All day breakfasts and vinyl booths: What are your favorite diners, SoCal?

After our diner series last week, you might think we are tired of talking about diners — but you’d be mistaken. Our love for diners shines as bright as a neon sign beckoning hungry customers to syrup-laden pancakes with crispy edges and endless refills of watery coffee.

The series focused on three diners that reflect the current diner scene. Afterwards, we heard from many of you expressing love for your lifelong favorites—so many, in fact, that we compiled them into a list to share with everyone. It spans SoCal, from Hollywood, Pasadena, and Chinatown to the South Bay and even Orange County.

While some of the places mentioned here aren’t precisely diners in the traditional sense — meaning they’re a coffee shop or cafe — we decided to let a few slide because they still meet the crucial criteria: They’re open late, have a counter space, and, of course, serve breakfast all day.

Take a look and see if your favorites are here.

“The Reyn in Pasadena. Spires in the South Bay from when chains had style. Happy Diner in San Pedro. Ed’s Place in Glendora. Lancers and Tallyrand in Burbank are good too.”
-Michael Morill, Pasadena

“Uncle Bill’s Pancake House in Manhattan Beach! Completely packed on the weekends because of the proximity to the beach, but during the week it’s a beloved local hangout for breakfast and lunch. My fave is a cup of chili with a grilled cheese sandwich.”
-Tina Studier via Facebook

“Andy’s Coffee Shop on Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena. Family run, walking distance from Caltech & PCC. Best breakfast burritos, chilaquiles, blueberry pancakes and hash browns! Was featured in 'Mad Men.' Not fancy, but I don’t go for the building, I go for the food.”
-Sheila Sasha Boyd via Threads

“Clark Street (Los Angeles)”
-Vinz Karl, Los Angeles

“Foxy's in Glendale. Classic diner food, fantastic breakfasts, their bacon avocado cheeseburger is one of the best (at least it still was last time I was there a few years ago).”
-Damian Wiesbach via Threads

“Russell’s (Pasadena).”
-Jessie Perea, Los Angeles

“Nick’s Cafe (Chinatown). It’s warm, welcoming and like a hug. What a diner should feel like, in my opinion. The food is good and enjoyable. Coffee is your typical diner drip, but it’s enjoyed more because of how it’s set up. Sitting inside and having that more intimate connection with staff and even kitchen staff is a whole diner experience.”
-Natalie Lara, East Los Angeles

“If you’re on the Westside, you can’t go wrong with Ronnie’s Dinner on Culver Boulevard. It's great for breakfast. Good service. Reasonably priced. My favorites are the bacon avocado scramble (all the scrambles are good and can be ordered as burritos) and the chorizo bowl (no sour cream)."
-USC_alifornia via Bluesky

“Millie's Cafe (Silver Lake).”
-Claire Fogarty, Los Angeles

“Uncle Bud’s Kitchen in Bellflower. I went recently, and had been once before, nine years prior. Both experiences were the same — loud and busy service, all guests interacting. It felt good. I got sausage, eggs, potatoes, pancakes. Kept it simple."
-Jairo Bogarin, Lakewood

“Stox in Downey.”
-Luis Maya, Downey

“The Galley in Newport Harbor since 1957!!! I've grown up going there. It's a total time machine — it looks the same as it always has, there's no reservations or waitlist, you just wait outside in line, and there are some characters among the staff. The menu is fairly predictable as a diner, but their chili cheese omelet is insanity. Heart attack on a plate, but so good. Their milkshakes are also to die for, and they have my favorite hashbrowns in the city. Lunch is also solid, I love their club sandwich. I meet my dad there for breakfast like once a month. It's such a special place!"
-Lili Phung, Orange County

“Jack’s, Whittier.”
-Erick Galindo, Whittier

“Shakers in South Pasadena.”
-Nicole Martin, Compton

“Coffee Cup Cafe in Long Beach. Their green chili chicken omelette is 🌶️. We went there right after we got engaged to celebrate 😅.”
-Bethany Gilbertson, Whittier

"Astro Family Restaurant, Silver Lake, is a mixed bag of all kinds of folks from L.A. Frank Lloyd Wright said, 'Tip the world over and everything loose will land in Los Angeles.' There must’ve been a funnel straight to Astro’s. Hung-over hipsters, actors and Hollywood types, the remaining older Latin community — all there eating together in one place. It's been a while, to be honest, but when I lived in the area, I was always amazed at the variety I saw there.”
-Javier F Garcia, Azusa

“Norms.”
-Daniel Garcia, Long Beach

“Rae’s in Santa Monica and Nick’s in Chinatown.”
-Jason Goble, Palms

“For American/Greek: Lucky Boy (Pasadena). For American: Clark Street (Hollywood), Wendy’s Place (El Segundo), Pie n’ Burger (Pasadena), Chef’s Coffee Cafe in Arcadia.”
-Julie Brehove, Pasadena

“Cindy’s in Eagle Rock is my favorite. It’s the food for me, specifically breakfast food. The weekend crab hash is phenomenal and is, in my opinion, the gold standard for a hollandaise sauce. Their weekday Cindy’s McBreakfast sandwich is also a top-notch menu item. Beyond that, the aesthetics is a whole vibe, and the service for me has always been great. Love that place.”
-Javeck Verdugo, Glendora

“Pann’s (Westchester) for the nostalgic aesthetic, booze offerings, location, and I remember the food being good and being queer friendly.”
-Aylssa Lorea, Pasadena