While the service is certainly not exactly accommodating -- if you'd like a soda or condiments, you get 'em yourself -- Vienna Inn oozes unrefined charm. You won't eat healthy at Vienna Inn, but you will eat well. The restaurant opens early with a satisfying breakfast menu of different egg dishes and hotcakes and serves through midnight every night, except Sunday. The hearty lunch and dinner options include an extensive list of sandwiches, burgers and wings, but chilidogs are the specialty at this beloved family-friendly dive that is papered in kid-decorated paper placemats professing love for the spot. The loaded chilidog, which cashes in at a cool $1.55, arrives laden with homemade chili, freshly chopped onions and a layer of golden melted cheddar. Those looking for a more filling dinner can enjoy chili mac: heaps of chili on a bowl of spaghetti.

Vienna Inn doesn't provide a gourmet experience, but it's a central neighborhood watering hole for teenagers looking to play a round of Ms. Pac-Man or older locals who are thirsty for a cold beer and loud, friendly banter. It's also a regular destination for members of the CIA.

--Erin Hartigan (January, 2006)