![A plate of breakfast on a table at a teal booth.](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/e4d9725/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3346x2231+0+0/resize/1200x800!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F87%2F8e%2F7d1e9a874ce4ad0bd4c13b102bd4%2F955546-fo-diner-poi-brite-spot-mrt-12-cropped.jpg)
The 25 best classic diners in Los Angeles
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“Comfort” is an overused word when discussing the role of restaurants in our lives. But what better descriptor exists to convey the feeling of sinking into a booth or hopping onto a swiveling counter stool at one of L.A.’s evergreen diners?
The sturdy white mugs, ever full. The fast-moving staff, at once cheerful and no-nonsense. The haze of griddle smoke in the air. The canonical menu: eggs every which way, pancakes and waffles, ingredient-packed salads, club sandwiches, burgers and melts. And likely meatloaf for dinner. We frequent diners — or coffee shops, if you prefer, and not the kind that serve single-origin pour-overs — for their beautiful predictability.
In Southern California, diners come in all shapes, though the design of L.A.’s most fabled diners was codified in the mid 20th century with Googie architecture. Angled bursts of neon signage pointed the way inside to dining rooms outfitted in chrome, Naugahyde and Formica. These vintage buildings have been disappearing for decades. It’s a reminder to treasure the space-age shrines that do remain — including Foxy’s in Glendale, Bob’s Big Boy Broiler in Downey, Norms in West Hollywood and Pann’s in Westchester.
Because this is Los Angeles, some of our beloved institutions serve chilaquiles alongside eggs benedict, and the option of char siu or machaca in addition to sausage and bacon. We drove the lengths of the L.A. Metro area, savoring chile relleno omelets, country-fried steak and billowing banana cream pie — and so much more — in timeless, crowded rooms. These made the cut as our 25 favorite diners.
![A plate of fried chicken with mashed potatoes and coleslaw.](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/84fa9ab/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3976x2651+0+149/resize/1200x800!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F66%2Ffe%2F1ca52c234591909de4b25ef1fa3c%2Ffo-best-classic-diners-la-astros-05.jpg)
Astro Family Restaurant
— Stephanie Breijo
![Chili spaghetti from Bob's Big Boy Broiler in Downey.](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/5606da5/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3957x2638+0+266/resize/1200x800!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fe1%2F11%2Fad896a2e40f496ab96af6e8b0a8a%2Ffo-best-classic-diners-la-bobs-big-boy-29.jpg)
Bob’s Big Boy Broiler
— Jenn Harris
![An array of dishes on a table at Brite Spot diner](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/c8638d7/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3566x2377+0+2371/resize/1200x800!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F7a%2Fc0%2F030fb0274b5c8c63855f71bf8568%2F955546-fo-diner-poi-brite-spot-mrt-13.jpg)
Brite Spot
— Jenn Harris
Chili John’s
— Stephanie Breijo
Cindy’s
— Stephanie Breijo
![An array of dishes at Clark Street Diner, including cheeseburgers and blueberry pancakes](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/b17d939/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3712x2475+0+0/resize/1200x800!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F4a%2F7a%2F83341f6f4716a361cd0f2a0b04db%2F928350-fo-0310-clark-street-diner-review-mrt-08.jpg)
Clark Street Diner
— Bill Addison
![A waitress at Du-par's serves big plates of food.](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/dea1e0e/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3301x2201+0+0/resize/1200x800!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F2c%2F8f%2Fff2d1fe34bdbba382edc5e07b2da%2Ffo-best-classic-diners-la-du-pars-31.jpg)
Du-par’s at the Original Farmers Market
— Jenn Harris
![Foxy's Restaurant.](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/f3dbfa5/2147483647/strip/true/crop/4662x3108+182+0/resize/1200x800!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F85%2Fc2%2F1c0af2f44720af78b3362e0878a1%2Ffo-best-classic-diners-la-foxys-11.jpg)
Foxy’s
— Stephanie Breijo
Gardena Bowl Coffee Shop
— Jenn Harris
![A couple sits at a diner counter.](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/75d2614/2147483647/strip/true/crop/6416x4277+0+0/resize/1200x800!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fae%2F5b%2Fa3128f6945f6b64b847fd73cc1f5%2F955469-fo-0509-diner-poi-jongewaards-bake-n-broil-cmh-02.jpg)
Jongewaard’s Bake n Broil
— Bill Addison
![Eggs benedict from Joyce's Coffee Shop and Restaurant](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/fc65929/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2588x1725+206+0/resize/1200x800!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F7a%2F81%2Fc56457e648e7a7c3e54daec10c91%2Ffo-best-classic-diners-la-joyces-coffee-15.jpg)
Joyce’s Coffee Shop and Restaurant
— Stephanie Breijo
![Ham and eggs at Nick's Cafe in Chinatown.](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/9d0e4f9/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3258x2172+0+68/resize/1200x800!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F14%2F32%2Ff70eee9f4d5383108c3c1fceb275%2Ffo-best-classic-diners-la-nickel-22.jpg)
Nick’s Cafe
— Bill Addison
Nickel Diner
Update: As of May 18, 2023, Nickel Diner has permanently closed.
