Carl’s Oxford Diner

© Edward Mack | Carl’s Oxford Diner in Worchester, Massachusetts

Go to Carl’s Oxford Diner hungry. Plain and simple. Carl’s is not a brunch place. It’s not a salad place. It’s a place for serious breakfast eaters to go and get a serious breakfast.

Carl’s is located just south of Worchester, Mass., and open 6 a.m –2 p.m., daily. When you can find a place to sit (no reservations), you’ll be served by busy New England waiters and waitresses, who are friendly enough but you had better be able to take dry humor. A bottomless coffee or a giant orange juice will set you on the right track as you look over the menu and specials.

Tell you what; forget the menu. It’s misleading. It’s misleading in the sense that whatever you think you’re going to get, you’re going to get at least three times that amount. So go ahead and order what you think you want; Carl’s will do the rest.

© Edward Mack | Carl’s Oxford Diner in Worchester, Massachusetts

An order of waffles got me two enormous, fluffy Belgians. They came with bacon — nine (9!) strips of crisp, salty bacon over a plate of hash browns. Yes, this needed its own plate.

Not that I needed any more food, but a ham, onion, and cheese omelet came out draped over either side of the plate. The waitress told me it was a two-egg omelet as she flashed four or five fingers at me. But honestly, she might have meant 10. The side for the omelet was a half order of baked beans and a half order of hash browns. Either of which, by themselves, would have been a meal.

Either meal cost about $10. Carl’s doesn’t pretend to be healthy; their slogan is “The Birthplace of Cholesterol.” But then again, you don’t go to Carl’s to eat healthy.

Carl’s Oxford Diner

291 Main Street

Oxford, Massachusetts 01540

508 987 8770