By Gal Tziperman Lotan
From the checkered tablecloths to the buttermilk pancakes and oldies blaring over the stereo system, Mike’s City Diner is a no-frills kickback most college students can afford.
Located at 1714 Washington St. in the South End, the diner seems to have come out of the 1950s: The servers are exceptionally friendly, chatting with customers about everything from clothing to Celtics games; countertops are painted fire-engine red; there are no televisions and diners are in clear view of the open kitchen.
Since its opening 13 years ago, the diner has drawn a fair amount of Northeastern students despite being a mile away from campus, manager Barbara Benatuil said.
“Yesterday [Monday] the place was filled with them,” she said. “The whole dining room was college kids.”
Students, especially from Northeastern and Boston University’s Medical Campus, account for some of the regulars, she said.
Prices range from $1 to $9.95.
For $4.95, customers can get three large, fluffy buttermilk pancakes with a generous pat of butter. And for another $1.95, the cook will top pancakes with blueberries, strawberries, bananas or any combination of the three.
Those in search of a heartier meal can try the Emergency Room: two eggs cooked in any style, two pancakes, three pieces of bacon or sausage, homefries or grits, and a slice of toast for $8.50.
Truly hungry patrons can fork over $9.95 for the Intensive Care: three eggs cooked in any style, a 10 ounce sirloin steak, homefries or grits, and toast.
Unlimited coffee or tea, poured unceremoniously into a white ceramic mug, is $1.95.
“We have a varied clientele, as you might have seen just sitting here,” Benatuil said. “We’ve got the doctors, we have the police, we’ve got the fire people.”
Benatuil said the diner is popular because it is “reasonable.”
“Prices are very good, and you get a lot of food-good food-for the money,” she said. “We’re very lucky here. We have a great business.”
Alex Clark, a middler criminal justice major, said he always visits the restaurant after he stays up all night.
“Every time I pull an all-nighter, Mike’s as soon as they open is a ritual,” he said. “They’re at a great location, close enough to walk but too far for the T, and there isn’t a lot of ‘diner food’ in the area.”
Clark said his favorite meal is the Emergency Room.
“Nothing fills you up like plenty of food for a great price,” he said.
While some restaurants in the area might feel commercialized, “Mike’s feels like your eating in your home town,” he said.
The diner is open 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. seven days a week. Wait staff in colorful Mike’s T-shirts serve breakfast all day, and a full menu, including soups, sandwiches, salads and various entrees, starts at 11 a.m.
College students who did not make it home this Thanksgiving can satiate their turkey craving with Mike’s Famous Pilgrim sandwich for $8.25, with sliced white meat turkey (dark meat available upon request), stuffing, gravy and cranberry sauce on a white bread roll.
The white meat is carved right off a large turkey sitting in a pan on top of the steamer, which may be the diner’s most unusual element.
Health-conscious options include salads, $2.75 to $7.25, with lettuce, cucumber, tomato, red onion and carrots to which patrons can add tuna, chicken or turkey.
Soup of the day, chili, stew or classic New England clam chowder are $2.50 to $2.95 a cup and $3.50 to $3.95 a bowl.
Though the diner does not advertise, it garners a fair amount of media attention, Benatuil said.
President Bill Clinton visited the diner in 2000, as documented by a large photo of him with owner and chef Jay Hajj on the back wall.
Celtics forward Paul Pierce, ’70s and ’80s Red Sox outfielder Jim Rice and former Patriots linebacker Junior Seau have also dined at Mike’s, Benatuil said.
Mike’s City Diner has been featured on the Food Network’s “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives,” where host Guy Fieri called Mike’s Famous Pilgrim sandwich “the best turkey sandwich I’ve ever had,” and on WCBTV channel five’s “Chronicle” in November, Benatuil said.
