Linni Eats Chicago: The Depot

It is with a heavy heart that I write this today.

I have been a long-time fan of The Depot American diner, on Roosevelt Road, just north of the suburb where I grew up. They served me my first dinner upon returning home from South Africa and I've been hooked ever since.

So it was with dismay that I read recently of the impending doom fast-approaching this red-leather-boothed beacon of hope for classic American diner food. I can think of literally nowhere else to get an egg cream in Oak Park, nor can I remember the last time I saw a blue plate special advertised before visiting this place.


Their doors were closed temporarily when a silent business partner pulled out his funding. While they've reopened, they are unable to get loans until their three-year anniversary, which is just around the corner. I'm here to tell you why you need to go as often as possible in the coming months, and why places like this should be preserved forever.

American food culture is a tricky thing. The only family heirlooms that seem to be lurking in our attic are McDonald's hamburgers and perhaps some classic chowder on the coast. But what foods smack of American tradition to all of us, regardless of our upbringing? I personally never had meatloaf as a child, but there's something about the Depot's blue plate special slice that makes me feel at home.

There's also something conspicuously quaint about pouring gravy over just about every item on the plate. From their thick potato-slice french fries and pot roast to the Thanksgiving plate's turkey and stuffing, this milky meat juice finds it's way onto everything. Sort of like when you're ladling it up at home, no?

I can't just mention the pot roast in passing, though. It's arguably the menu's best item when served in sandwich form on a shiny glowing-golden bun, topped with skinny crisp onion strings and doused in gravy. I once took up the back booth with a group of five boys and they all ordered this. Rather convincing, although I couldn't be swayed to join them in a round of Rueben for dessert.

The after-dinner sweets get exciting around here, especially for Oak Park natives who are attuned to the donut perfection created every summer Saturday at the church Farmer's Market. If a classic cake donut, made so fresh the smell vibrates your nose hairs, is your particular comfort food, look no further than the Depot's donut holes. An order gets you five, with a bowl of melted chocolate sauce to dip them in. But if that's not your thing, turn to the ubiquitous pie case and take your pick of the day's flavors.

In a fast-paced world where the internet dominates 75% of many folks' days, keeping traditional dining like this alive is extremely important. I don't want to wake up one day to a generation of kids who've never tasted a true malt shake or corned beef hash, who would rather have Big Mac with fries than a slice of meat loaf with mashed potatoes. I'm not ready to put down my glass soda bottle just yet, so I hope you will all join me in keeping this place around.