PORTSMOUTH, N.H. - Regulars can always tell when a first-timer makes a pilgrimage to Gilley’s (a.k.a. Gilley’s PM Lunch), which claims to be one of only five Worcester Lunch Car Co. mobile lunch carts ever built, and the last one still in operation. They watch as would-be-diners push the door to open, pause, and then give it a pull. Finally, someone will motion that the door slides sideways to admit customers into the compact 1940 car with its original oak and porcelain interior, a work station at one end, and just eight stools along a horseshoe-shaped counter.
Like its early-20th-century predecessor, Gilley’s used to be towed into Market Square every evening to serve hungry workers, a scene depicted on a mural on the wall behind the parking lot. Permanently settled on Fleet Street since 1974 and anchored to an attached wing, Gilley’s has lost none of its retro charm, in part because the menu adheres to such basics as burgers, grilled cheese or fried egg sandwiches, and fries.
