Columbites: Eclectic Diner & Sweeterie is the real deal

I drove past the Eclectic Diner & Sweeterie on Route 23 for over a decade before finally making a pit stop.

• Shame on me for taking so long. This place is the real deal.

✅ Classic diner boxcar shape? Check.

• Saturday Evening Post covers and a framed guide to the 1946 Ohio State Fair on the wall? You bet.
• Condiments, syrup and napkins conveniently placed on every table? God bless America.

The intrigue: Befitting the name, you'll find unusual stuff on the Eclectic menu, including ahi tuna avocado toast, brunch roast beef, asparagus fries and wild mushroom rotini.

• I don't mind when diners branch out like this, so long as they get the classic stuff right.
• To borrow a phrase, get yourself a diner that can do both. This place does.

What we ordered: My wife went with a traditional breakfast platter ($10.99) — my goodness, those potatoes — while I tried and loved the zucchini quinoa burger ($9.99) topped with garlic aioli.

• Our side of blueberry zucchini bread ($3.29) was a surprise hit. I'd wait in congested Route 23 traffic for another slice.

If you go: 755 Route 23, Delaware. 7am-3pm, Monday-Saturday.

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