's has fallen on hard times for want of diner love.

The one further west is closed permanently. The original has been non-smoking for quite a long time. You can now give it the love it deserves and not stink afterward. Well, at least not stink like smoke... rolleyes.gif

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And that would be a plus for dining in Springfield.

Can't disagree with that too much.....but depending on how you draw Springfield's suburban sprawl, you can have all of Monty's Steakhouse, Osteria Marzano, Eleni's Greek Taverna, Golden Hong Kong, Thai Ghang Waan and even GAR's Mike's, which is a fairly comparable lot to most suburban sprawls.

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I've been up at the crack of dawn numerous times of late, and since I basically refuse to eat fast-food, that leaves me with precious few options for breakfast. However, I have had three different breakfast sandwiches, multiple times each, at Bob & Edith's Diner, and feel very comfortable guiding you. I've had each of these sandwiches two, and sometimes three, times each. A very full breakfast would consist of any two of these sandwiches, coupled with one order of Home Fries ($1.89) - shredded potatoes, grilled and browned on a flat-top, crispy at the edges, soft in the middle, and not over-salted. Anyway, here are the sandwiches, in *ascending* order of quality - all of them are $4.79 each, and the only difference between them is the type, and quantity, of meat.

Good - Bacon, Egg, and Cheddar on English Muffin

Better - Sausage, Egg, and Cheddar on English Muffin

Best - Ham, Egg, and Cheddar on English Muffin

This ordering is generally the reverse of how I would think I'd prefer my breakfast sandwiches, the reasons being as follows:

The bacon is just a couple strips of bacon, not necessarily fried right then, and nothing particularly special. It's okay, and I might like it more if the egg in the sandwich was runny, but it never is. While not bad, it's eclipsed in both quality and quantity by the sausage and ham.

The sausage is a crumbly, well-browned patty, not links, and is coarsely ground, very browned, and irregularly cut, making it a pretty thick patty. It's way above the norm as far as these things go, and you won't regret ordering it if you enjoy sausage patties. By no means are these pre-cut patties - they're from a loaf, and really well-fried on the griddle.

The ham is surprisingly good, and surprisingly plentiful. The last time I got two sandwiches (one with sausage, the other with ham), I picked each one up - they were wrapped in paper, and I didn't peak to see which-was-which - to see if I could discern which was heavier. I switched hands, and in both weigh-ins, I could tell that the sandwich with ham was slightly heavier, and the reason is because they give you a *lot* of ham, and it's *good* ham. If this was unfolded into one piece, it would be about the size of a football, but it's folded over in thirds (making three layers), and then again in half (making six full layers of ham) - granted, they're fairly thin layers, but this is real ham; not processed crap. It's not at the level of cured country ham, but it's actual ham, it's very good, and there's a lot of it.

There's your Bob & Edith's breakfast-sandwich primer for the day. Remember Bob & Edith's is open 24 hours a day, and they're happy to accept phone-in orders for pick-up.

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If I didn't care about coffee so much, I would be at a diner every morning. However, coffee standards at true diners are one step above gas stations, so I'm stuck. That said, the Bob & Edith's on 23rd is such a titanic improvement over the last two diners in that spot for food, that it's in our rotation now. Living right up the street, we are mired in the wasteland that is 23rd and Crystal Drive, so Bob & Edith's benefits from the lowest bar in Arlington. Clean, great service, good food, fair prices. Silver Diner's committment to ingredients is impressive, as is the menu variety (their coffee still sucks), and I like the omelettes at Pain Quotidien (good coffee) even though I can't afford to eat there, but B&E does a good job of staying right in their lane. And going there with my daughter instead of as a blacked out teenager is, I must say, a lot more fun.

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I was never a fan of the crowds or the lines or the drunks at the original Bob & Edith's; their second location in the old Hot Shoppes space further up Columbia Pike was an improvement, albeit short lived. I've been to the Crystal City location three times and every time, it was everything a diner experience was supposed to be. Burgers are solid, fries fried properly, coffee hot and fresh. Servers clean, fast, and professional. While I'll still go to the "Wafle Shop" in Del Ray for the ambience, I come here for the food.

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I was never a fan of the crowds or the lines or the drunks at the original Bob & Edith's; their second location in the old Hot Shoppes space further up Columbia Pike was an improvement, albeit short lived. I've been to the Crystal City location three times and every time, it was everything a diner experience was supposed to be. Burgers are solid, fries fried properly, coffee hot and fresh. Servers clean, fast, and professional. While I'll still go to the "Wafle Shop" in Del Ray for the ambience, I come here for the food.

Hot Shoppes was further down columbia pike. the short lived B&E was at the old Roy Rogers space.

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Hot Shoppes was further down columbia pike. the short lived B&E was at the old Roy Rogers space. 

Okay, I think I've got my bearings now. I definitely recall the Hot Shoppes at Baileys Crossroads where the Best Buy is now. I'm probably merging that one with the Roy Rogers in my brain.

On the subject of diners in that area, I'd like to plug City Diner off Leesburg and Seminary. Solid Greek diner fare and breakfasts. And they do a surprisingly good mazoh ball soup, which was a godsend when I was craving mazoh ball soup and Celebrity Deli was out. Broader menu than Bob & Edith's, but less of a diner-ey vibe.

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On the subject of Bob & Edith's in Springfield, although I have not yet been there, the very tuned-in crowd at Bob's Barbershop -- itself a Springfield institution -- is unanimous in its dissatisfaction with Bob & Edith's....I'm less inclined to try it myself as a result of their comments, but they did admit that breakfast isn't entirely awful.

