Golden Angel Pancake House (North Center)

A pancake angel descends from heaven.

This 24-hour diner is a perfect example of a dive. It's not like one of those diners that are on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives where it's actually really cute inside and the chef moved from Nicaragua to grace our hungry American mouths with his exotic take on waffles. Nope. No frills. No whistles. No lasers. It is straight up diner food.

Golden Angel Pancake House 4344 N. Lincoln Avenue

Golden Angel Pancake House is a diner dream come true: wood paneling, vinyl seats, colored blocks suspended on the walls, stained glass, old waitresses with perms, old people sitting at the counter. It looks like there hasn't been a decor update since 1975. I went with my friend Katie on Saturday morning for breakfast AKA hangover cure. She ordered pancakes, scrambled eggs, and devoured accordingly. She was also pleased as punch when one of the busboys filled our coffee cups before we even sat down: "I love diner coffee!" she exclaimed. I ordered my staple of french toast with hash browns and sausage. But listen, the french toast at Golden Angel is orange. Not orange as in citrus-flavored, but orange colored. I don't know why it is orange in color but whatever batter the chefs use send me into a yummy heaven. It's soft in the middle and almost creamy. What a wonderful thing to eat.

A glorious feast.

The prices here are cheap, but I added too many sides onto my breakfast so it was probably the most I have ever paid at this joint. I have only ever gotten breakfast here and that is all I recommend. The guy sitting next to us ordered pork chops at 11:30 IN THE MORNING. I bet the chefs didn't have any pork chops in the back and had to run to the Jewel down the street because nobody would ever order pork chops from that place, let alone at 11:30 IN THE MORNING.

So if you're a foodie, do not go here. You will get mad and write a mean Yelp review. But if you love diner food and feeling like you're stuck in the seventies, check out this establishment. It is one of my favorite in the whole city. Breakfast is absolutely one of my most happy-inducing meals of the day, and sometimes the simple form of it is the most satisfying.