Nick's is the real thing--an old-school diner, from the tin façade to the chrome swivel stools. Food is classic diner fare, with a few Greek dishes thrown in (the owner is Greek). Nick's gets a lot of things right: Eggs--fried, scrambled, or folded into a feta omelet--are perfectly turned out. Corned-beef hash and hash browns are crisp and well seasoned. Lunch brings handmade burgers, homey soups like chicken and rice, and delicious ham sandwiches--the ham is baked in-house and hand-carved. And if you want tomato on that sandwich, it'll taste like a tomato, at least in season. The sensational Athenian souvlaki sports chunks of juicy lamb, tomatoes, and a tart-but-wonderful feta-cucumber-yogurt sauce on warm pita.

Nick's has its quirks: No French fries on the weekends (home fries are substituted). No soda fountain. And it's open only for breakfast and lunch. But it's got a cast of regulars, a friendly diner vibe, and a guy stringing green beans by hand in the kitchen.