You can still find diners all over America — but good luck finding half the stuff they used to serve. You used to see all kinds of stuff on those old menus — gravy-covered, jelly-filled, heavy on the cream. The menus have thinned out, and many classic diner foods got the boot and were swapped out for safer bets like burgers and pancakes.
Here are 13 old-school diner foods that you don’t see on the menus anymore.
Turkey Croquettes
If you ever recall ordering croquettes, you know these were the great recyclers of the diner world. Diner cooks would shred turkey, mix it with a starchy binder, roll it into small cylinders, bread it, and fry it until golden brown. They were introduced on diner menus during the Depression and remained relevant during wartime years when stretching meat was a necessity. They were hearty and inexpensive, but chicken fingers eventually surpassed croquettes and pushed them off the menu.
Sardine Sandwiches
In the 1930s and ’40s, sardines were cheap, plentiful, and kept entire California canneries humming. Diners made quick work of them by pairing them with bread, a smear of mustard, a few onions or lettuce leaves, and calling it a day. It was protein on the go, nothing fancy, but it worked as a decent meal when you were in the mood for something fishy. The sandwich stuck around for a while, but then tuna took over the canned fish aisle, and sardines started to feel dated, so did the sandwich.
Wheatcakes
Every diner had wheatcakes once. They were heavier than pancakes, made with whole wheat flour and sometimes a hit of molasses, and they stuck with you long after breakfast. People ordered them with bacon or eggs on the side. It was the working man’s breakfast, but comedy genius Charlie Chaplin name-dropped them as a favorite in a New York Times interview.
Liver and Onions
For decades, liver and onions were as standard on a diner menu as meatloaf or fried chicken. It seems a bit excessive from today’s point of view, but for years it was ubiquitous because it cooked quickly on a flat top, was affordable, and was packed with iron at a time when people cared less about flavor and more about “staying strong.” The caramelized onions helped soften the sharp bite, and for a long stretch, it was seen as hearty, reliable fare. By the time the 1970s came, though, America had moved on — organ meats fell off most menus, and the only ones still eating liver on the regular were pets.
Salisbury Steak
Salisbury steak was once a standard on diner menus, usually served with brown gravy, mashed potatoes, and vegetables. It dates back to the late 1800s, when Dr. James Salisbury promoted ground beef as a remedy and introduced the dish to combat digestive illnesses among Civil War troops. Diners adopted it in the mid-20th century because it was inexpensive, easy to prepare, and felt like a step up from a plain hamburger patty. Throughout the 1940s and 1950s, it was a popular, everyday meal. But frozen TV dinners and cafeterias eventually made it feel institutional rather than special. Today, it’s rarely found in diners.
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Chicken à la King
If there ever was diner royalty, it was Chicken à la King—chunks of chicken cooked in a creamy white sauce with mushrooms, peppers, and peas, which were poured over toast, rice, or noodles. It originated as a hotel dish in the early 1900s, but by mid-century, it had become a staple in diners everywhere. It looked classier than your average blue plate special but was cheap enough to fit the menu. By the 1970s, it had become just another heavy cream dish that didn’t fit with changing tastes.
Rice Pudding
For decades, rice pudding was the quiet closer on a diner menu. Rice baked into a custard with milk, sugar, and eggs, finished with a shake of cinnamon or nutmeg, rice pudding was cheap to make, easy to portion, and exactly the kind of homespun comfort that diners built their reputation on. But it was always more of a granny dessert than a showstopper, so it ultimately faded away.
Jelly Omelets
This oddball dish is a great example of the “everything goes” era of dining. An omelet spread with jelly first appeared in cookbooks such as The Boston Cooking-School Cook Book in the late 1800s. It might seem bizarre, but the idea was that eggs are neutral enough to tolerate both sweet and savory, and if you’re already putting jam on toast, why not put it in an omelet? The dish extended beyond diners, and people made it at home for breakfast as a way to add a little protein to what would otherwise be carbs and sugar. By the ’60s and ’70s, though, the jelly omelet started to feel dated and today it’s gone from diner menus entirely.
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Creamed Chipped Beef on Toast (S.O.S.)
Few foods connect America’s military mess halls to its diners like this one. Creamed Chipped Beef on Toast consists of thin slices of dried beef in a creamy white sauce, ladled over toast. It was cheap, filling, and easy to make in bulk, which is why soldiers consumed vast quantities of it in the 20th century. It’s not pretty, but it has history. Veterans came home craving it (or at least tolerating it), so it slid onto diner menus everywhere. Its charming nickname, “**** on a shingle,” tells you everything about how it looked.
Egg Creams
The egg cream was a soda fountain classic, and of course, included no egg nor cream in the recipe. It was made with milk, seltzer, and a squeeze of chocolate syrup whipped into a frothy drink. It originated in New York City in the early 1900s and spread to diners, where it became a cost-effective alternative to a milkshake. It was light and fizzy, and the kind of order kids grew up on when a quarter was all they had. By the 1970s, it felt dated.
Milk Toast
It was the plainest thing you could find on the diner menu — toasted bread dunked in warm milk, maybe with butter or sugar if you wanted a little pizzazz. It originated as a home dish in the 1800s and continued to be popular because it was inexpensive, easy to prepare, and soft enough for children or those with sensitive stomachs. Diners served it for years, but it never had the same appeal as pancakes or eggs.
Coconut Cream Pie
Another granny dessert that found a spot under the glass dome on diner counters. Coconut cream pie was thick custard in a crust, piled with whipped topping and a shake of shredded coconut. It was heavy, sweet, and felt a little fancy for a place that mostly served burgers and coffee. For decades, it was part of the standard pie lineup, but eventually diners phased it out for cheesecakes and flashier cakes.
More Diner Nostalgia From Cheapism
- The Most Charming Retro Diner in Every State — These classic diners have kept customers coming back for decades. How many have you visited?
- Vintage Photos of Diners in the 1970s — Feeling nostalgic for diners of the past? Jump into the time machine and take a look at these old photos of diners, all from the 1970s.
- 15 Classic Diner Recipes You Can Recreate at Home — We can’t all get out to a diner as much as we might like. Thankfully, many of the classic diner dishes are relatively simple and easy to make at home.
