Try This Cozy & Delicious Hole in the Wall Diner in Kenosha, WI

By Jeremy Schwegmann
BlogHole In The Wall RestaurantsWisconsin

Step into a 1926 railroad car turned breakfast legend, where “Order what you want, eat what you get” isn’t just a slogan—it’s a lifestyle.

Frank’s Diner slings heaping plates of chaos with a side of sass, drawing crowds for its unapologetically greasy charm and historic hole-in-the-wall vibes.

Garbage plate Santino

This Kenosha institution thrums with energy, from its retro counter stools to the aroma of freshly baked bread wafting through the cramped space.

Food Highlights

  • The Garbage Plate: A mountain of five eggs, hash browns, and every meat imaginable (bacon, chorizo, Spam—you name it). Customizable gluttony perfected since the Coolidge administration.
  • Cinnamon Swirl French Toast: Thick-cut yogurt-based bread soaked in cinnamon sugar, served with optional chocolate chips or whipped cream. Breakfast dessert royalty.
  • Peanut Butter & Jelly Pancakes: Plate-sized flapjacks stuffed with childhood nostalgia. Sweet, sticky, and utterly ridiculous.
  • Chorizo Garbage Plate: Spicy sausage kicks up the classic mess, earning Guy Fieri’s seal of drool-worthy approval.
  • Homemade Cinnamon Roll: A fist-sized spiral of gooey perfection, best paired with a side of regret.
  • Firebird Challenge: Conquer a mega-sized Garbage Plate, three pancakes, and homemade toast in 45 minutes. Victory earns half-price bragging rights.

Atmosphere

Cramped, loud, and dripping with no-nonsense charm.

The staff roasts regulars like family, vinyl booths creak under decades of use, and the scent of sizzling bacon mingles with coffee steam.

Weekends spark Hunger Games-level lines—arrive early or embrace the communal chaos.

Frank’s Diner Garbage Plate

This gut-busting breakfast behemoth isn’t just a meal—it’s a cultural phenomenon. Born in a 1926 railroad-car diner, the Garbage Plate thrives on chaos, nostalgia, and Guy Fieri-approved excess.

Why It’s Iconic

  • Historic Roots: Frank’s Diner is America’s oldest operating lunch-car diner, with nearly 100 years of slinging greasy spoons in a space smaller than a subway car.
  • Customizable Gluttony: Five eggs, a mountain of hash browns, and up to five meats (bacon, chorizo, Spam—you pick) get fried into a crispy, cheesy heap. Jalapeños and peppers add a kick, while homemade bread soaks up the aftermath.
  • Celebrity Stamp: Featured twice on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, Guy Fieri crowned it Wisconsin’s best diner dish. His Chorizo Garbage Plate segment turned it into a pilgrimage-worthy plate.
  • The Challenge: Dare to conquer the Firebird Challenge—a full Garbage Plate, three pancakes, and toast in 45 minutes. Winners get half-price glory and bragging rights.
  • Sass & Soul: The diner’s “Order what you want, eat what you get” motto and staff who roast customers like old friends amplify its anti-chain charm. Weekends spark Hunger Games-level lines.

Bottom Line

Frank’s Diner isn’t just a meal; it’s a carb-loaded time capsule where history tastes like hash browns.

Go for the gut-busting portions, stay for the rowdy Midwest hospitality.

Address: 508 58th St, Kenosha, WI 53140.