Step Inside the Glorious Googie-Designed Mel’s Diner in Santa Monica | Eater LA

"There’s something so alluring about an old, brightly-lit dinnertime diner, which is exactly how I felt at the new Mel’s Drive-In in Santa Monica. It sits at the historic termination point for Route 66 and has long carried its beaming penguin logo, even though the gorgeous Googie building was converted into a dentist office 25 years ago. Now back under the well-known Mel’s name (the company started in San Francisco and has locations in Hollywood and on the Sunset Strip), the team reintroduced the famed Penguin Coffee Shop from 1959, preserving its general layout and familiar signage. I enjoyed the soaring ceiling, the embedded Route 66 plaque at the front door, and an old jukebox playing throwback tunes, while cooks turn out diner staples—patty melts, burgers and fries, milkshakes, pie, eggs and coffee—and the spot is open 24 hours." - Farley Elliott