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June 2, 2007
LAist Talks Late-Night Downtown Dining, Part I: The Pantry Edition
Last month, I sent a question to all the other writers about late-night dining options in Downtown. There was a lot to be said about The Pantry.
Tony: id say The Pantry, but im a man who could eat meat and potatoes for breakfast lunch and dinner. oh wait i already do.
Ashleigh: Am I the only person in LA who thinks the pantry is kinda gross? well...their sourdough is good but i've never left the place feeling great about my meal... it's def a piece of LA history.
Tony: the pantry is gross
i hear the waiters are excons
i believe the mashed potatoes are powdered
i hate the cole slaw
i hate that you have to pay the homeless man tax before you even make it to the door
and i also dont like that they only have pepsi
and yet its my favorite restaurant in la and if i was richer id go there more than once a week.
Ashleigh: enlighten me tony, why do you love it so? oh and i always give that homeless man my leftovers...
Tony; i love it because im a dirty disgusting man and that food is comfort food
for men like me
served by old school dudes in bow ties with pasts
without lame menus
i will have the rib tips you say and they give you water, bread, and decide which sides they will give you.
and i like that the only women who work there are in cages with all the money.
Malingering: The Pantry makes me throw up. And when I was in high school I tried to
go there and the health inspector had closed it down because of vermin or something really repulsive and then there was some protest to get it back open because of all of the history so I went back there to see if it was any better and I couldn't eat for a week.
Anyway between a sold out Lakers game and a sold-out Dodger game, the traffic around the pantry right now sucks (trust me).
This is my favorite Pantry photo (shown above).
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I agree with you guys - the pantry is gross. Just because it is ancient, doesn't make it good! Pete's is open until 2am, the Standard all night, and my sweet gem TV CAFE is 24 hours! go to any 3 and your night will not end in a tummy ache.
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The Pantry is the Alpha and Omega of Downtown.
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One too many cocktails at The Edison or any of the trendy downtown bars could easily have you ending up at this "Historic landmark" for late night eats. It happened to me yesterday and although I didn't order anything, I heard talk that the cheese omelettes aren't half bad. Then again at 2:30 a.m., Can you really complain?
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The Original Pantry, a famous 24- hour diner owned by the then mayor of Los Angeles, was closed for the first time in its 73-year history on 36 separate violations. Weeks later the ratings system was in place. Canter's and the other restaurants exposed by CBS mended their ways, and many earned A- ratings for their pains.
Ah, I looked it up. The closing happened in 1997 (okay, after I was in high school, but whatever). I still get nauseated when I drive by.
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Those who think The Pantry is "gross" should probably watch your back. One, the sheer volume of food that goes through that place per day pretty much ensures that it's fairly fresh. Two, the pancakes are delicious. Three, I only eat the breakfast items and generally only come in while I'm drunk or super hungry in the morning, thus I have a slightly sheltered opinion of The Pantry but still it is AMAZING.
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My family took me to the Pantry after I graduated college.They were always mean to me.
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I made the mistake of going to the Pantry on acid and I was too freaked out by the waiters and the relish tray to remember anything else.
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To know The Pantry, you must order correctly. See #2 in this post.
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I always sit at the counter.
I always know what I'm going to order before I sit down, or am prepared for the consequences.
I always order the hash browns, never the mashed. If I remember, I order my bread toasted.
I never give money to the homeless guys, since they've gotten belligerent. I used to give them my leftovers, but decided it was too demeaning to just go up and ask them if they wanted my old food. So now I only do it if they ask me, which they don't (they want cash), so I get two meals for the price of one.
Breakfast is a deal. All other meals are expensive, especially given the mediocre quality of meat.
It is the only restaurant where I don't bring something to read while I'm eating, since I'm rarely bored while eating there.
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They don't serve the relish tray anymore. I miss it.
I first went to The Pantry around 1992. They were still serving the free relish tray then. They must have discontinued it sometime in the 1990's. I just remember that I went there after a long absence and there was no relish tray.
I moved downtown two years ago so now I go there at least once a month. At least they still give you free cole slaw and the bread is good and always fresh. When I lived in Hollywood and wanted a cheap steak, I'd have to make my way over to Norm's.