dinah's

I'm off to dinah's for breakfast. no one has talked about this place. what are your opinions about the chicken, the breakfast items, the ambience?

[westsidegal]

there are a few things there that i would absolutely recommend.
skip all the rest.

this is what they serve that is, imho, really good:

baked german pancake (it's like a huge, eggy, popover)
baked apple pancake (this is VERY sweet, so be forewarned--i usually order it "light on the sugar.")
swedish pancakes served with lingonberry butter
chili relleno omlette

[Dommy]

Ah... dude... I always forget about the Chile Relleno Omelet... Do they serve breakfast all day long?

--Dommy!

[Capybara]

I've heard from many long-time Angelenos of fond memories of this place growing up. By their descriptions, it isn't just that people's tastes changed as they mature, it is that the place has changed too. I'm not fond of it at all, having had one of the worst meals of my life there one dinner. I'd recommend Pann's instead, just up the street and of a similar genre.

[westsidegal]

funny,
i had one of the worst brunches of my life at Pann's.
really horrible.
couldn't believe how they could screw up really simple stuff.

[ilikefood]

I just saw "Little Miss Sunshine', a great movie that features a bucket of Dinah's Chicken. Fr:reviews posted it fits in perfectly w/ the movie.

[Wes]

It's a diner that is trying to be a restaruant and not good at either.

[msmd310]

I feel a little bit defensive, but I really like it for breakfast

the dutch apple pancake is yummy to share,
they make realy good omelets, and the swedish pancakes keep me coming back.

But it IS a diner- it is not trying to be like TOAST or Doughboys, or any of the frou-frou westside breakfast spots.

Oh, and if you have to have lunch- try the chicken salad- yummy, your mom's style mayonaisse-y chicken salad

[Bostonbob3]

//I don't get this place at all. I ate there once after reading about it and was mystified.//

Jeff, if like me (too many years ago) you were a student at Loyola Marymount with a pocket full of change and a grumbling stomach, you'd get it.:)

I only for for breakfast (we live close - sometimes we walk). Nothing great, but try their baked pancakes and custom omlets (e.g. turkey, onions, fresh spinach, and avocado). Have fun!

thanks for the comments, folks.
I guess I think the place is kind of trashy, but sometimes it's just the right thing. and I don't think the chicken is bad. maybe not great, but ok.
you comments brought up another issue. I love real maple syrup. few breakfast places serve it. I think real syrup would improve all such restaurants. who serves maple syrup?

I always go for the Dutch Apple Pancake. It is sweet so I get it with home fried potatoes. It is a real eye opener. The large is enough for 4 people to share with 2 orders of potatoes. It will be under $20.00 for the whole group. Don't care much for the chicken, mashed potatoes or canned veggies.

Funny I always found the Dutch apple pancake to be the same animal as the apple fritters sold in many south bay donut shops. On the other hand Dinah's scandinavian pancakes with lingonberry butter were great

Every Monday and Thursday, Dinah's has an all-you-eat fried chicken special. In my opinion, Dinah's fried chicken is good but far from great. Since I have a pretty large appetite, I think Dinah's is a good value when I need a fried chicken fix.

When I was a kid, I thought the chocolate chip pancakes might be the greatest invention ever, but I went back with my husband as an adult last year and he looked at me like I was insane for recommending the place. Funny how your tastes grow-up (I also used to love Anna's, ha)

I think it's fine for breakfast but anything else is about as good as Norms.

We went once for breakfast a couple of years ago. That was enough to tell us that going again for any other meal of the day would put us in dire need of intensive therapy. As to ambiance, I don't think you can fairly link the word to Dinah's.

I don't get this place at all. I ate there once after reading about it and was mystified. Frankly, I think their chicken is lousy. I'd honestly rather have KFC. I just don't get it.... I've eaten fried chicken all over the country and I've never had chicken prepared in this style - and hope I never do again.

But obviously someone likes it....

When I was a kid, we ate chocolate chip pancakes at a local restaurant all the time. I never gave them up, but now I make them with banana and pecan in them, too. Serve with melted butter and real maple syrup. Huge sugar rush!