Slim Goodies Diner, New Orleans

Slim Goodies Diner inspires an unusual amount of loyalty. Visitors to the diner often leave sporting T-shirts decorated with the diner's logo, a sunny-side-up egg with blue angel wings. This allegiance is part of what helped the Garden District eatery survive in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. At the time, owner Kappa Horn told The New York Times that when she reopened the restaurant three weeks after the storm, she found customers waiting for her in the parking lot each morning. What they were anticipating was an eclectic menu of breakfast, brunch, and lunch food, from the Jewish Coonass—a savory dish of potato latkes crowned with two eggs and crayfish étouffée—to the Guatamalan, a traditional Antiguan breakfast with two eggs, avocado, and plantains. Perhaps they were also salivating over the thought of feasting on a stack of sweet potato pancakes at one of the diner's red booths, which sit beneath the Polaroid pictures that line the powder-blue walls.

But as anyone who's ever hidden an engagement ring in a Twinkie knows, true bliss is found in dessert, which is why Slim Goodies offers both milk shakes, banana splits, and Blue Bell ice cream. The diner also recently expanded to include a coffee house within and extended its weekday hours until 6 p.m. Thanks to a brand new espresso machine, Slim Goodies can now provide pick-me-ups throughout the day.