The motto at the Comfort Diner is a simple one: “Time to eat good food!”

And for Ira Freehof, owner of New York’s Comfort Diner, “good food” means fresh interpretations of classic American comfort food. Here he shares all the recipes that lure hungry types of all stripes into the cozy, bright booths of his restaurants, which have earned best-diner awards from Time Out New York and The Resident. Diner-inspired standards from Mom’s Meatloaf to perfect Macaroni and Cheese are covered, but so are newer dishes that have been eagerly adopted into the pantheon of American culinary favorites: Warm Taco Salad, Black Bean Quesadillas, Chinese Chicken Salad, and Three-Bean Vegetarian Chili. With recipes that both hearken back to the golden age of the diner and update the classics for today’s healthful living, this comfort food is truly family food that everyone will enjoy.

Because it’s always time to eat good food, The Comfort Diner Cookbook has irresistible recipes to fuel you from morning to midnight: substantial breakfasts (from Breakfast Burritos to Berry-Stuffed French Toast); sandwiches—traditional and with a twist (featuring the Cobb Salad Sandwich and the Thanksgiving-on-a-Roll Turkey, Cheddar, and Cranberry Melt); an entire delectable chapter devoted to grilled cheese—and another to thick milkshakes; a healthy helping of scrumptious salads; anytime small plates (such as Jalapeño Cheddar Cornbread and Shrimp with Bloody Mary Cocktail Sauce); satisfying big plates (including the ultimate Comforting Chicken Potpie); and divine desserts (with a heavenly Banana Cream Pie). Accompanying these surefire recipes is a wealth of lore about America’s favorite homestyle dishes and foodstuffs, along with a side of diner trivia and nostalgia, making this book as fun to read as it is rewarding to use.