Photos by Mauro Whiteman
Location and Hours:10th Street and Roosevelt
Phoenix, AZ 85003
(602) 495-1111
Tuesday – Sunday 10:30 – midnight
★★★
Recommended Dish: Welcome burger
Discount: Reverse Happy Hour from
10 P.M – 12 A.M. Which includes $1
off liquor. $1.00 off Drafts/Burgers.
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By Alexandra Watts and Kaly Nasiff
Welcome Diner. These are the two words that anyone in downtown Phoenix should have in their restaurant lexicon. Located on the corner of Roosevelt and 10th streets, Welcome Diner offers a humble slice of home (and pie) among the sometimes isolating city lights.
On the outside, Welcome Diner looks like a trailer, and the majority of the customers sit outside in colorful chairs as classic hits from decades past and conversation fill the air.
The menu, which offers classics like chicken and fries, also has the PB&B Burger, which is a peanut butter and bacon burger with pickles and sharp cheddar.
Selections from this menu make it easy for the picky child within us all, as well as those individuals who are willing to take risks, to find something to enjoy. When we arrived, the crowd mirrored the eclectic environment – with younger and older customers alike enjoying food in the outdoor area. The choices on the menu were reasonably priced, with most food ranging from a little over $10.
Kaly Nasiff’s tips to ordering a burger at Welcome Diner: Get it medium rare. Not only will the staff appreciate your taste, but you will get a great burger with that awesome hint of pink in the middle.
Now I ordered the PB&B ($12.50 and it comes with Welcome Fries) which might sound a little off putting to you burger purists who think all a good burger needs is cheese, ketchup and mustard, but trust me, it’s worth it. The first bite of a PB&B is a little disarming because you are just coming to terms with the fact that there is really crunchy peanut butter on your burger. Then you get past that feeling and realize that this burger is damn good. The peanut butter and the bacon compliment a burger in the best of ways and the bread and butter pickles come at just the right time so as not to overwhelm the eater. The sharp cheddar does get a little lost in the shuffle but the whole thing is one great bite after another. If you aren’t into burgers dripping with grease and peanut buttery deliciousness then maybe this isn’t for you, but if you are, a PB&B is a must have.
Also accompanying this beauty on a bun, was a side of Welcome Fries (included with the burger), a biscuit ($4) and a house made lemonade ($3.50). The Welcome Fries are pretty good but at times can be a little too potato-y for my taste. Since Welcome Diner has no ranch, the waiter brought me a side of garlic aioli to dip my fries in. Trust me you should just stick to ketchup. The lemonade was nice in theory but all I got was one sour swallow after another. A little Sweet-n-Low did remedy it into a drink that was almost enjoyable. The highlight of my sides was clearly the biscuit. If you’ve never had a Welcome Diner biscuit then you, my friend, has never tasted the buttery perfection that is heaven. Welcome Diner biscuits could be the only thing on the menu and I’m sure Welcome Diner would be just as successful.
If an individual is not as daring as Kaly with their dining choices, there is always the classic choice of chicken strips (which are not explicitly on the menu, but can nonetheless be ordered), Welcome Fries ($3.50) and a Coca Cola ($2.00). The chicken strips maintained a balance of simple enough for picky tastes and exotic enough to be a true component of the Welcome Diner style. The Coca Cola was a Coca Cola, but the glass bottle was a groovy touch. Sometimes, my lips got stuck in the suction and made me look like I had a duck face ready for an Instagram selfie, but that’s my own fault.
Overall, the homestyle vibe applied to everything from the food to the atmosphere. The lights and quaint location seemed to be right out of a Tumblr post, but the authenticity and genuine comfort of the restaurant makes it a staple for downtown Phoenix. The staff makes you feel like family (the fun kind – not the awkward family where you don’t remember any of your great aunts) and they never act like it’s a bother to help you in any way. The service is fairly quick and the wait time went by faster than a lot of “fast food” places.
There are different specials on different days. The biggest regret of our visit was not trying the apple pie. There’s always a next time; seeing as we’ll definitely be back at Welcome Diner in the near future.
Contact reporters at alexandra.watts@asu.edu and knasiff@asu.edu
