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Modeled after a gleaming, black-and-white Art Deco train car, the Empire Diner is a nostalgic nod to the forties that happens 24 hours a day, every day. The egg breakfasts are the menu’s closest hew to more conventional truck-stop fare. This place has carved out its own traditions instead, with a nightly crooning pianist in the corner, umbrella tables for sunny weekend brunches, and some higher-end versions of comfort food like spicy Jack’s chili sundae and pigs-in-a-blanket made with Vienna sausages and biscuit dough. This highbrow-lowbrow fusion has built a steady clientele among the neighborhood’s culture vultures and its club-going nighthawks alike. — Krissa Corbett Cavouras

Jack's chili sundae, $9; steak and eggs, $15; Empire chocolate pudding, $6