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On the subject of Bob & Edith's in Springfield, although I have not yet been there, the very tuned-in crowd at Bob's Barbershop -- itself a Springfield institution -- is unanimous in its dissatisfaction with Bob & Edith's....I'm less inclined to try it myself as a result of their comments, but they did admit that breakfast isn't entirely awful.

What's the age spread for the crowd at Bob's Barbershop? At my barbershop, the average age is 206 and they pretty much hate everything that isn't Matlock.

I'll have to check this location out. Don't really care for the organic, free-range fare at Silver Diner. I usually end up at either Delia's, Alban Deli, or Gunston Gourmet for my diner fix. They're always full of construction workers and lawn care guys getting their morning grease fix on the cheap.

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What's the age spread for the crowd at Bob's Barbershop? At my barbershop, the average age is 206 and they pretty much hate everything that isn't Matlock.

I'll have to check this location out. Don't really care for the organic, free-range fare at Silver Diner. I usually end up at either Delia's, Alban Deli, or Gunston Gourmet for my diner fix. They're always full of construction workers and lawn care guys getting their morning grease fix on the cheap.

If you like Delia's, you'll LOVE Eleni's, where Kate's used to be, next to where Fischer's Hardware used to be. I haven't set foot in Delia's since Eleni's opened.

As for Bob's, well, let's just say it's the last of a dying breed. I don't believe any of the three barbers in there is under 70, and Bob himself may well be the mayor of Springfield. He's been cutting hair in the Springfield-Franconia area for 50 years, and he knows everything going on everywhere within a 10 mile radius. If Andy Griffith were to set foot in northern Virginia, he would have his hair cut at Bob's.

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I knew Bob & Edith's had opened in Crystal City, but didn't know they were also in Springfield Plaza (it isn't on Springfield Plaza's list of tenants).

I just got back from there, and had *no idea* that things such as coffee, tea, iced tea, soft drinks, etc. were in the $2.50 range with ... get this ... *no free refills* unless you order an entree. 

However, I suspect this is on the menu to keep 3 AM-drunks from taking up a booth and downing nothing but coffee for an hour (this place is shockingly busy, all day and all night); in reality, I had black coffee while Matt had Two Eggs & Corned Beef Hash ($8.69), which was a *huge* plate of food - it came with home fries and two slices of toast - and seeing him finish it all reminded me just how much college students can pack away without gaining an ounce (enjoy it while it lasts!).

Anyway, I just had Coffee ($2.39), and even though the menu said no free refills, my server came by numerous times (three or four) with a pot, and topped me up without even asking, so that warning is just on the menu in case they need to enforce it; not for situations like a father taking his son out to breakfast.

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I found a (somewhat) healthy, and not half-bad, 24-hour option at Bob & Edith's, aka, "Desperation Diner."

I've tried the Ribeye Sandwich ($7.49), medium-rare, on wheat toast, with nothing on it (it can stand a shake of salt, or a little mustard), and it's really not bad - a whole lot better than ground beef.

What you hear is what you get - a fairly low-grade ribeye steak, slapped between two pieces of toast. If you're starving at 4 AM, you can do much worse than this.

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I will miss Linda's but I have to admit I didn't go there all that often. I usually have the little steak with hashbrowns and eggs over easy at the original B&E on Col Pike. Anyone know of any "hidden gems" in the menu worth trying at the newest B&E?

I am kind of curious about their chili dog. Weenie Beenie is the only chili dog in the area that has the snap I like, wonder what dog they use...

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Bob and Edith's in Springfield is a guilty pleasure of mine. I like their diner breakfast fare, served all day long. The food is OK, and consistent, but the service is never quick. I haven't been to Bob and Edith's since the pandemic outbreak....and I haven't tried the chili dog.

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I saw people at 3 tables yesterday. Not sure if they were prospective employees talking to managers or it was a soft open. Didn't have time to stop. I am moving from Arlington to Deale MD and the move is keeping me busy.

Going back soon to see if they are open. 

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32 minutes ago, ziv said:

I saw people at 3 tables yesterday. Not sure if they were prospective employees talking to managers or it was a soft open. Didn't have time to stop. I am moving from Arlington to Deale MD and the move is keeping me busy.

Going back soon to see if they are open. 

The pop-up on the Bob and Edith's website says North Arlington Opens 8/31 7a-10p.

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I tried a couple new items, for me, at Bob and Edith's Lee Hwy today. Only fair. I tried the griddle fried turkey, eggs and home fries Matt mentioned and it was ok. The eggs were over easy and they were delicious. Runny egg yolks and home fries w picante sauce are a pairing I really like and these were pretty good. The deli sliced turkey was new to me and worth trying but it was only ok. I also tried the chili dog, no snap, no natural casing, good not great. Weenie Beenie still the undisputed champ in my book. Ben's and B&E's are not as good.

I think the ribeye and eggs remains my favorite dish at Bob and Edith's.

20200901_161638.jpg

Edited by ziv
Added photo of menu.
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I couldn't stay away, so I went back for steak and eggs! And saw the chicken fried steak with 3 eggs and home fries special and tried that instead...  And it was ok. I mean, 3 eggs over easy is hard to ignore, they were really good. But the chicken fried steak was only ok. It was just $12, though! I think my next meal at B&E will be my old favorite, steak and eggs. 

So it is back to Deale MD I go. Time to explore my new place and all the cafes nearby!

BobAndEdithsChickenFriedSteak.jpg

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