College Park Diners: A Culinary and Social History
College Park, Maryland, adjacent to the University of Maryland, has a rich history of dining establishments that have served as social hubs for students, locals, and travelers alike. From early soda fountains to late-night diners, these establishments have been integral to the College Park experience, creating lasting memories and traditions. This article explores the history of College Park diners, highlighting their significance and evolution over the decades.
Early Hangouts and Soda Fountains
Before the rise of modern diners, the Rossborough Inn, now UMD’s oldest building, served as an early gathering place. More than two centuries ago, it began attracting travelers on the dirt path that linked Baltimore and Washington, D.C., marking the beginning of Route 1's role as a vital artery.
In the 1920s, the road was paved and officially designated State Route No. 1. A staple on the corner of College Avenue since the 1930s, Albrecht’s Pharmacy was a popular destination for cold lemonade or a bargain breakfast. A 1969 ad in The Diamondback touted a meal of two eggs, toast, home fries, and coffee for 55 cents. Don McEvoy ’76, whose grandfather, Edward McEvoy, co-owned Albrecht’s, worked there starting as a kid and met his now-wife when she applied for a job. He recalls that the anti-Vietnam War protesters who stormed Route 1 in May 1970 left Albrecht’s untouched out of love for the establishment. Several short-lived businesses succeeded Albrecht’s Pharmacy before the Bagel Place moved in. Some people treated Bagel Place as fuel for a more productive kind of morning. “We’d go there on our bike rides,” says Summer Keosian ’18.
The Rise and Fall of Little Tavern
Famous for its green pitched roof, white walls, and diminutive size, the Little Tavern in College Park was part of a chain of hamburger joints in the Baltimore/Washington, D.C., area. The Little Tavern at 7413 Baltimore Ave College Park, MD, was built around 1940 (some sources say 1938, others 1941. Known by students as “Club L.T.,” the take-out stand offered a respite for the after-hours crowd-and something to sop up the suds. “I was a freshman in 1966 and lived in the trailers behind Fraternity Row. My new roommate, assorted new friends and I would load a random grocery cart and push it to the laundry. The best part of waiting for the wash and dry was walking to the Little Tavern and getting the bag of burgers for a buck.
After Little Tavern went out of business in the early 1990s, the building operated as a Toddle House, the Philadelphia Cheesecake Factory, Curry Express, and JD’s Roadhouse Barbecue. As of 2011, the awning still showed signs of its stint in the early 1990s as a Toddle House. The Little Tavern’s architecture suited Toddle House, whose early buildings were a similar cottage style. Their buildings later grew- the current College Park Diner, down Rt.
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The Vous and Other Nightlife Hotspots
For Terps spanning 40 years, one bar epitomized the image of an “Animal House” college experience: the Rendezvous Inn, better known as the Vous. Terps started wearing junky shoes that they didn’t mind ruining there. “‘This place has always been known for the ‘’VOUS GOO,’” one anonymous patron told The Diamondback in 1986. “‘Kids would get a running start and see how far they could slide on the floor. Founder Sam Srour’s son attributed its eventual demise in part to UMD’s rising admissions standards. For Casey Zacher ’03 and her friends, the highlight of a Saturday night out was the midnight buffet at Santa Fe (now the home of Terrapin’s Turf). It wasn’t anything fancy-nachos, mozzarella sticks, wings-but to a bunch of partying college kids, it became something they still talk about fondly.
Lovers of live entertainment in the ’70s and ’80s often congregated at the Paragon, also known as the Attic, in the stretch of Route 1 that’s now home to Marathon Deli. On the first floor, the Italian Gardens restaurant offered a low-key alternative to the raucousness of nearby establishments. Downstairs was home to the Cellar, a spot that Steve Walsh ’87 describes as “more cozy” than the Vous. “The Cellar is where I met my wife of 37 years,” says Frank Nitkiewicz ’83.
Mainstays and Late-Night Bites
A few blocks south of Bagel Place, another joint served omelets, souvlaki, and crabcake Benedicts around the clock. Rhea Steen ’09 and friends in the School of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies often got late-night meals at Plato’s after rehearsals, she says. Once, assigned by a teacher to choose a 24-hour location and observe how the people there moved, Steen selected Plato’s. “At certain times of the day, it was mostly college students, and later at night you’d get people from parties coming in, and early in the morning, it would be a person who’d just gotten off a night shift.” Seth Kleiner ’03 remembers a slightly more harrowing experience: He was there when an employee had a knife slip-up in the kitchen.
A prime spot for people-watching, with two walls of windows overlooking the intersection of Route 1 and Knox Road, Ratsie’s was known for its gooey pizza slices and no-frills ambiance. “Every campus in America has its version: a pizzeria that slings greasy pies and slices late at night, after your willpower and sound judgment have been flushed down the toilet along with a gallon of cheap beer,” wrote Tim Carman in The Washington Post when the pizza shop closed in 2015.
The Enduring Legacy of College Park Diner
The College Park Diner has seen steady business for decades, even as new and exotic restaurants have cropped up in recent years. The establishment sees a diverse clientele, which includes students, tourists, and regulars. Dena Riad has seen a lot of life since she started working at College Park Diner in 2001. Owner Kamal Riad, who oversees the restaurant with his daughter, assistant manager Dena, had worked at the restaurant, then called Toddle House, for 15 years before taking over as owner in 1997. “It was about time to get my own,” he said, adding that he has seen a notable population increase since opening his diner.
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The restaurant’s unpretentious red and white theme decorates the three main aisles with tables, including a long white bar with additional seating. Despite what Riad called a rough patch during the “George W. Bush economy,” the business has become a quintessential component of the historic, privately owned businesses scattered throughout College Park. Riad said he attributes his success to an extensive group of repeat customers who keep his restaurant alive, as well as a crop of employees who have worked there for at least four years. “It’s very important to serve good quality food with a reasonable price,” Riad said. “Our French toast is the best,” Riad said, adding that the reasonable prices cater to college students’ notorious financial struggles.
For the last 11 years, Dena has had a front-row seat to the most intimate moments between families. “We’ve seen people graduate high school, graduate college, get married, have kids,” she said. “It’s a family setting.
Other Notable Establishments
Next to a liquor store of the same name, Town Hall drew more locals and fewer undergraduates than other bars. Emanuel Francis Kubak Zalesak III, or “Zal,” opened the Varsity Grill on Sept. 21, 1932, seven years after he graduated from UMD. Doreen Bass ’82, M.A. ’85 met her future husband of 38 years at the Varsity Grill the night before graduating. Bass and her friends preferred the Vous, “but there was a line that night,” she says. John Brown ’73 opened RJ Bentley’s (7323 Baltimore Ave.) with two partners in 1978 and never left. Brown died on Nov. 9, and to honor his impact, daughter Katie Brown and friend Harvey Sanders ’72 established two scholarship funds at UMD, one for first-generation college students and one for student-athletes.
Before heading back to school, Tommy Marcos’ Ledo Restaurant, which was opened in 1955. Now to avoid confusion, there is Ledo Pizza, the chain, and the Ledo Restaurant, in Adelphi Plaza, soon to move to College Park. Tommy Marcos’ Ledo is the original- the one with the atmosphere- the one with tradition- and the one with damn good pizza. The pizza is a bit out of the ordinary in its rectangular shape. The crust is light and flaky an the pizza has a delicious sweet tomato taste. I ordered my favorite, pepperoni, black olives and sausage. A medium is one tray. The Ledo is a true local icon, with strong University of Maryland ties.
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