With hand-dipped milkshakes, chrome-edged Formica tables and generous platefuls of breakfast favorites served all day, Bremerton’s Big Apple Diner is a classic straight out of the 1950s and a whole lot of fun.

“It’s American comfort food and it’s timeless,” said manager John Nesby, whose parents, Mark and Patty Nesby, opened the diner 20 years ago. “There’s no trend. There’s nothing kitschy. It’s part of our culture.”

Like the Big Apple’s colorful interior, the six-page menu is a home-cooked blast from the past. It features more IMG_1833than 100 items, including corned beef hash, chicken-fried steak, sausage gravy with biscuits, pancakes, waffles, omelets and eggs Benedict. Lunch favorites include Reuben sandwiches with house-made corned beef, a Cobb salad loaded with avocado, and a chicken-bacon-cheddar melt on grilled sourdough bread. Most entrees are $10-12.

The orange juice is fresh-squeezed and the biscuits, soups, gravy and salad dressings are made from scratch everyday. “It’s the real deal and it makes us proud to still offer that,” said Nesby.

For dinner, there’s fried chicken, liver and onions, pan-fried trout, steak and Friday prime rib. Prices range from $10 to $17.

It’s tough to save room for dessert, but if you do, the rewards are legendary. Decadent three-layer cakes, double-crust fruit pies and three-inch tall slabs of banana cream and lemon meringue pies tempt from a revolving glass case. The classic soda fountain offers even more enticements: caramel Cokes, phosphates, malts, floats and a four-scoop sundae with four toppings, whipped cream, cherries, sprinkles and a cookie.

“We have the best milkshakes and sundaes ever,” said longtime waitress Vicki Turner. “We probably have 40 different flavors of shakes with hand-dipped ice cream.”

The diner is popular with local families and Turner has seen her share of kids grow up during her 15 years on the job. Some have even gotten their first jobs at the diner.IMG_1824

Regular patrons value the Red Apple’s friendly service, consistent quality and reliable schedule. It’s open every day except Thanksgiving and Christmas and is a short drive from Bremerton and Silverdale hotels.

“It’s an old-fashioned family restaurant,” declared Turner.

Address: 6720 Kitsap Way, Bremerton

Hours: 6 a.m. – 9 p.m. daily

Contact: (360) 373-8242, More info.