Look, I think every great diner should be owned by a former cabaret singer with an unfiltered-two-pack-a-day habit. That's exactly the kind of person I trust to make exceptional diner food. Enter Ruth of Ruth's Diner fame.
At 96 years old, Ruth's isn't the oldest spot on this list, but in restaurant years, it's practically prehistoric.
I'm genuinely disappointed Ruth didn't live forever, or at least write a memoir. She made it to 94 despite a legendary smoking habit, and by all accounts she had enough stories to fill several books.
She opened her first restaurant, Ruth's Hamburgers, across the street from a downtown "house of ill repute," where she became an unofficial confidante to the women who worked there and heard plenty about their ahem clientele. When the building was demolished, Ruth moved into an old trolley car before hauling the whole thing up Emigration Canyon, where it still serves as part of the restaurant today.
For decades, Ruth's was a favorite of University of Utah students, particularly fraternity brothers, thanks to its famously relaxed approach to smoking and drinking. Her chihuahuas also had a reputation for biting customers they didn't care for. It’s a good thing Yelp didn’t exist in those days.
After changing hands a few times, including to one of those former frat boys, the diner is now owned by a husband-and-wife team who both worked as Ruth's employees. They've carefully modernized the restaurant with a spacious patio, live music, and, much to the likely dismay of Ruth herself, actual enforcement of indoor smoking bans and ID checks.
Every meal begins with Ruth's famous Mile High Biscuits and raspberry jam, which are reason enough to make the drive into Emigration Canyon. I'm not much of a morning person, but I am a breakfast person, so I deeply appreciate that breakfast is served until 4 p.m. That means I can order the migas at a civilized hour, which, I choose to believe, is exactly what Ruth would have wanted.
