Many fountain-style diners have graced the streets of Paducah, Kentucky over the last century and a half. What remains, however, is a no-frills homage to what made them all great, stripped down like a Harley chopper to its’ best components.
In this article, I opted to stick to my two favorite dishes, the cheeseburger plate with fries, and the bowl of chili. I encourage anyone else to read other reviews, and find their favorites as well. I have seen the chicken salad plate, and it has tempted me before. I may get it next time.
One note: except for the photos inside and outside the restaurant, these photos were taken at-home plated, as I did not have the time to eat inside the restaurant that day.

The menu is reasonably small, with classic cheeseburgers, sandwiches, breakfast dishes, and homey mid-twentieth century meals adorning the board. One of my friends’ go-tos is the Patty Melt, not pictured here. It is gooey, buttery, and perfectly toasted. My go-to is usually the cheeseburger.

The burgers’ soft bun belies the crunchy, smashed patty beneath, the veggies fresh and flavorful. It is the kind of smashburger that Shake Shack and Smashburger originally tried to imitate, though this one is better. The french fries are the usual crinkle-cut, but they have been expertly fried, with only a touch of greasiness. It makes for a balanced, quick lunch that satisfies the core desire for a Platonic ideal, that which one knows and is deeply familiar with. Next is what I feel is la spécialité de la maison, the defyingly simple bowl of chili.

Here embodies the 1920s trend of chili parlors, the only better bowl being at Happy’s Chili Parlor(an extensive article on them soon).
Rumor has it the recipe comes from one of the two chili parlors that used to exist with Happy’s inside Paducah. The beans are sparse, the meat is plentiful, and the spices are rich yet not too heat-inducing. The tomato flavor is deep, and it instantly warms the body during a cool Fall day. One must immediately think, and one would be right, that it pairs perfectly with the cheeseburger, patty melt, or nearly any of the sandwiches available.

All in all, this is an easy to miss, but necessary restaurant in Paducah. It’s iconic to the location, known mostly among locals, frequently dined at, only open for breakfast and lunch, however it is, in my opinion, a miles apart better choice when visiting here for a few days, or living here, as compared to one of the fast food or fast casuals options. It is genuine, operated by a wonderful team, with historical recipes that taste as good now as they did when they were created, and nothing, not even fakes like Johnny Rockets or Freddy’s can replicate anything close to the full picture of culinary tradition that they realize every single day.