Step Inside the Vintage Massachusetts Dining Car That Feels Frozen in Time

A big breakfast at a retro diner is always a memorable experience in my eyes. I will travel from miles away to indulge in a classic homemade meal in a historic dining car. Sadly, roadside diners are becoming more and more obsolete and are harder to find these days. Luckily, I live in an area where several are still in service, including an old dining car in the town of Danvers, called the Portside Diner. Eating a meal at this retro eatery is like reverting back to the days of poodle skirts and sock hops.

Housed in the Danversport area, not far from the busy North Shore malls, the bright blue retro diner has been a fixture in Danvers since 1959. I had driven by it numerous times throughout my everyday travels and had always wanted to check it out. So, on a recent trip to visit some of the historic witch trials buildings in town (the area was once part of Salem), my husband and I made it a point to stop at the Portside and sample some diner fare. 

One of my favorite things about visiting old diners is the feeling you get when you step inside them. The minute you walk through the doors, it’s like you are turning the clock back decades. The marble floor, old metal stools, and wooden booths within the Portside automatically gave me vintage vibes.

We shimmied into a booth and perused the menu. Classic throwback lunch items included meatloaf, liver and onions, boiled dinners, seafood specials, and one of my all-time favorite New England meals, American Chop Suey. However, I had breakfast on the brain that day and had a difficult time choosing between the giant chocolate pancake and the French toast breakfast with fresh fruit. 

While everything on the front of the menu looked delicious, it was what was written on the backside that really interested me. If you have read any of my previous posts, you know that I love a great meal with a side of history, so I was excited to see that the menu included a write-up about the diner's story. As I waited for my pancakes, I discovered that the Portside was first called the “Cape Ann Grill” and was originally located several miles north, in Gloucester. It is one of the original Worcester Lunch Cars, and it was first in operation in 1948. From 1906 to 1961, the local Worcester Lunch Car Company built 651 dining cars and shipped them around the country. Today, fewer than 100 of these remain, including number 813 (serial numbers started at number 200), now the Portside.  

I also learned that the Portside is a family-owned business that has been passed down for several generations. We were lucky to meet one of the friendly staff members who chatted with us about the background of the diner and even showed us several books about historic diners, including one called "Classic Diners of Massachusetts" that actually features the Portside.  

The food turned out to be delicious. Better yet, the portions were big enough that we had leftovers to take home. We will definitely be making a return trip in the future.  

Do you enjoy frequenting diners? If so, which one is your local favorite? If you would like to visit some of the other remaining Worcester Lunch Car Company diners, I suggest visiting The Little Depot Diner in nearby Peabody and the Four Sisters Owl Diner in Lowell. For more information on the Portside Diner, please visit the Portside Diner Facebook page.