Restaurant Review: Goody Goody Diner

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5900 Natural Bridge Rd. 63120
314 383 3333
www.goodygoodydiner.com
Mon-Fri 6 a.m.-2 p.m., Sat. 7 a.m.-2 p.m.
Smoke free. Easy access to all.

The spirit of "Happy Days" is alive and kicking within the cheerfully bright confines of Goody Goody, a quintessential diner that purveys comfort food sans pretense. This flashback to the forties and fifties is a got-to-go destination for fans of the way we were when Bill Haley & The Comets and Chuck Berry were just starting to rock the jukebox. Actually in '55 when Haley's "Rock Around the Clock" and Chuck's "Maybelline" were hot hits, Goody Goody had already been around for 7 years, which adds up to this being their 60th anniversary. The site had been an A&W root beer stand from 1931 (they serve Mug today) and after a couple of ownership changes Herb and Viola Connelly took over what was then a drive-in diner in ‘54. The busy business was then taken over by their son Richard some 40 years ago and today he and wife, Laura are in charge of the diner dynasty, and Goody Goody is a busy as ever. They even have a host who puts your name on the table list when you come in. Businessmen, families, travelers...like Rick's in Casablanca, everybody comes to Goody Goody.

The car-hops have faded into the mists of time as have neighboring haunts such as Sam the Watermelon Man (a must stop for Bon Hope when he played our town), Amadeo Fiore's Melrose Neopolitan pizza-pie, ex- baseball player Terry Moore's bowling alley, the Thunderbird drive-in theatre, Ed's White Front Bar B Q, Hodge's Roller Rink and Katz cut-rate drug store. But the Goody Goody, in an American Graffiti tradition lives on fueled by dozens of straight forward, no frills breakfast and lunch items. You can't get couscous, sushi, Portobello mushrooms or calamari at Goody Goody, but you will find such tummy tantalizers as: "The Wilbur omelet," a 3 egg concoction filled with hash browns, green pepper, onion and tomato smothered with chili and Cheddar cheese (The chili is Edmond's); salmon croquette on a Kaiser with tartar sauce and lettuce; or a double BBQ Angus beef slaw burger. Breakfast items, which are available anytime, as is the lunch fare, includes catfish, Polish hot link and the Hobo bowl, which contains pieces of sausage scrambled into 2 eggs, tomato and onion, covered with hash browns layered with white gravy and topped with Cheddar. There's even a salmon croquette breakfast. But the Goody Goody signature dish is (don't knock it ‘til you try it), half a fried chicken with a Belgian waffle; wow, it's good! You can even add 2 eggs, with grits, rice or hash browns. This recipe was imported from Roscoe's in L.A. in 2000. For a sandwich, you might consider either: the Coney Island, Plaza Club or tuna salad or if your stomach's growling, fill it up with a Salisbury steak, homemade meatloaf or a Toastamales dinner.

If you've got visitors keeping you company treat ‘em to Goody Goody in northwest St. Louis. It's just 3 miles east of UMSL on Natural Bridge, or from I-70, take the Goodfellow exit south to Natural Bridge, then make a right and in half a block Goody Goody will appear like a ghost from the past on your left. And to prove you're in with the in-crowd you could pick up a Goody Goody Diner coffee mug or t-shirt. Check their website for diner deals.