Courtesy Diner   

3155 S Kingshighway
Saint Louis, MO 63139
314-776-9059

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Even in a city inundated (and infatuated) with greasy spoons, the Courtesy stands tall as the definitive St. Louis diner. The original location has sat in its heralded spot on Kingshighway since the mid-1930s, a tribute to the locals need for breakfast availability 24 hours-a-day. Start with a jukebox, add clouds of cigarette smoke, coffee, and a menu that includes pancakes, homemade chili, chocolate shakes and cheeseburgers, and you've got the quintessential late-night eatery. But this is St. Lou, so you've got to have the slinger (chili, eggs, hamburger, hash browns and whatever else pleases you) on the menu -- some even say it's a hangover cure, and just as important to your diet as toasted ravioli and frozen custard. For old-school authenticity, try the Kingshighway location, but the ''new'' Courtesy (1998) on Hampton is slicker and flaunts shiny chrome bar stools and a slick red counter top. Fortunately, the food is the same.