Sometimes, all you really want is a big, heaping plate of steak and eggs — at 3 am. For those times, there’s The Original Pantry Cafe, a 24-hour downtown institution owned by former Los Angeles mayor Richard Riordan. Since 1924, service has been speedy, prices easy on the pocket and portions beyond generous. This unassuming little diner is by no means glam, but there’s something charming about a menu selection ranging from New York strip steak to ham hocks and beans. And though it seems as if every family in the county is in the Saturday morning line, the doors never close (they don’t even have locks), so there’s never a bad time to go for a signature stack of buckwheat pancakes.
Cash only. No alcohol available. Open 24 hours daily.
Zagat 2011: 17 food rating (good to very good)
“The Pantry offers all-American basics done right and served up fast.”
— Los Angeles Times
Sometimes, all you really want is a big, heaping plate of steak and eggs — at 3 am. For those times, there’s The Original Pantry Cafe, a 24-hour downtown institution owned by former Los Angeles mayor Richard Riordan. Since 1924, service has been speedy, prices easy on the pocket and portions beyond generous. This unassuming little diner is by no means glam, but there’s something charming about a menu selection ranging from New York strip steak to ham hocks and beans. And though it seems as if every family in the county is in the Saturday morning line, the doors never close (they don’t even have locks), so there’s never a bad time to go for a signature stack of buckwheat pancakes.
Cash only. No alcohol available. Open 24 hours daily.
Zagat 2011: 17 food rating (good to very good)
“The Pantry offers all-American basics done right and served up fast.”
— Los Angeles Times