The Salt and Pepper Diner in Wrigleyville is one of those places that you can pick up a decent bite any time of the day, Sandwiches, Burgers, Breakfasts, pretty much all of your regular diner food. It is the sort of place I hope to find for a late morning breakfast, a late lunch, or a bite to soak up the beer mid evening. On all accounts looking down the menu I was to find that the Salt and Pepper Diner was able to cater for all my needs and desires.

When I think of a Diner I am really thinking of eggs the sort that you get anyway you like, hopefully with a choice of sides such as some bacon and even better with some toast. At the Salt and Pepper Diner they have all that on offer – ‘Two Eggs prepared to your liking” for $3.95 and for not much more you can have an omelette perhaps a locally named “Clark Street Omelette” which is ‘diced ham, mushrooms, tomato with Swiss cheese’ or a more classic Denver Omelette ‘diced ham green pepper, onions with  American cheese’ both for $6.50 all come with toast and a side of choice.

Tempting menu items include the “Buster Mambo Catch” which is a Grilled Sandwich filled with ‘beer battered and  golden fried cod fish served with Jamaican tartar sauce, avocado and shredded lettuce‘ or the “Pile High Club” stuffed with ‘layers of turkey, salami, cheddar and Swiss cheese with cucumber, avocado, lettuce and tomato served with a spicy ranch dressing on a ciabatta roll’ but to be honest that last option is already sounding overwhelming and I am thinking I will not be able to finish it.

Even though I knew it would be no match to any Po’Boy in New Orleans, I was drawn into choosing the “Spicy Pork Po’Boy” for $8.50. I was willing to take a chance just because of the words ‘shredded braised pork shoulder’.

It was a pretty decent effort, NOLA has nothing to fear, but even so it was a good sandwich. There was a good spicy pile of shredded pork, plenty of melted cheese that had soaked into the crisp bread, and a fair amount of fries. On this occasion it worked for me and I would happily eat another one, although if I am honest I would probably have a Reuben or a Grilled Cheese next time. That is assuming I didn’t head down the egg and bacon route.

If you want a break from the Wrigleyville bar scene for just a moment then I think that you cant go too wrong with a brief sojourn at the Salt and Pepper Diner. It is only about 5 minutes walk away from the Addison Red Line CTA station and you can also get here on the Clark Street Bus as well pretty easily. It might be mobbed during the cubs games but other nights it is quite a relaxed place and affair. Try it out