Wilmington Diner Earns Spot on USA TODAY’s Top 10 Roadside Diners List

A cool spot in Wilmington's food scene just landed national attention. Goober's Diner made it onto USA TODAY's 10BEST Readers' Choice Awards list of best roadside diners. Located at 1203 N. Lincoln St., this special restaurant mixes tasty food with classic cars.

In June 2020, crews moved the eye-catching metal building up from Atlanta. What came as parts on 16 trucks became a complete two-story diner in just 72 hours - even though it took two years to plan it all out.

When Tom Hannum and Vance Kershner opened the doors on November 30, 2020, they made Kershner's vision real. "I wanted to create a great place to have breakfast in Wilmington," Kershner told 6ABC.

From morning to night, customers can chow down on fluffy scrambled eggs, stack of pancakes, and crispy potatoes. At lunchtime, comfort classics like homestyle meatloaf and perfectly crispy fried chicken are the stars.

Running the kitchen, CIA graduate and certified Executive Chef Hannum leads a carefully chosen team. His expertise shows up in every dish that leaves the kitchen.

Walk in and you'll feel like you've jumped back to the 1950s. Bright neon lights shine against metal details while next door, Goober's Garage showcases Kershner's collection of vintage cars.

The garage building has been there for 100 years. Teams spent years fixing up the place to its original beauty before adding the diner.

TV fans might recognize the nod to The Andy Griffith Show - the name comes from Goober Pyle, who owned his own Goober's Garage in the show.

Other winners include places like Bingham's Restaurant and Thunderbird Cafe. Shelby's Diner, Magpie Diner, Tommy's Diner, The Arcade Restaurant, Camp Washington Chili, Tom & Joe's Restaurant, and Wellsboro Diner fill out the list.