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Tastee Diner, 24-Hour Diner in Bethesda, Silver Spring, and Laurel - Founded in 1935


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I’m surprised there’s no thread on Tastee Diner (that I can find, anyway). I understand it’s an institution? I visited the Silver Spring location for the first time last night (my first time at any location). My toddler was asking for pancakes at daycare pick-up, so my husband and I decided to check it out rather than drive to the Silver Diner in Rockville. Our other possibility was the Original Pancake House, but they were already closed for the day.

I had very low expectations for the food at Tastee Diner, and they were not met. We started with chicken tenders that were clearly formerly frozen and in a bag. Four chicken tender-shaped hockey pucks slapped on a plate with nothing else. Our waitress asked if we wanted honey mustard or barbecue sauce, and we asked for both. They came quickly in little plastic containers with lids. I ordered meatloaf, which was dry and had some kind of tomato substance on top but was also served with gloppy brown gravy (thankfully on the side). The cole slaw wasn’t awful (not drowning in mayo). The fries were fries – nothing special, not that I expected anything different. My husband said his reuben had more sauerkraut than corned beef. As for some positives, the service was very friendly and (as far as I could tell) very understanding about my toddler, who wouldn’t stop screaming at the beginning of the meal. “Do you want to color?” “NOOOOO!” My toddler seemed to enjoy her pancakes. I had a bite and thought they were OK – they had a corn taste. (They were actually listed as hot cakes on the menu – not sure if hot cakes are different from pancakes.) Kids eat free (from the kids menu) during the week from maybe 5pm-8pm. The food came fairly quickly (important when dining with a toddler). The bill was small. I don’t have a lot of diner experience. I didn’t really grow up eating at diners, and recently my diner experiences have mostly been at the Silver Diner, which I’ve enjoyed overall. The Tastee Diner makes the Silver Diner look like the Inn at Little Washington. Maybe we should have been more drunk or hungover when we ate there.

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4 minutes ago, dracisk said:

I’m surprised there’s no thread on Tastee Diner (that I can find, anyway).

I'm not surprised; I'm *stunned* - I automatically went on a search for the thread to merge yours into ... and there wasn't one: I couldn't believe it, but it's true.

This is one of the Oldest Restaurants in the Washington, DC Area, and the Bethesda location began serving in 1935. Thank you for writing about it.

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Remember all the fuss about preserving the Silver Spring branch when redevelopment of the downtown was imminent? For those who don't, the diner was located on Georgia Avenue where Discovery headquarters now stands and was moved to its current location on Cameron. I sit here in amazement recalling how worked up some folks were about saving that dump (note that its outward appearance is much changed (sanitized) since the move).

34 minutes ago, dracisk said:

Maybe we should have been more drunk or hungover when we ate there.

The Silver Spring location has beer and wine. You should have chugged 6 or more brewskies with your dry meatloaf!

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1 minute ago, dwt said:

(note that its outward appearance is much changed (sanitized) since the move)

Ick. It was partially based on the current outward appearance that my expectations were so low. The move was before my time in Silver Spring -- I didn't know that history!

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27 minutes ago, DonRocks said:

Come on, pras! This is like dissing Ben's Chili Bowl, or telling your 2-year-old that there's no Santa Claus. :)

I am defying my mom's wisdom, so I hope the story is worth it.

So, this dates back years and years ago at the Bethesda location after a night of drinking (the idea that it was past 12, and I was out drinking makes it more than a long time ago), but my wife and I were seated at a booth opposite the bar and on the other side of the bar was the cook top.  If I reached far enough, and the cook reached far enough we could have probably grabbed hands.  My wife ordered pancakes.  They were delivered and she said they taste like "ash".  I found this absurd and just another instance of her being overly picky so I had a try, and sure enough they tasted like ash, like from a cigarette, or soot from the fireplace.  We are not ones to send food back, but this was to the point of not being edible.  The we flagged down the waitress and she took them around the bar to the cook and he started giving her a hard time, saying that nothing was wrong with them.  Mind you, I can hear the whole conversation.  He started getting belligerent.  We sat there, and finally I had enough.  I calmly stood up and told him that the pancakes were my wife's and that while they looked perfect, they tasted like ash.  He got more belligerent and told me to sit down and shut up that he wasn't talking to me (I am paraphrasing a bit, because it was so long ago).  The waitress was bewildered and told him to calm down (I somehow remained calm which is not part of my DNA).  Needless to say we have never been back and my life has not been any worse for staying away.

Oh, and as far as Ben's Chili Bowl is concerned, I have never eaten there and I don't plan on it either despite its historical importance.

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There was a fire at the Bethesda location years ago that closed it for about 6 months and caused what they claim was $500,000 (although I am not certain of the exact amount).  It re-opened after several months.  You could not discern any change pre and post fire.  Please don't get me started on this place.

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This thread reminds me of an old story about the American City Diner, up near Chevy Chase Circle.  I haven't been there in many years, but the food used to be virtually inedible. In addition to their very welcome movie nights, however, they did have a very good sense of humor: It opened at the height of the diner explosion, and folks were flocking to it. Phyllis Richman then reviewed it for the Post and wrote what must have been one of her all-time most scathing reviews, slamming almost the entire menu, and adding that the place appeared to be designed on "the school of culinary nostalgia based on the principle 'If it's bad, it must be good.'"  In passing, however, she acknowledged that "the french fries are freshly made and crackling-crisp."  That week, the Diner put a huge sign or billboard up on top of the restaurant reading, in full: "PHYLLIS RICHMAN LOVES OUR FRIES!"  Best blurb ever.

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Coincidentally, I drove past the Bethesda location this past Monday, before seeing this thread, and I recall thinking how tired and rundown it looked. I couldn't imagine setting foot inside the place.

(By the way, why is Ben's always mentioned as that historical place that no longer serves good food, but the Vienna Inn is not given the same memory? The Vienna Inn is also one of our treasured "spook (as in "spy") hangouts" -- of which this area alone has more than any other place on the planet.)

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58 minutes ago, Kibbee Nayee said:

Coincidentally, I drove past the Bethesda location this past Monday, before seeing this thread, and I recall thinking how tired and rundown it looked. I couldn't imagine setting foot inside the place.

(By the way, why is Ben's always mentioned as that historical place that no longer serves good food, but the Vienna Inn is not given the same memory? 

Brother, Tastee Diner looked run-down in the 1950's.

The only reason Vienna Inn isn't mentioned is because it's not as famous, but it is legitimately disgusting. I *dare* anyone eating at the bar there to wipe their hand across the bottom of the bar. Its one redeeming characteristic was that it was owned by the Abraham family (Mary Abraham used to be GM, and the "Merei," of Del Merei Grille), and it was her family who owned it. I once read that in the late 1970's, Vienna Inn sold more Budweiser than any place in the United States except for Yankee Stadium - that's probably apocryphal, but I'm certain I heard it.

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53 minutes ago, DonRocks said:

I *dare* anyone eating at the bar there to wipe their hand across the bottom of the bar.

Last night at Tastee Diner my daughter kept taking her pancakes off her plate and putting them directly on the table. This would skeeve me out in most restaurants, but I was particularly skeeved last night. At least she'll have a good immune system.

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