Dives

If my father were given the choice between an expensive dinner with the current Republican president or a lunch alone at a truck stop diner that is cooking its hamburgers in a vat of bacon grease collected over the period of fifteen years, he'd say, DO NOT FORCE ME TO MAKE THAT CHOICE, GEORGIE.
— Dooce.com

Just to be clear, the guy meant he would choose the dive. (And I gather from Dooce's previous posts that her father is a Republican.)
What are some of your favorite spots? Suffice it to say, Waffle House makes my list. Another, which sadly is out of business (probably because I moved) was called Pop's Truck Stop. It was in Monteagle, Tenn. Their sweet tea could send you directly to an AA meeting. Or dialysis.
Part of the allure of a dive is that there's little to no pretension. Therefore, it's pretty cheap. The food has to be good, and the people-watching, too, of course.