"Located on a bustling stretch of North Lamar next to Waterloo Records, 24 Diner has long served Southern-leaning comfort food to Austinites refueling during shopping marathons or taking a breather after a Zilker Park hangout. Now the restaurant has returned to its old 24-hour format (Wednesday through Saturday, at least), and its proximity to Downtown bars makes it a prime late-night option. You can eat breakfast at any hour—we like the biscuits and gravy and the 24 Hash—or get a soothing dinner entree like chicken pot pie. Service can run a bit slow, especially during the brunch rush, but many of the dishes here taste fresher than your average diner food, so a little wait isn’t the worst thing. Food Rundown photo credit: Maggie Svoboda 24 Hash Anyone who can resist a chunky pile of diner hash browns has a thing or two to learn about what’s good in this world. 24 Diner piles their signature potato dish with cheddar cheese, sausage, bacon, scallions, and eggs cooked to your liking, but the vegetarian alternative—caramelized onions, spinach, mushrooms, roasted broccoli, avocado, scallions, and swiss cheese—is equally good. photo credit: Maggie Svoboda Biscuits and Gravy If you want something heavier during brunch, go for this or the chicken and waffles. They’re both made the traditional Southern way, which is to say deliciously. photo credit: Matthew Jacobs Charred Bitters At lunch, this salad is our go-to. (Dinner too, sometimes.) The freshly sauteed mushrooms add meatiness to the medley of spinach, charred radicchio, watermelon relish, and peanuts tossed in a roasted shallot vinaigrette that manages to be both tart and sweet. photo credit: 24 Diner 24 Meatloaf 24 Diner’s entrees are like a museum of comfort classics—bangers and mash, chicken pot pie, chicken fried chicken, etc. Any choice you make is a safe one, but we’ll give a slight edge to the tender meatloaf served with mashed potatoes and rich bacon-braised greens. It also comes in sandwich form, but we prefer the traditional plate." - Matthew Jacobs
