While Edison City Diner, located at 5640 South Tacoma Way, may be themed like a 1940’s diner, the actual history of the restaurant reaches even further back. In 1909, when South Tacoma was known as Edison City, it served as a wagon wheel repair shop and was turned into an eat-in diner in 1917. Today, Edison City Diner is owned by Leian Susee, whose sweets and eats do the old school restaurant proud.
While looking for a place to sell her freshly made desserts, she found the Edison City Diner location in 2012. The restaurant’s long history as a diner was too much to ignore.
“It was such a diner atmosphere that it just sung towards making it that,” Susee said.
Edison City Diner offers various lunch and dinner menu items including chicken fried steak – hand breaded and griddle fried steak smothered in delicious bacon gravy and served with three eggs of any style and your choice of potatoes and toast or a biscuit.
“It’s handmade. This is real chicken fried steak,” Susee said.
The diner also offers homemade corned beef hash, with three eggs of any style and a choice of toast or a biscuit for $12.95.
For lunch, Edison City offers a unique chili burger, a burger served open-face and smothered in house made chili, topped with diced onions and Tilamook cheddar cheese for $ 11.25.
For a lighter affair, sandwiches are also available, for example, the Clubhouse, three layers of toasted bread spread with mayo and piled high with lettuce, cheddar, Monterrey jack cheese, ham, turkey bacon and tomatoes for $10.95
All of these menu items are made from scratch, with fresh ingredients right in the restaurant.
“I don’t cut corners,” Susee said. “I crack eggs, I use fresh butter, fresh milk and all that stuff makes a huge difference.”
Edison City Diner is open on Tuesday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Saturdays for breakfast only from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. The diner can be contacted at (253) 473-1517.