London’s tradition of mid-20th-century diners, or “caffs,” is quickly being gentrified into nostalgia, but this fry-up on deeply authentic and unflashy Bethnal Green Road has been run by the affable Nevio family since 1900. Some of them were born upstairs, and the matriarch of the family has commanded the kitchen since 1966. The Deco interior, a greasy spoon fantasia of sunburst icons, chrome, and primrose, was carved by a regular in 1946 and is now protected by law. You may be boisterously welcomed with open arms—Mama, cooking Italian specialties such as cannelloni, has ruled the kitchen since 1966—and you’ll spend a happy meal sharing a table with locals (“Where are you from?” “Looks like rain tomorrow”), sipping the best cuppa tea you ever had. As proof of your acceptance by the regulars, after you’re done you may be sent out with a parting gift of homemade cake. There’s no more iconic “caff” in town, and certainly none happier.