In his famous classical conditioning experiment, Ivan Pavlov proved that it’s physically impossible for a Russian scientist's mouth not to water when it says the word "cheesegrits.” Moisten your own sandwich receptacle with today’s Groupon: for $5, you get $10 worth of home-style cooking at the West St. Diner in Germantown.

The classic diner feel of West St. will make anyone with previous food experience immediately hungry. Stride over checkered floors and sit down in a comfy booth, where you'll be at the perfect height for bracing your elbows against the table and eating enthusiastically. With 14 sections of items to inhale, the menu is a tribute to all things simple and delicious. For all-day breakfast, choose from a wide variety of eggs, omelettes, griddled things, and more. Get two eggs any style for $4.79 with hash browns or cheesegrits and toast. Golden-brown blueberry hot cakes sizzle up at $5.49, or waffle and get an apple waffle with whipped cream, two eggs, hash browns or cheesegrits, and toast, also for $5.49. If you medically require a savory sensation, try an open-faced roast-beef sandwich ($8.99) with homemade vegetable soup, or a grilled cheeseburger ($6.95) served with a kosher pickle spear and your choice of French fries, spiced apples, or salad. Desserts are all $3 and include pies, cheesecake, and bread pudding.

Diners have long belonged to the realm of Americana and still stand strong throughout America's heartland, especially in the left aorta. A tasty diner with home-style cooking is hard to beat for patriotic eating and Norman Rockwell emulation. Take part in this grand tradition with a visit to West St., where stomachs can be stuffed, sweet tea savored, and coffee gulped until the moose herds come home to roost.

Reviews

Seventy-three percent of Urbanspooners like West St. Diner, two TripAdvisors give it four stars, and an Insider Pages reviewer gives it four stars:

• A small, non-descript diner in a clean but relatively non-descript strip center. Terrific Southern-cooked vegetables. A great meat and two (or three), but be prepared to leave stuffed. Also very good breakfast! – FrasierC, TripAdvisor
• Good home cooked food. The diner has been here for a long time. Get breakfast, lunch, or dinner here. The sweet tea is perfect and the coffee is delicious. Servers are friendly. – susan a., Insider Pages