I've always been fond of the Melrose Diner, which is reputed to be the most successful diner of all time, off of Broad Street, in South Philly--the food was, and I suppose, still is always great---wonderful "own made" pies, open 24 hours, and often crowded at 2am--the waitresses wore pins with the number of years they'd worked there--with one or two mafia hits in the parking lot--

A personal favorite of mine was the American Diner at Chestnut and 42nd which, in it's time, was the West Philly neighborhood hangout--everybody moved down to Silk City,which was very hip, but not really quite the same--

Bob's Diner, on Ridge Avenue in Roxborough had the best grilled porkchops ever, with applesauce and real mashed potatoes--Bob's also had the best cole slaw in the world--it was also the cheapest diner in Philly, and, since it was surrounded by a cemetery, also probably the gloomiest.

Zinn's Diner, out in Denver,PA, with it's " Amos, the Giant Amish Man" statue which you could see from the PA turnpike, had great Dutch Country food--I loved the roast pork and saurkraut, but everything was good(Chicken Pot Pie was another fave of mine), and dinners came with salad , three vegatables and dessert--It is no longer a Dutch diner--so the food is probably very different--

The Akron Diner may still be down rte 272, though, with it's Seven Sweet and Seven Sour sides, including Rhubarb Sauce and Chow Chow--I never had the notorious Pig Stomach, though it was supposed to be quite good--I might have ordered it if they called it something else;-)