Food Friday

Galaxy Diner
Carytown - Richmond, VA

Yummy and fun...with a fried pickle! That is my short description of this dining establishment. I have gone here for almost fifteen years, and it is still a good place to grab a bite to eat while shopping. I do remember a brief period during which it was closed, then reopened as an Italian pasta place, then closed and reopened as a diner once again. I never figured out what happened, but I am glad that it reverted back to its original atmosphere.

It is a diner...but with a twist. Everything in the restaurant has a retro sci-fi vibe to it. It orginally had an even heavier Roswell diner vibe with plastic "little green men" aliens on merchandise and around the counter, but that has been toned down over the years. The tables all have chrome on them and the table tops are covered in the little boomerang designs of that era. The benches are vinyl and are beginning to look a bit worse for wear. However, the staff is always nice, and the food is always tasty.

The food may not be the best you can find, but for the price and atmosphere, you cannot beat it. This time I got one of their Aztec Burgers (burger with Pepper Jack cheese, avocado, salsa, chipotle mayo and other fixings) with fries and cucumber salad as sides. The burger was alright, nothing to write home about, but every sandwich comes with their signature fried pickle spear. This was the first place I had ever had a fried pickle and I instantly fell in love with it. Their cucumber salad is also some of the best I have found at a restaurant. It is potent! They do not skimp on the vinegar and I like that it has some "umpf."

While I did not get much to eat this time, I have had many of the things they offer there. During the summer, you should not forget to get one of their fresh squeezed lime-aids. I remember one batch we had that really made everyone's face pucker. It was great! We also have often gotten their floats, shakes, and malts. When you get a shake, it comes in a glass along with the metal shaker by its side. They also have other typical diner deserts (deep dish apple pie, cobbler, brownies, etc), but they also serve fried Twinkies and fried Oreos. Molten sugar encased in a crispy fried shell :)

There are plenty of other things to eat as well. They serve breakfast foods as well as a variety of sandwiches and burgers. They have a kids section as well as a few larger platters. I tend to stick with burgers an sandwiches since they are relatively inexpensive, and pretty tasty. You can also choose from a good selection of draft beers including Legend beers from Richmond. Always a fun place to stop when we are in Richmond.