Does The Royal Diner From Bones Exist In Real Life?

“Bones”! You know it, you love it, you need it. The Fox procedural series that ran for a staggering 12 seasons and inspired everyone to start calling themselves “Bones Heads” told the story of Dr. Temperance “Bones” Brennan (Emily Deschanel), a forensic anthropologist with poor social skills, and Seeley Booth (David Boreanaz), a handsome FBI agent who comes to love Bones with all his heart. Working with the team at the (fictional) Jeffersonian Institute located in Washington, D.C., Bones and Booth solve a series of increasingly unlikely mysteries, week to week, all in the name of damn good TV. 

“Bones” amassed a legion of fans who just couldn’t get enough of the show, and the series really found its footing seemingly from the jump. Would a show like “Bones” even get the greenlight in our modern TV era? If it would, it’s hard to believe it would last 12 seasons. In all likelihood, it would probably be the type of series Netflix orders, runs for two seasons, and then pulls the plug on. But back in the days when procedural TV reigned supreme, “Bones” was able to make a name for itself (and to be fair, procedural TV still flourishes — “Law & Order: SVU” is still running, and I’m sure your parents are watching season 22 of “NCIS” as you read this). 

When Bones and Booth (and the rest of the gang) weren’t out there solving groovy mysteries like “Scooby-Doo,” they were hanging out at the Royal Diner. Per the lore of the show, the Royal Diner is open 24 hours and boasts “The Best Burgers in the District.” Since “Bones” is set primarily in Washington D.C., that’s where the Royal Diner can be found in the world of the show. But what about the real world? Does the Royal Diner really exist? 

As it turns out, the Royal Diner is real! Well … sort of. Kind of. Not really. Okay, this gets a little complicated, so stay with me. The exterior of the diner seen on the show over and over again is actually facade on a street set that’s been used in shows like “How I Met Your Mother” and “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” as well as various music videos and commercials. The inside is a set as well. But a real Royal Diner also exists in the real world that you and I call home, and while “Bones” takes place in Washington D.C., the real-world diner is actually in a different kind of Washington: Washington, NJ, on Route 31. But again, this isn’t exactly the diner seen on the show, so don’t go to the real Royal Diner and expect to see a bunch of “Bones” memorabilia on the walls. And don’t expect to see Bones and Booth sitting at the counter, either, because they’re fictional characters. 

Per Yelp, the real Royal Diner has pretty good reviews, with 4 out of 5 stars. “It doesn’t look good but the food is good. The staff very nice. It feels home town [sic] comfy!” one person wrote. Talk about a rave! And just to make things extra confusing, while “Bones” is set in D.C., and the real Royal Diner is located in NJ, the series was actually primarily filmed in Los Angeles, California. That’s TV magic, folks! Nothing is ever as it seems. 

If you want to see what all the “Bones” fuss is about, the series is currently available to stream on Hulu. And who knows, maybe there will be a “Bones” revival someday! We can all dare to dream, can’t we?