“Oh, I never eat here,” says Ype Von Hengst, Silver Diner’s executive chef and co-founder, and anyone observing him when he tries can understand why—he’s constantly besieged by fans.

As he wends his way to the booth to join me for lunch in Rockville on a Monday in late April, it’s as if Bruce Springsteen is making an appearance. No fewer than six people stop to exchange niceties, shake his hand or take selfies with him.

“The remodel looks good,” says one, referring to the interior zhuzhing of the Federal Plaza space—a red tile, glass brick, and chrome-outfitted ode to art deco dining car-style diners of yore.

The refresh concluded in January, 15 years after the flagship property, which opened in 1989, moved there from its original location at Mid-Pike Plaza (where part of Pike & Rose is

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