Los Angeles, USA
Cafe 50s is a classic diner with three locations in LA. I had a craving for a typical American breakfast, and found this place online and headed over. We walked through the doors and were met by a welcome gust of cold, conditioned air; a nice break from the Los Angeles heat. We sat down in one of the booths, and a friendly waitress brought us the menu. I went for a short stack of Buttermilk Pancakes with bacon on the side, a lump of butter, and lots of maple syrup. The pancakes were as expected; tasty and much too filling. The bacon was perfectly cripsy; it's hard to come across this type of bacon back in London. My friend went for Huevos Rancheros with all the trimmings. To drink we split an Elvis Milkshake and sweet Ice Tea. They have a huge selection of Deluxe Milkshakes, and our chosen option contains vanilla ice cream, peanut butter and bananas. Everything was super tasty and exactly what I had in mind. The reason I'm not giving Cafe 50s top marks on the Hanger Meter is because it's a chain, and you can tell. Even though it only has three restaurants, it is clear that the decor is planned to look unplanned, and that the diner style is almost too obvious, the walls being plastered with vintage posters and flags. It is a family friendly restaurant, and the crowd is not 'cool'. It's missing some of the charm found in a place like The Apple Pan. The whole experience felt quite rehearsed, but to be fair they have got the American diner down pretty darn well. We walked out into the sunny parking lot full and happy after a calorie packed meal.
