Daveland will take you all over the place; from the most famous to the most obscure. Today’s entry is a semi-hidden gem I learned about while taking a walking tour of historic Los Angeles Movie Palaces. This gem I refer to is a restaurant called Clifton’s Brookdale Cafeteria.
The first thing you see outside is the very cool vintage terrazzo floor at the entrance of Clifton’s, featuring a number of Los Angeles landmarks.
Inspired by his youthful memories in the Santa Cruz mountains, Clifford Clinton transformed a ho-hum Los Angeles eatery into an artificial woodland paradise back in 1935.
What’s the food like? Well, it’s hard to describe. Just picture a school cafeteria, with just about ANYTHING you could imagine (and I mean anything). The quality is decent, the selection will blow your mind, and the atmosphere will take you back to a kinder and gentler time. We could all use a little more Clifton’s!
Clifton's continues to practice Clifford Clinton's philosophy of treating customers as "guests" and employees as "associates" and still offers a guarantee of "Dine Free Unless Delighted." [Clifton’s closed in 2018 and became Clifton’s Republic, a nightclub]
See more Clifton’s photos at my main website.
What wonderful memories this place holds for me! As a youngster, I loved it for 3 reasons: 1. the food - I ate anything and everything and they always had custard pie! 2. Because I loved Disneyland, I also loved the magical atmosphere of this place. It was the ONLY place that my parents would allow me freedom to wander around and explore. Loved it! 3. It kinda gave me my Disneyland fix in between Park visits. I went to Clifton's last year and all those memories came flooding back to me while I enjoyed my turkey with stuffing dinner followed by, what else? Custard pie, LOL!
ReplyDeleteI am so envious of all of you that are able to go to this establishment. I have now put this on my 'must go to' list for my next visit to the area.
ReplyDeleteI love crazy theme restaurants.
ReplyDeleteI have never heard of this place. Great pictures!
ReplyDeleteI wish their "south seas" restaurant was still around....
ReplyDeleteI have been going there since the early 70's. I was in Chinatown last week for a meal at Hop Louie Restaurant, great lunch special. Adding this blog to my favs also.
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