— Stephanie Breijo
![A plate with ham, eggs, hash browns, sausage and bacon from Norms](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/02da7ea/2147483647/strip/true/crop/5640x3760+156+0/resize/1200x800!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fe6%2Fd7%2F1d9e07604167aa4563081c536224%2Ffo-best-classic-diners-la-norms-24.jpg)
Norms
— Jenn Harris
![Blueberry pancakes topped with bananas and whipped cream](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/6832a2a/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1328x885+16+0/resize/1200x800!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F7c%2Fe6%2Fc556fced408bbb885537d03fd9b2%2Ffo-best-classic-diners-la-ocean-diner-01.jpg)
Ocean Diner
— Bill Addison
The Original Pantry Cafe
— Stephanie Breijo
The Original Saugus Cafe
— Bill Addison
![Chile verde omelette with pork simmered in tomatillo sauce, jack and cheddar cheese, served with sour cream and guacamole](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/f6dc153/2147483647/strip/true/crop/4896x3264+16+0/resize/1200x800!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F3c%2F3d%2F01b2263d4b119f92d47b2b922254%2F956973-fo-diner-poi-the-pacific-diner-cba-02.jpg)
Pacific Diner
— Bill Addison
![A plate with chicken, waffles and eggs on a table with a mug of black coffee](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/d3749aa/2147483647/strip/true/crop/4500x3000+0+186/resize/1200x800!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ffa%2F0f%2F060de22d44e585956befbfa19fb8%2F955765-fo-diner-poi-panns-diner-004.jpg)
Pann’s Restaurant
— Bill Addison
![The Chicken fried steak with gravy from Rae's Restaurant.](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/9a2a1d8/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3174x2116+0+415/resize/1200x800!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F33%2F3e%2F94ed84784d968187bfc401834077%2Ffo-best-classic-diners-la-raes-04.jpg)
Rae’s Restaurant
— Jenn Harris
![A woman and man stand behind a diner counter, talking with a seated customer](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/cbc3ec4/2147483647/strip/true/crop/4500x3000+0+186/resize/1200x800!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F50%2F46%2F23197f5b4249876a4a7118336782%2F955538-fo-diner-poi-the-serving-spoon-003.jpg)
The Serving Spoon
— Jenn Harris
![Pancakes served with berries on top](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/ec63e49/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3535x2357+0+0/resize/1200x800!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F2e%2Fc8%2Fad73c3094eeea32467df0544ea0b%2F956961-fo-diner-poi-swingers-mrt-07.jpg)
Swingers Diner
— Bill Addison
![A woman behind a diner counter speaks to customers seated in stools at the counter.](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/668ec37/2147483647/strip/true/crop/6720x4480+0+0/resize/1200x800!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F48%2F5f%2Fb2fdce28481da6059fc24fcf041b%2F955465-fo-diner-poi-tals-cafe-03-mjc.jpg)
Tal’s Cafe
— Stephanie Breijo
![A server delivers plates of comfort food.](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/a09ee30/2147483647/strip/true/crop/6757x4505+0+52/resize/1200x800!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fb4%2Fed%2F0a2231d243569ceb1c451975e184%2F955498-fo-diner-poi-tally-rand-15-gmf.jpg)
Tallyrand Restaurant
— Jenn Harris
![Twohey’s diner in Pasadena.](https://ca-times.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/7ac20d3/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3712x2475+0+0/resize/1200x800!/quality/75/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcalifornia-times-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F54%2Fe4%2F8e1f04384a218830ab1797b460ba%2F950022-fo-diners-roundup-twoheys-mrt-10.jpg)
Twohey’s
— Jenn Harris
Eat your way across L.A.
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