Victoria's Diner
1024 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston, MA, 02118
(617) 442-5965
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--- Winner, Best Diner in Boston Area, 2011 (also 2010 and 2009) ---
It is no secret that finding a 24-hour restaurant in the Boston area can be a difficult task, but there are a few here and there if you look hard enough. At least a couple of them are located in or very near the downtown area of Beantown itself, including the popular South Street Diner near South Station and a little-known place a bit further out (the Newmarket Square and South Bay area near where Roxbury and Dorchester meet) called Victoria's Diner. And while Victoria's isn't open 24 hours all the time--they are open all day and all night on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday--they are open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner seven days a week, which is a relative rarity among diners in and around the city.
Located in a dusty and rather gritty industrial section of Boston, Victoria's Diner is one of several restaurants in the immediate area, including Speed's, a hot dog wagon that has become a local institution. Needless to say, truckers and warehouse workers frequent Victoria's and the other dining spots around here, but Victoria's also attracts college students, families from Roxbury and Dorchester, South Shore suburbanites, and many others who happen to know of this restaurant. The place itself is fairly spacious for a diner, with a bright and relatively cheery front room that has about 20 tables and a few stools at the counter, and a cozy and quiet back room with another 10 tables or so and stained glass windows bringing a little bit of light into the otherwise dimly-lit space.
Victoria's focuses on diner food, of course, but there are certainly some surprises on the menu (more on that later). Breakfast items run the gamut from your basic bacon and eggs to waffles, pancakes, French toast, omelettes, eggs benedict, breakfast sandwiches, and, if you'd like a bit of everything, dishes such as the "Rehab," which includes eggs, potatoes, toast, meat options, and either pancakes or French toast. Some specific highlights at Victoria's include an absolutely sinful Nutella-smothered French toast that may take a few years off your life but is oh so rich and tasty; an equally sinful Cinnabon French toast with maple cinnamon mascarpone syrup drizzled on it (the dish is made slightly healthier with the addition of fruit placed on top); a decadent Monte Cristo breakfast sandwich that consists of turkey, ham, and Swiss cheese stuffed between two pieces of French toast; a "hashlette" that includes a mouthwatering combination of corned beef hash, cheddar cheese, and eggs; a grilled and buttered banana bread that has a ton of flavor; and a ham ciabatta that includes diced ham, scrambled eggs, roasted red peppers, and provolone cheese, all placed in a fresh, soft ciabatta roll.
Lunch and dinner at Victoria's includes soups, salads, burgers, hot dogs, paninis, and more substantial dinner entrees. Among the entrees are a terrific macaroni and cheese that has a flavorful mix of cheeses complementing the salty goodness of pancetta; a homemade baked meatloaf that has just the right amount of herbs and spices and comes with a side of mashed potatoes; a short rib macaroni and cheese that is as coma-inducing as the French toast with Nutella; and a turkey dinner that includes everything from mashed potatoes to stuffing to squash and is substantial enough to fill most people. And as mentioned earlier, there are also a few surprises on the menu, including marmalade-marinated glazed pork loin medallions, grilled trout seasoned with a lemon-pepper mix, and a Mediterranean chicken plate with Kalamata olives, Feta cheese, roasted red peppers, veggies, and Greek salad dressing.
For those who know of the place, Victoria's Diner is indeed a spot to return to again and again; the menu is varied and extensive, the folks who work there are generally pretty friendly and laid back, and the overall feel is almost that of a classic truck stop, which is something definitely tough to come by in the Boston area. Add to this free parking (both on the street and in their smallish lot) and reasonable prices, and you have yourself perhaps one of the best diners inside Route 128, AND one that you can go to at 3:30 in the morning on some days (if you are so inclined).
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