Directory of Diners: California

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Henny Penny's

9/25/88: I was recently in California, was starving, pulled off Freeway 101 South in Petaluma.....across the street from a Denny's (which I certainly didn't wanna go to) was a diner called Henny Penny's......The name left me wondering but we were starving so.......the outside looks like a real greasy spoon, the inside if filled with booths with lots of hanging plants and a skylight - nothing like what the outside "suggested". We had THE best meal, my friend had a great bacon, onions, lettuce, special sauce sandwich on a french roll, I had the open roast beef plate with the most delicious mashed potatoes, gravy & meat - it was wonderful - unlimited refills of either ice tea, coffee or soda....I live in NY and wanna zip right over there again tonight to taste their other meals! Of course, add in the air fare & the time & it would be a REAL expensive lunch and/or dinner! But., for you people close to Henny Penny's ? GO THERE! -- Anytah@aol.com

Phil's Diner

11138 Chandler St., North Hollywood, CA (Charles Amend Company, 1920's) Its looks haven't changed in the years since it graced the cover of Phil Everly's 70's solo album. Neither has it's place in L.A.'s colorful dining history. Phil's pink diner has been a mainstay for many a decade. It can only be found if you know where to look, tucked away on a side street in the shadow of Universal Studios. One of the only, (if not the only) true antique factory-builts in all of California, Phil's is currently run by a friendly Asian-American couple who know how to make you feel at home. Phil's combines standard diner fare and affordable cuisine with a California health-nut twist. It's worth a stop if you're ever visiting Tinseltown. Breakfast and lunch hours. Not handicap accessible. Review by Paul Coyne.

Ruby's

24155 Laguna Hills Mall, Laguna Hills
4/20/98: My friends wondered how long it would take me once I arrived in Calfornia (via airplane) to find a diner. Would you believe less than 24 hours without even trying?! Okay, Ruby's isn't exactly a "real" diner. It's a restaurant chain, made to look like an old 1950s diner, with locations pretty much all over California. But, heck, I was impressed. They had some nice old cars sitting out front, I was driving by about lunchtime and was beckoned in! I had the "Blues Burger" (with real blue cheese...is there "fake" blue cheese?) and shoe string fries. The burger was great, although it was more than I can consume in an entire day, let alone one meal. I suppose the chocolate malt didn't leave a lot of room either! I enjoyed my meal so much (not to mention the fact that I couldn't find much other than fancy restaurants and taco stands to eat at) that I went back again for lunch a few days later. On both days, the service was just as great as the food.

I also noticed on their take-home menu (which I took home, by the way) that they have a web site. http://www.rubys.com. Pretty original, huh?!-- Review by Rosie