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Years ago, a first date took me to the Ovaltine Cafe, an old-time diner located at 251 East Hastings Street that dates back to 1942 and boasts a famous neon sign. Unconventional, yes, and it brought back memories of diner meals eaten on countless road trips, penniless student days when a celebratory dinner meant fish and chips at the now 96-year-old Only Seafood Café (20 East Hastings Street), and when Christmas was turkey with orange gravy at the now-defunct White Rose Café on West Pender Street.

Today we gravitate to the easiness, the wallet-friendly prices, and the good food at spots like Bistrot Bistro, Bin 941, and Yagger’s, but it’s still a treat to tuck into simple, decent eats in the unpretentious, timeworn surroundings of diners. These casual, friendly joints are uncomplicated and inexpensive, usually serve just breakfast and lunch, and are mostly closed on weekends. Cash—not plastic—is the accepted currency.

Add a diner or two to your dining-out repertoire: you’ll expand horizons and meet regulars, since it’s inevitable that you’ll start chatting with the guy on the next stool or the folks in the next booth. Diners are like that—everyone has a story.

Save-On-Meats Lunch Counter
(43 West Hastings Street, 604-307-7089)
Although I’ve shopped at Save-On-Meats for years—the service, meat selection, and prices are unbeatable—it took a sandwich board out front offering a one-pound, two-patty burger for a sweet $3.99 to lure me to the lunch counter in back where 33 orange stools ring a triple-horseshoe yellow Arborite counter. The burger—hand-formed, juicy patties contained in a thin white bun that somehow holds together—comes with a mound of fries. Menu selections run from the usual bacon and eggs to liver and onions, chow mein, and buffalo burgers ($4 to $7.50). Cool thing: Buy any steak under 16 ounces at the meat counter and they’ll cook it up and serve it with veg and fries for $5 over the cost of the meat. Hours: Monday to Saturday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

LT Cafe
(1640 East Kent Avenue South above Northern Building Supply, 604-324-4828)
Another trip back in time, LT Café is located inside Northern Building Supply’s rambling complex, established by Bert Thomas in 1939. Bert’s son Al lunches at LT every day on his usual “not health food” grilled-cheese sandwich and fries ($3.50). He estimates that LT, always a mom-and-pop operation, has been around since the late 1940s. Lucy and Tim, the fourth owners, bought the 42-seat café two-and-a-half years ago. Luckily, their initials fit and the name stayed. The entrance to the diner—the motto of which is “making the world a better place one burger at a time”—is up an old, creaky, narrow staircase. The ceiling is low, the floor is slanted, and there’s not a right angle in the place. Tim, an author and paralegal who had never cooked a lick before acquiring LT, does everything from cooking to taking cash and washing dishes. Lucy, who’s a nurse, isn’t at the café much. “Customers swear by the omelettes [$5 to $7.50] and the burgers,” Tim says. Daily specials like spicy pasta with beef run about $6 to $7. Cool thing: Three pieces of halibut with chips for $6.95. Hours: Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Argo Cafe
(1836 Ontario Street, 604-876-3620)
The Argo has been around since about 1949, according to three-year owners and brothers-in-law Kirby Wong and Denis Larouche. Wong’s family has been in the resto business for decades, and Larouche is a Quebec-trained chef; the pair added a cool caricature on the outside and opened for business. Complete with the requisite kitschy clutter, a counter with swivelling stools, and booths, the Argo’s changing blackboard menus set it apart from other diners. Breakfast is the usual eggs, pancakes, and accompaniments, but you can change it up according to personal preference. Lunch is where the Argo shines. Huge burgers, stir-fries, and a killer turkey club made with freshly cooked turkey are standard, but the wicked daily specials are off the charts. There are usually eight, such as bacon-wrapped pork tenderloin, black bean lingcod, kung pow chicken, lamb shanks, or seafood spaghetti, priced from $7.50 to $12; each includes soup. Cool thing: Send an e-mail to argo_cafe@hotmail.com to receive a daily list of specials. Hours: Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Closed holidays.

Another spot worth a look in is the Homer (892 Homer Street), a timeless Chinese-Canadian diner whose time has almost come and will soon fall victim to redevelopment. The cheery Smile Restaurant (424 West Pender Street), with its familiar Chinese-Canadian menu, is another fave. Ditto Chinatown’s New Town Bakery (158 East Pender Street), famous for its steamed buns.

And the Ovaltine? Little has changed, including the clientele. It remains an integral part of the diner scene and Vancouver’s restaurant history.