Dinah's Comfort Kitchen
Restaurant · Clarkdale ·
Acclaimed fried chicken, German apple pancakes, waffles
Acclaimed fried chicken, German apple pancakes, waffles
"After more than six decades in Westchester since opening in 1959, Dinah’s Family Restaurant is closing its longtime spot off the 405 and moving down the street to reopen as Dinah’s Kitchen at 4130 Sepulveda Boulevard on May 6, 2024, with its last day in the original location on April 30. Known for homestyle dishes like German apple pancakes, Belgian waffles and its fried chicken, the restaurant's Googie-style building and iconic fried chicken bucket pylon made it a local landmark. Owner Mario Ernst decided to relocate after development plans along Sepulveda would have forced a multi-year closure on site, and he worried about his roughly 60 employees and the risk of being priced out; instead he found a space in Culver Crossroads and is using the move to evolve the menu, experiment with guest chefs, and shift from canned vegetables and pie fillings to fresh, locally sourced produce and meats. The essence of Dinah’s will remain—accessible pricing and the bucket pylon will feature prominently—though the new location will have a more industrial feel that preserves Googie elements, and it will sit alongside fellow long-running neighbors Tito’s Tacos and Johnnie’s Pastrami." - Rebecca Roland
"For buckets of the good stuff, get to Dinah’s on Sepulveda. This staple diner-slash-chicken spot has been in the neighborhood for decades, serving up its bright red buckets of takeout fried chicken to the greater Westside. Don’t be afraid to add a few orders of gizzards or liver either." - Rebecca Roland
"I read that Dinah’s Family Restaurant says it will remain open amid a forthcoming construction and preservation project planned at its site. Although LA Conservancy reports the proposal calls for the fried-chicken purveyor to vacate the building during construction, owner Mario Ernst says the restaurant will be able to operate alongside construction as long as customer parking is provided—whether at a nearby lot or with a valet service. “I’m gonna stay open as long as I humanly can, as long as it’s safe, as long as we can provide the same good product,” he says, and the restaurant plans to use food delivery services if construction makes it impossible for diners to enter the building." - Cathy Chaplin
"At 6521 South Sepulveda Boulevard, Dinah’s Family Restaurant — a 65-year-old legacy business housed in iconic Googie architecture dating to 1957 — will be preserved and renovated while surrounding commercial buildings are cleared to allow an eight-story, 362-unit residential development spanning nearly 365,000 square feet (41 units set aside as affordable). The pylon sign nearest the building at the northeast corner along Sepulveda would be retained in place, the bucket sign near the northwest end will be relocated and incorporated into the new project, and the pole sign at the corner of Arizona and Centinela avenues will be removed and either stored or donated to a local sign museum. Dinah’s says it is “dedicated to staying open and remaining that way through it all” and will “absolutely” occupy the building after construction, though LA Conservancy reports the proposal calls for the business to vacate during construction and that it may not return." - Cathy Chaplin
"A longtime Los Angeles diner that claims its rooftop cement bucket sign predated the chain’s iconography; the old-school bucket became a local landmark and even enjoyed a pop-culture bump after appearing in a well-known film, driving customers to seek out the restaurant’s own signature pails." - Nicole Adlman