In July, CH Projects reopened the Lafayette Hotel in North Park after a $31 million, 10-month renovation that restored the inn to well beyond its original 1946 glory. And nowhere is the company’s attention to historic detail more evident than inside its bustling Beginner’s Diner.
Located in the lobby atrium near the airy Lobby Bar, Beginner’s is a loving re-creation of the classic Americana train car-style diners of the 1940s. Step through the doors of this 24-hour restaurant and step back in time.
Inside the eye-popping eatery, which was designed by an architect who’s an expert on train-car diners, no detail has been overlooked in the visually stunning design.
In addition to the old-fashioned swinging entry doors, leather upholstered booths and cushioned chrome stools lining the dining counter, there’s a carousel pie cooler, old-fashioned coffee machine, glass and chrome straw dispensers, a vintage clock and 1940s-style overhead lighting. If you can hear it above the voices in the often-packed diner, the piped-in music is mid-20th century blues, jazz and standards.
The lunch counter at Beginner’s Diner at the Lafayette Hotel.
(Courtesy of Kimberly Motos)
And the menu, created by executive chef Ted Smith, pays homage to the classic dishes of American, Jewish and Greek diners of the past, but using higher-quality ingredients and the addition of some contemporary twists.
Yes there’s meat loaf, chicken-fried steak and a patty melt on the menu, but they’re all made with Snake River Farms American Wagyu top sirloin.
Smith, who previously cooked at Starlite and the Lion’s Share, does all his own butchering, cures his own pastrami, pickles the vegetables and makes the pimento cheese and chocolate hazelnut spreads. The pies are all baked onsite, and all the dressings and condiments are also house-made. Smith doesn’t bake his own sandwich bread, but he does replace the custom-ordered bread supply every morning so it’s always oven-fresh.
Matzo ball soup at Beginner’s Diner at the Lafayette Hotel in North Park.
(Courtesy of Shannon Patrick)
Smith said there has been an education process with first-time diners who come in expecting Denny’s-style pricing, not realizing the level of care and expense that goes into not only sourcing the high-end ingredients but also staffing and serving a scratch-made menu 24 hours a day.
Standout dishes include the melt-in-your-mouth French Dip, served with an herbaceous dipping sauce; the Wedge Salad, which has house blue cheese dressing drizzled between each lettuce leaf to enhance the flavor and creaminess of the dish; the Jewish mother-approved matzo ball soup; and the hand-spun old-fashioned shakes, which are served with a generous sidecar for seconds, and extra-wide straws to suck up all the ice cream goodness before it melts.
The menu’s top-selling item is the Patty Melt, a $20 Wagyu smash burger made with two patties, caramelized onions, secret sauce and American cheese on sourdough bread. It’s worth the price.
The top-selling patty melt at Beginner’s Diner at the Lafayette Hotel.
(Courtesy of Shannon Patrick)
Although Beginner’s Diner is open 24 hours a day, some dishes are only available at certain hours. Breakfast is served from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. only (don’t miss the cinnamon roll with cream cheese icing); the dinner specials — pot roast, steak, chicken schnitzel and roasted Jidori half-chicken — are available from 4 to 10 p.m. only. There’s also a smaller late-night menu served from midnight to 6 a.m.
San Diegans are not exactly known as night owls, but Smith said Beginner’s Diner’s busiest hours are from 8 p.m. into the wee hours after the bars have closed. It has also become a late-evening industry hangout for restaurant workers who come in for a meal after work. During peak hours, the wait for tables — no reservations are available — can be over an hour, particularly on weekends.
There’s no beer or wine menu at Beginner’s. There are a couple of boozy milkshake options with liqueur mix-ins, but cocktails can be delivered from the Lobby Bar.
A strawberry milkshake at Beginner’s Diner at the Lafayette Hotel in North Park.
(Courtesy of Shannon Patrick)
Smith describes the menu as “continuously evolving.” In response to diner suggestions, he has lightened up the menu with less-caloric options and he is considering adding a vegan meat loaf option. He has also added some contemporary items that have been good sellers, like chicken kebabs and the carb-heavy Disco Fries, which is an American-style poutine dish of crinkle-cut fries topped with American cheese and veal gravy.
