Exmore Diner

4264 Main St., Exmore, VA - (757) 442-2313

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Posted By Michael Stern on 10/19/2012 7:34:00 AM

The Exmore Diner is old (born in 1954) and a bit rickety, but handsome in its well-worn way; and we found it a wonderful place to eat breakfast. The menu features such mid-Atlantic signatures as creamed chipped beef, sausage gravy biscuits, and scrapple with grits; but even better than the food is the ambience. This is where a goodly number of the citizens of Exmore come to exchange top-of-the-morning pleasantries, news, and views. It is a small-enough place that you have to seriously lower your voice to have a private conversation, so most of what everyone says is open to discussion.

The diner's two main claims to culinary fame are seafood and fried chicken. Shrimp come steamed or fried; flat, griddle-cooked pancakes are made from shreds of local crab meat ("shell is possible," warns the menu), and there are oysters (in season), clam fritters made with seaside clams (brinier than bayside), plus the occasional plate of puffers and fried drum fish ribs. We love the menu's description of the seafood platter: "sample of every seafood in the house, largest plate anywhere." Side dishes include real mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes (locally grown), porky greens, and braised cabbage.

The go-to dessert is sweet potato pie.

Scorecard

Overall: One of the Best - Worth a Trip

Sweet Potato Pie	Crab Cakes
Butterfly Shrimp

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Reviewers Photos [Upload Your Photos]

"Crisp, juicy, sweet, and large, Exmore's butterfly shrimp are pride of the fry basket."
Michael Stern

"While lacking the luxury of a lump crabcake, this crabby pancake delivers plenty of fresh marine flavor."
Michael Stern

"The Exmore Diner is a restaurant where locals come to greet their neighbors as well as to eat."
Michael Stern

"Classic 1950s diner color scheme and decorative pattern"
Michael Stern

"Waterfowl are on people's minds on the Eastern Shore. Here they are flying away from the bathrooms along the monitor roof."
Michael Stern

"There's not a lot of snow in Exmore, Virginia. This photo was taken after the unusual winter storm of December, 2011."
Michael Stern

"Originally opened in 1954, the Exmore Diner was closed throughout the 1960s, but reopened in the 1970s. Today it is owned and operated by Evelyn Pruitt, a former waitress, and her family."
Michael Stern