Clifton's Cafeteria

Last night I experienced the wonder that is Clifton's Cafeteria. Clifton's is an old school cafeteria style dining establishment that has been a part of downtown LA since the 1930s. The wild west style dining room is full of green fake foliage, stone boulders, lagoon pools, waterfalls and mounted deer heads. There is speculation that Clifton's was the inspiration behind Adventure Land at Disneyland and after visiting, it seems totally possible. Clifton's is a spitting image of Adventure Land if it were to crammed into a restaurant, the only thing missing are the Country Bears and the Tiki Room.

So in the pouring rain, Tony and I drove to downtown LA and walked through the jewelry district until we hit 6th and Broadway. One we walked through the front door, we felt as though we entered a time warp. Guests are greeted by a host stand next to a mini waterfall and a brief photo history of Clifton's, it's founders and their promises to their customers. After taking in a brief history of the establishment, we walked back to what seems like a huge cafeteria line straight out of the 50's. Full of steel counters and a white tile floor, we selected our trays and wandered through a sea of retro comfort food favorites. They had a huge assortment of salads, soups, hot entrees, dessert and gelatin products. I chose a meal of lentil soup, bean salad, hard boiled egg, mac and cheese, ambrosia salad and chocolate pudding. Tony selected green salad, fried chicken, mashed potatoes with gravy, stuffing and for dessert tapioca pudding and strawberry pie. Our fully packed trays only cost of $29 and of course we selected way more than we could eat.

Once in the dining room we chose a table on the 2nd floor so we could do some people watching. Clifton's is filled with an assortment of characters. I'm sure back in the 30s, 40s and 50s, the cafeteria was filled with business men, families and police officers. The current patrons at Clifton's ranged from young church groups, and large families to the homeless and crackheads who had just wondered off skid row. One of my favorite guests was a woman sitting below us in her late 60s wearing a hair net. She had a tray of dessert and a cup of coffee and repeatedly dosed off to sleep, nearly burying her face in her banana cream pie.

Overall, I LOVED Clifton's. The environment is fun, uniquely themed and a one of a kind experience. On top of that, the food was delicious and the price unbeatable. Plus, the people watching is phenomenal. I also saw on our way out that if you host your birthday party there, they will give you a whole cake for for free. I'm thinking 27 will be celebrated with the help of
Clifton's.