South Street Diner, Boston

Happy 15th birthday to South Street Diner! In celebration, South Street Diner hosted its annual $10 3-course lobster or steak all-day special. Well, from 11am-11pm, which is all day for us, but not all day for the only 24 hour establishment in Boston. 

I've been the South Street Diner a handful of times now, including a 5am drop-in during finals week my junior year of college. The library just closed, and I was ready for a meal, so I dropped by with Victor and Chelsea and while he had an omelet, Chelsea and I shared a vanilla milkshake and chocolate chip banana pancakes. They were delicious, but had I known about their famous banana bread then, I would've ordered that instead! Either way, it was still memorable enough of an experience for me to revisit several times for late breakfasts. But tonight was the first night I visited for dinner all because I heard about their special $10 deal. 

Michael and I trekked through the snow storm to get some steak and lobster, and boy was it worth the $10! We both started with the clam chowder, which was the standard New England cream based soup. The great thing about it was that it was extra peppery, and it was served with nice salty oyster crackers. 

For entree, I got the 1.25lb lobster and Michael got the 1lb New York sirloin. A 1.25lb lobster is pretty small, but where can you get a lobster dinner for $10 anywhere else besides New England? It was fresh and served with the standard melted butter. The medium rare steak was a bit on the tough side, but it was well seasoned and cooked to the right color. Steak frites and lobster frites! 

The highlight of the meal was the banana bread. I had no idea that their banana bread was famous until after I left the diner tonight, but I am obsessed. It wasn't too dense, it had a delightful banana flavor to it, it was sliced thinly, and it was lightly grilled. It paired surprisingly well with the chocolate sauce, and the rich vanilla ice cream made it impeccable. I talked about how amazing it was the entire walk home. I honestly can't stop thinking about it.

TL;DR: go to South Street diner on their birthday for $10 lobster/steak, eat banana bread

Clam chowder

The famous banana bread

Since they obviously do not have $10 lobster specials every day, what do you get every other day? 

If I were you, I would definitely start with a vanilla milkshake. It's a classic, and they definitely do not skimp on the ingredients (I get pissed off when a milkshake is clearly diluted and not made with ice cream).

For breakfast, I've had their Monte Cristo, which is just a ham and egg on French toast. It's supposed to be the American version of the croque monsieur, but it was a little too confusing for me. Americans. Even so, the seasoned and crispy home fries compensated. Their steak and eggs are a deal and is also served with their delicious home fries. All in all, they have all the diner breakfast standards that are quite on par and exactly what you would expect from a 70's themed diner in 2013.  

I will definitely be back soon because I get a free backpack if I reach 10 check-ins on Foursquare, but beyond that, every city needs some 24 hour place for their people to flock to. Oh, and I'm always down for some good banana bread.

Monte Cristo

Steak and eggs

South Street Diner
178 Kneeland Street
Boston, MA 02111