Readers' Choice:
Readers' Choice Cascone's Italian Restaurant and Lounge
Hayes Hamburgers won't ever have a drive-through because it operates on a throwback idea: A great cheap-eats joint can also be a community hangout. Since 1955, the mobile-home-sized diner has served breakfast and burgers 24 hours a day, without the hurry-up mentality. Cook James Hyde, who has worked the counter for nine years, takes your name with your order and then remembers it. The place is no-frills, Hyde says. Burgers come without lettuce or tomato, but everything is made fresh every day. Order a triple burger, and you get a huge slab of chuck in a bun, not the usual stack of industrial meat pucks. The blue vinyl booths and swiveling stools are always crowded, and there's a line out the door when the bars close. It's cash only, but don't worry if you forget your wallet. These are the kinds of gents you can trust if you must leave your girlfriend as collateral while you run across the street to the ATM.