The original pie menu included a pecan option, but Smith wasn’t happy with his initial recipe testing, so he replaced it with a chess pie — a Southern standard with a mildly flavored, custard-like base and caramelized crust. However, his lemon meringue pie is the restaurant’s bestselling dessert and definitely WTC (worth the calories).
As the head chef, Smith could leave the overnight shifts to other cooks, but he likes working the line to help the kitchen staff handle the late-night crush. When things calm down around 4 a.m. he goes home to catch some sleep before heading back in the next day.
The entrance to Beginner’s Diner, as seen from the Lobby Bar at Lafayette Hotel in North Park.
(Courtesy of Kimberly Motos)
Like all CH Projects restaurants, Beginner’s Diner has over-the-top decor, its own signature plate-ware, a slightly kooky social media presence and an even kookier-looking menu. Designed to look like a vintage 1940s diner menu with corny clip art and a multitude of fonts, the menu also has a manifesto printed on its milkshakes page about how “true” diners now only exist in movies like “Pulp Fiction.”
“The thing here, this isn’t a diner,” it reads. “The real diner is dead. Beginner’s Diner is the Smithsonian ode to the diner because the craving for better and cheaper that created diner wound up killing it off in the end. We long to see the true diner in the wild, but are only really able to experience it in films and our imagination.”
That may be true about historic diners going the way of the 1947 Ford Super DeLuxe, but Beginner’s Diner is the best-designed and best-tasting facsimile you’re going to find in San Diego.
Check out some of San Diego’s other retro diners
Rudford’s is a 24-hour diner on El Cajon Boulevard in San Diego.
(Chris Reynolds/ Los Angeles Times)
Rudford’s — The real deal. John Thomas “Tommy” Rudford purchased and renamed this 24-hour diner in 1949 and it’s been going strong ever since. The breakfast menu is served 24 hours a day, but there’s also burgers, sandwiches, soup, salads and plated entrees. 2900 El Cajon Blvd., San Diego. rudfords.com
Harry’s Coffee Shop — Founded by Harry J. Rudolph in 1960, this La Jolla institution opened a sister outlet in Del Mar last spring. Hours are 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. and breakfast is served all day. Harry’s is well known for its fresh-baked waffles, hash browns, chicken-fried steak, grilled tuna melt and Reuben sandwich. 7545 Girard Ave., La Jolla; 1454 Camino Del Mar, Del Mar. harryscoffeeshop.com/
Hob Nob Hill — Opened in 1944 by Harold and Dorothy Hoersch, this Bankers Hill institution started out as a 14-seat lunch counter named Juniper Cafe and gradually expanded into the popular restaurant it is today. Open for breakfast lunch and dinner, Hob Nob is known for its plated hot dinners like roast turkey sandwich, chicken and dumplings, meat loaf and more. 2271 First Ave., San Diego. hobnobhill.com
Clayton’s — Open since the 1940s in Coronado, Clayton’s is known for its horseshoe-shaped lunch counter that wraps around part of the kitchen, as well as an eclectic international menu. It’s open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. 979 Orange Ave., Coronado. claytonscoffeeshop.com
Corvette Diner — This 1950s-style diner and arcade at Liberty Station is owned by the Cohn Restaurant Group. It’s known for its playfully sassy, costumed wait staff, burgers with names like Brenda, Dee Dee and Rory. 2965 Historic Decatur Road, San Diego. dinersd.com
Studio Diner — Inspired by the diners featured in the movies, this Instagram-friendly, neon-lit Kearny Mesa eatery is located on the former Stu Segall Productions movie lot, which closed in 2010. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, its menu categories are named after famous films. 4701 Ruffin Road, Kearny Mesa. studiodiner.com
Beginner’s Diner
Hours: Open 24 hours a day
Where: Lafayette Hotel, 2223 El Cajon Blvd., San Diego
Online: lafayettehotelsd.com
pam.kragen@sduniontribune.com
