Dad’s Diner was an accidental discovery that I can’t even steal all the credit for finding, but man is it a good one. There is a boat show our company started participating in a few years ago in Anacortes, Washington out of the Cap Sante Marina. Foot traffic through the show was relatively slow, so my coworkers and I decided to trade each other turns going out to lunch. Luckily the downtown area of Anacortes was walking distance, so for lunch we were able go for a nice stroll to stretch our legs and sit down at a restaurant for a break.
The first of the group to go out to lunch reported back that he found a place called “Dad’s Diner” and that the hash was amazing. To me, “Dad’s Diner” didn’t sound like an impressive name and hash didn’t sound like an impressive dish, so I was skeptical to partake. Then the next person broke off and came back raving. By the time I was up I walked around to see what I could find and eventually conceded and decided to give Dad’s a try.
The first thing I noted was that the decor was not what I expected. The name of the place gave me Denny’s vibes, but the interior had lots of quirk and character that instantly made it a lot of fun and obviously not just another a boring greasy spoon. I asked the waitress how to order and she said the menu was on the wall… she caught my attention mentioning how there was home-smoked meats and/or homemade breads incorporated in many of the dishes. The menu itself was as eclectic as the decor – there were BBQ-style items, Mexican items, Asian items, hybrid items then some more expected diner-sounding items too. Much of it sounded good, though it was all very different.
Since I was at a diner I decided to go with a more diner-style choice and did the ham and cheese melt with homemade Jo-Jos. The ham was home-smoked and so full of flavor! The bread was homemade too (another reason for my choice) and I grubbed the whole thing down. Seriously, SO GOOD. I went back and raved to everyone to the point that now my husband HAD to try, so in planning a little family vacation in the San Juan Islands we decided to make a swing through Deception Pass and ultimately Anacortes to stop at Dad’s. The second go-around I had their biscuits and gravy (same story with the fresh homemade biscuit, home-smoked and cured sausage) and it was killer. Hubby had the hash my coworkers were raving over and said it was great. My daughter enjoyed a pancake twice the size of her head, and we left stuffed to the brim!
So, if you are ever in the Anacortes area and are looking for a place to get some seriously good grub, be sure to make the stop at Dad’s Diner A Go-Go!
906 Commercial Ave, Anacortes, WA 98221
Happy Eating!
X.O. – Abbey Co.
I’m interested in using one of your Dad’s Diner photos. We can credit back to your blog. Please let me know before Oct 8, 2020. Thank you!
Hi there! As long as you link back, I’m absolutely fine with you using! Thank you for asking
Wonderful, thank you!