Doyle’s Restaurant in Selbyville Delaware is a Real Diamond State Diner

2017 Update - we did a Retro Roadmap video at Doyle's! Have a look: 

Original 2013 Post:

There are scant few factory built diners in Delaware, and even fewer that haven't been completely "remuddled", so I wasn't expecting much would be left of the original diner incorporated into Doyles Restaurant on Route 113 in Selbyville DE. I am happy to report that the partially hidden Silk City diner is very much in tact for your dinering pleasure!


Originally known as Woody's Diner (named after original owner Woody Sturgis) the Doyle family  has owned it since 1983.

You can enter the diner either from the vestibule with the sliding door or through the entrance to the larger dining area, and seat yourself in a booth or at the counter. Mod Betty likes the counter, so she can observe what goes on behind the scenes, and also doesn't jam up larger parties wanting to eat in the diner area. I'm happy to report I'm not  the only one who eschewed the bigger more bland dining area for the cozy atmosphere of the authentic diner.
Note the barrel roof and stainless steel back splash - and I always love seeing the menu boards above the counter. Glad this stuff has remained unchanged. There are a few "50s diner" touches, but not too many, and I did love seeing that their vintage juke box had some 1970s gems available for your kitschy pop listening pleasure.

Since Selbyville is just feet from the border of Maryland and Delaware on 113 I guess they're close enough to "The South" to have some menu items listed that I don't normally see on diners in our area. Since I had the opportunity of course I got a biscuit, grits and Virginia ham! All tasty, all wicked filling (Says the Northern Gal eating the Southern Foods :-))

Open at 7am 7 days a week, they stay open 'til 9pm on Friday and Saturday nights. So if you're driving on 113 and want an authentic diner meal, Doyles is one of the few places in Delaware where you can get one.