Egg on your face, in belly

Old-school diners get you back on track

By RACHEL FLETCHER

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If the words "morning after" bring to mind feelings of nausea, pounding headaches and sensitivity to light, read on. A breakfast of equal parts protein, caffeine and carbohydrates will get you on your way to a full hangover recovery. So peel yourself out of bed, off the couch or from the floor and drag your partners in revelry to one of these local greasy spoons.

But first, this is how things work at a true diner: The food is supposed to be fatty, the waitstaff is supposed to be grumpy and your food should never cost more than your tab at the bar last night. No warm hand towels, no VIP booths, OK? OK.

Which brings me to the Rosebud Diner [381 Summer St., Davis Sq., Somerville. 617.666.6015]. Rosebud is everything you might expect from a 1940s converted traincar. The waitresses charm with "Hey, baby"s and "Whatcha having, sunshine?"s, and my usual order—two eggs scrambled, homefries, ham—is decent, though the homefries are bland and could use a little onion. At $5.75, it won't completely break the bank, and you'll have some room for a Bloody Mary or a mimosa.

Being located in the South End is often license to try too hard, but Mike's City Diner [1714 Washington St., South End, Boston. 617.267.9393] is true to its no-frills genre. The eggs-homefries-ham combo is a whopping $7.95, but for those of you who prefer other pig products (the ham, hard-carved off the bone, requires a wee more effort), the price tag is more reasonable. Plus, if you're not feeling homefries, you can supplement with grits. The coffee refills are quick and ample, perfect if you want to make that breakfast last.

Sunny's Diner [7 Landsdowne St., Central Sq., Cambridge. 617.491.9550. sunnysdiner.com] provides simple offerings from its Central Square storefront. The menu tops off at $7.50 and the seating is counter or communal. The Simpsons-themed orange and yellow interior might be a bit rough if you've just woken up, so this may not be the best perch if you're in the mood for dark and anonymous.

For diner-style elegance, the Deluxe Town Diner [627 Mt. Auburn St., Watertown. 617.926.8400. deluxetowndiner.com] will fit the bill. The menu vaunts Kobe beef burgers and tofu stir-fries, and they (to the detriment of my waistline) sell batches of the house pancake mix. My ham is excellent—two thick, juicy slices—but the eggs are chewy and $6.95 (including toast and homefries) for breakfast, plus $2.25 for a cup of coffee (though bottomless) is stretching it. Check it out in the winter when they're heated by their own recycled vegetable oil.

Want to start nursing that hangover ASAP? Victoria's Diner [1024 Mass. Ave., Boston. 617.442.5965. victoriasdiner.com] is open 24 hours Thursday through Saturday nights. "The Basic" breakfast ($4.99) is pretty damn good: The eggs are fluffy, the toast buttery and the ham is marvelously salty-smoky (just a touch too dry). The coffee, though, tasted like it had been sitting for a while. Their menu is also speckled with more upper-crust items like marinated steak tips with rice pilaf and pan-seared salmon salad.

The Busy Bee's [1046 Beacon St., Brookline. 617.566.8733] proximity to Boston University might conjure images of pajama-clad co-eds, but the clientele is a pleasant assortment, from people with strollers to people with walkers. Their breakfasts are by far the cheapest around— under $5 for most meals plus $1.35 for coffee—and the cooks serve up a solid meal. Plan your heavy drinking accordingly: They close at 2pm on Saturdays and aren't open at all on Sundays.

Take this, if you will, as your greasy spoon bible, a reparation of last night's sins.