The Delaware Diner Where President Joe Biden Is A Regular

President Joe Biden is no stranger to publicly praising the state of Delaware. Although he was born in Pennsylvania, his family moved to The First State when he was a young boy. It was for Delaware that he became one of the youngest Senators in the history of the United States at the age of 29. He served in that post for 36 years. And since he spent a majority of his life there, he was bound to fall in love with one of its beloved restaurants: Charcoal Pit in Wilmington.

Charcoal Pit began to fill the bellies of Delawareans in 1956, specializing in a variety of delicious classic diner food like burgers, fries, and milkshakes. Biden discovered the restaurant as a teenager and has been visiting ever since, with manager and cook Lupe Avilez telling Food & Wine magazine that everyone knew Biden, whom he called "Joe," because he was such a regular. One server even remembered exactly how the president likes his milkshakes: "thick and lumpy."

Charcoal Pit was successful long before Biden's endorsement. It had to expand from four tables to seating for 115 after opening because of the high demand. To this day, Charcoal Pit continues to capture the hearts of anyone who finds themselves in Wilmington. Its newly renovated interior sports stunning 1950s-era style seating with red booths and jukeboxes at each table, capturing a vibe only found at the best diners in the country. (If Guy Fieri is reading this, it should be on the list of "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives" restaurants that are worth a visit.)

As for the menu, Charcoal Pit stays true to its original promise of classic diner food. While the restaurant offers a diverse selection of wings, bites, and baskets of deep-fried goodness, the real stars of the show are the large selection of hamburgers and ice cream, making it one of the many restaurants nationwide that owes its success to a bizarre law that caused the invention of ice cream sundaes. Being one of the president's favorite spots to grab dinner is a compliment the restaurant doesn't take lightly, but the love Charcoal Pit receives from many others in Delaware proves the praise is well-deserved.