With several local diners operating in the early morning or with 24 hour service, students don’t have to worry finding a place to satisfy their cravings. Many diners keep the classics on their menus, but still update their selection  to keep up with trendy, new items for loyal customers. Here are the three top diners in the Bethesda area to stop at day and night.  

Tastee Diner

Tastee Diner opened their original Bethesda location on Wisconsin Avenue in 1935 and has been selling warm breakfast meals 24 hours every day since. .

Despite dramatic changes in Bethesda’s restaurant scene with new restaurants Paul, Passion Fish and Medium Rare, Tastee’s has continued to serve homemade favorites and new specialties, current manager Kyle Brake said.

“The traditional meatloaf is the favorite of many customers, along with chicken tenders and milkshakes, that are great for after sporting events and spending time with friends,” Brake said.

Senior Lucia Mitnik has been going to Tastee’s with her friends for several years. The convenient and inexpensive options appealed to her.

“If it’s late I order waffles and a milkshake or a burger and fries,” Mitnik said. “Having a place that is open 24 hours really just allows people the opportunity to have a reliable restaurant.”

Tastee’s welcoming environment is also an integral part of the Tastee’s experience.

“The most unique thing about Tastees is the atmosphere by having a lot of regular customers,” Brake said. “We kind of joke and are more like a family with our customers where we can tell when they are happy or upset, but know we can always help them.”  

Located at 7731 Woodmont Avenue, Bethesda, MD, Tastee’s Diner is open 24/7.                      

American City Diner

Located on the outskirts of Friendship Heights, the American City Diner is lit with 50s iconography, decked with photographs and a full view of the kitchen from inside the restaurant.

Customers sit at booths with jukeboxes in the corner of the restaurants. The traditional menu, art, and movie showings take customers back in time to the 50s. Their speciality is milkshakes.

Many students frequent this classic diner, Senior Brittany Zeldow said. 

“Diners always feel welcoming,” Zeldow said.  “Everyone who works there is friendly and it’s more about the people you’re with then then the food you’re eating.”

Located at 5532 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington, DC, American City Diner is open daily with varying hours that can be viewed here.    

Silver Diner

Rockville’s Silver Diner is a favorite of many students. Whether it’s for a Saturday morning breakfast with family and friends or a place for exhausted Whitman drama students to grab late night meals after a long night of performances, students frequent the Silver Diner for many occasions.

“On the night of talent show when we finish the show at 10 we go eat there,” senior Lucas Polack said. “It’s a nice way to have a couple final moments with your friends in the production.”

Current corporate trainer Rob Milanich has been working at Silver Diner since 2013, but the diner has played a meaningful role throughout his life.

“Ever since I was a kid, my mom would take me to eat here,” Milanich said. “I enjoy getting to now train new workers at a place I have had in my life ever since I was little.”

Silver Diner serves traditional diner food, such as their signature burgers, in addition to some dishes with modern twists, like their Bison Rancheros. While keeping original diner food, the restaurant has also tried to include more contemporary items to offer more for a variety of age groups.

“I really enjoy coming here with my friends,” sophomore Deanna Lewis said. “Every year my family goes [on Columbus day] and it always has a great atmosphere and is a lot more welcoming than formal restaurants.”

Located in Rockville, MD at 12276 Rockville Pike, Silver Diner is open daily with varying hours that can be viewed on their website.