In the thirty seconds it takes to walk from the entrance of Tucson, Arizona's classic diner styled Broadway Cafe to the dining room, you seem to have strolled back in time more than four decades. Sitting in your booth, you get the feeling that you are visiting yet another of the "diner themed" restaurants that have opened across the country over the last several years. There are the chrome and vinyl stools at the coffee counter, the plush, red and white two tone vinyl benches for the booths and the retro posters, signs and photos decorating the walls. Elvis, Marilyn Monroe and James Dean are well remembered throughout the cafe. The vintage styled jukebox is playing "Stand by Me" by Ben E. King. You can play two songs for a quarter and select them on the chrome Seeburg 200 song selector at your booth. If you're a Baby Boomer, there is plenty here to remind you of your favorite diner or cafe as a youth. But the Broadway Cafe is no themed restaurant. This is the real deal, and the proof is in the food.

The Broadway Cafe features only one menu with fare ranging from the full spectrum of breakfast dishes, various burgers, sandwiches and sides for lunch to chicken, pork and beef entrees for dinner. Dinner is served with choices of breads and potatoes and a vegetable. Any item on the menu is available anytime, with the exception of the gravies, which change according to the predominant meal at that time. A Broadway Cafe favorite is the "Rise and Dine for $3.99" breakfast special. It features two eggs cooked to order, a pancake, two strips of bacon, two sausage links, and a biscuit with country gravy. Or order the Cafe Burger and treat yourself to a meal all but extinct since the advent of fast food and chain restaurants. This is a true classic American burger served up with plump, golden fries or onion rings. The aroma alone will trigger some of your favorite memories of bygone days. Remember what burgers smelled like before fast food? A hamburger patty cooked on a flatiron grill with the cheese melted across the top, served on a hot, toasted bun with garden fresh lettuce, sliced onion and tomatoes and sliced pickles? Compliment your burger with your favorite flavored malt. Yes, a real malt made with real ice cream and real malted milk. You find yourself reaching for the ketchup...a condiment that you haven't shared your fries with in at least thirty years. If you are over fifty, a visit to the Broadway Cafe in Tucson will let you relive some of the favorite moments of your teenage years. If you are in your forties or younger, you owe it to yourself to learn what you missed growing up.
The Broadway Cafe is located at 4330 E. Broadway Blvd., Tucson, AZ, and is open 24 hours, 7 days a week. If you plan to visit Tucson for business, vacation, or are one of our winter guests, the Broadway Cafe is well worth a try.

Learn more about this author, Rob Burkes.
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