5 Top Boston Diners

Home of the Working Man's Special (three eggs, home fries, choice of sausage or bacon, toast and coffee for $3.95), this grizzled Southie institution slings caffeine and carbs to townies and city politicos alike. The old-school breakfast is available all day in its red-and-white checkered space, and Mul's also specializes in an Irish-style breakfast with puddings, rashers and a reassuring dose of server sass.

This ample, subterranean diner on the edge of Harvard Square spills over with hungry patrons on weekends (much like your belt after a Waffle Slammer). This Greek diner pushes smoked salmon Benedict and sweet potato pancakes out of the kitchen and is scattered with plush banquettes, handy coat hooks and a shiny bar with stools. A plus for the thirsty: microbrews, Greek wines and a ridiculous cheesecake frappe.

Sooner or later, you'll find yourself at South Street Diner hungry, dazed, confused, or all of the above. It's a forgivable truth, as this is one of the very few 24/7, full-service joints in downtown Boston. As such, it flips good-enough-for-me eggs and pancakes until the wee hours. Take in one of the Harpoon brews on tap, or sober up on Chocolate Fantasy French Toast or a Steak Tip Bomb.

Think you've consumed every pancake fit to eat? Try one of Deluxe's fluffy numbers, with je ne sais quoi (and a cult following) courtesy of a sour cream and buttermilk batter. From Rhode Island Jo'nny cakes to a riff on potato latkes, the griddle's masterpieces are the hottest things since sliced French toast.

Plan to wait if you go a weekend morning, since it's likely that a zillion sleepy South End residents have the same idea. But all is friendly in this no-frills diner (in a relatively frilly neighborhood), where football-sized omelets share billing on a menu with Emergency Room and Intensive Care artery-busting breakfast platters. There's a hospital nearby, get it? Ha. Let's eat.