Kendall Village Diner

Once upon a time, Kendall Village Diner was known as Starlite Diner, and it was good. It provided an intimate, coffee-house atmosphere where people hung out playing chess or writing furiously in beat-up journals. Those days are over. The Diner has become a place where people go to drink and God-knows-what-else. On Wednesdays and Thursdays the place is jumping - and patrons' blood levels are 80-proof. Sometimes the uninitiated wander in, not knowing any better, and stumble into what is basically one big mess. Maybe because of the lack of customers who actually eat, the service at Kendall Village Diner sucks. Servers are rude and slow and obviously don't want to be there. The managers are pretty much the same - if you have any issues, you're on your own. The selection of food is pretty good, but if you want to enjoy your meal, plan on going there for lunch and not dinner. Don't go for breakfast either - you'll be surrounded by people who haven't been home since the night before. Menu items worth trying include a homemade baked meatloaf ($9.49) served with real mashed potatoes and roasted vegetables. All the burgers are good, especially the original ($7.29), served on a Kaiser roll with kick-ass French fries. If you're in the neighborhood, the price and food make it worthy of a lunch stop, but don't expect service with a smile.