I love diners. Diners are casual, cozy, and comforting. You can visit one at any time of the day (or night). You can go with a big group of friends, or you can go solo with a book. The coffee usually isn’t great, but you can drink it from those heavy, brown mugs that make you feel like a private detective taking a break at four in the morning. No matter who you are or where you’ve been, diners invite you in to hot food and service with a smile.

While it’s pretty easy to find a diner in Los Angeles, finding the special ones is a bit of a challenge. Pacific Diner is one of those. There are no frills. The customers are regulars. The servers know your name. You can watch the cooks in the kitchen as you sit at a laminate counter and choose something new from the specials whiteboard. It’s like Cheers but with less beer and Frasier — a small town in one of the biggest metropolitan areas in the world.