By conservative estimate, as we traveled down Roosevelt Road about 30 people jumped out in front of our car (for reasons we never could discern) and we passed at least one red light district XXX-video store. The Depot American Diner, located in this slightly sketchy west-southwest corner of Chicago where the city meets Oak Park and Cicero, is a skinny little spot with just one window facing the street and a small sign advertising “made-to-order donuts” and the “Blue Plate Special.” We made the trek to this humble hash house on the recommendation of several of the lady’s co-workers and left the place pleased by the out-of-the way, yet still homey and comforting experience.

The Depot, despite it’s less-than-lauded neighborhood, is a highly recommended and Zagat’s rated joint that was featured in Guy Fieri’s Diners, Drive-ins and Dives on The Food Network. It delivers that classic diner feel by way of a stainless steel counter and spinning bar stools with a few booths along the other wall. Though there’s a full kitchen behind closed doors, the space behind the counter has an “exposed” look with enough deep frying and cooking going on to keep that greasy-spoon vibe and they serve old fashioned bottled sodas and a few soda-fountain style drinks. When we dined, there was another couple like us and a few folks who fit that stereotyped look of “a regular” to a tee.

The menu at The Depot is organized like a train schedule. Prices are listed as times (e.g. French Toast 5:12) and the food is organized under headers such as “Arriving,” “Departing,” and “Redeye.” On first look, the place seems to have your standard diner fair of all-day breakfast, fried food and chili, but when we asked what the favorites were, we realized that some of these dishes go deeper than their two word schedule entry suggests.

The lady picked the open-face turkey sandwich paired with mashed potatoes, cole slaw and a spiced cranberry relish. The cranberry was a bit too heavy with the Christmas spices, but overall it was solid comfort food that was filling and satisfying. The fellow similarly went open-face, this time picking the pot roast sandwich, a hearty knife and fork meal with thick toasted bread and topped with pencil-thin onion rings and beef gravy. On the side were some really tasty gravy-covered fries that we decided were the best part of the meal.

“Clean plate club” with Guy Fieri’s signature on the wall

Before leaving, we had to get a plate of the ”Donuts and Mocha,” the made-to-order dough balls advertised at the front door. These yummy bits were fried in front of us and lighty dipped in coffee before being topped with cinnamon sugar. A big bowl of smooth chocolate sauce came along for dipping and we gobbled up as many of the warm bites as our already full stomachs would allow.

Despite the long haul out there and the weird neighborhood, The Depot’s the kind of destination diner you remember and wish were in your own backyard. We have dined at some high-end places and held our own pretentious beliefs, but sometimes the most satisfying meal is not haute French or Michellin-starred, but down-home and simple. Next time, we’ll take our friends with us, who were sad to miss out!