Memories of Lost L.A. Eateries, Part 2
by AlDesmadre
Memories of Lost L.A. Eateries, Part 2
Still more nostalgia for those long gone L.A. favorites……………..
- Sambo’s, 1322 Beverly Blvd., Montebello, California. Super good pancakes and they gave you these little wooden Sambo’s nickels that you could redeem for a cup of coffee. It’s now a Baker’s Square.
- Las Carnitas, 4003 East Olympic Blvd. E.L.A., CA I loved this place. A welcoming interior with sticky red vinyl booths and low lighting. Everything on the menu was fresh & tasty and had a homemade quality. The staff was always warm & friendly and would chat you up before taking your order. I always ordered my usual; the Tampico Plate, it had a tender slice of beef steak, enchilada, flauta, rice & beans. Yum.
- Thrifty’s Ice Cream, various locations, I’m just another of the countless fans of the famous old-time Thrifty’s ice cream. You got flavor, creaminess, fruit chunks, whole pistachios, whatever you liked and more of it for just 5¢ a scoop!
- The Monke-Uddle, Hamburger Stand, Fetterly Ave and Whittier Blvd., ELA, CA. For whatever reason, the magic of the burgers at an old legendary place like this defies description. I can say it had a beef patty, condiments and a bun and it would mean nothing to anyone today. But if you had only been there and experienced a true old-fashioned burger like this, you’d be talking about it 40 years later as well. No photo available.
- Helms Bakery, Drive-by Bakery Delivery Trucks. We’d be lying on the living room floor watching Felix The Cat on our black & white TV, when suddenly we’d hear the familiar TWEET-TWEET! of the Helms Bakery truck coming by. The cool thing about it was that as a kid, you’d run out because you knew you could count on getting a freebie almost every time from the nice guy driving the truck. He’d park; jump out and flip open the back panel doors of his brown painted truck. And when he slid out those wide wooden drawers you’d hear the ooohs and aaahhs as pies, cakes, pastries, loaves of bread and all the glistening sweet donuts were displayed before us. I remember this brown bakery truck coming by up until about the 90’s in Montebello. By then, the lettering on the side had been changed to Holm’s Bakery and the goods weren’t so fresh anymore. A friend of mine said he once took a tour of the Helm’s bakery and got a free sample mini loaf of bread, a chocolate donut and a little cardboard Helm’s truck. Lucky bastard.
- Farrell’s Ice Cream Parlour, Rosemead Bl. Near Mission Rd., Rosemead, CA. I’m sure that it was places like this that helped bring down the Roman Empire. Nevertheless, the sheer indulgence and gluttony of this place was vastly ignored for the sake of the tremendous fun you and your friends would have spooning copious amounts of ice cream out of a huge trough adorned with lit sparklers. Afterwards, everyone was awarded a ribbon that read: “I made a Pig of Myself at Farrell’s.”
- Bob’s Freeze, 5144 E Beverly Blvd, E.L.A., CA. This delightful walk-up soft serve ice cream stand specialized in Sundaes, Parfaits, Banana Splits, and creamy Malts & Shakes. Situated next to an also now gone Garduno’s burger stand, you could find long lines of locals almost every day and night, partly due to the fact that the staff was painfully slow in filling orders. But it was the place to be seen, to check out the action, and to show off your Ranfla under the glow of the big neon ice cream cone. My favorite item was the Smog Sundae.
- Casa De Fritos, Frontierland, Disneyland. USA. This place was so bad it was good. A classic example of Mexican food for white people, but I kind of found fun in the Goofy attempt to recreate a Mexican eating experiences. You could enjoy a “Ta-cup” with “Frito the Kid”. The menu was based on ground beef, cheese & beans combinations and you also got a miniature bag of Fritos with your meal, because in Mexico, of course, everyone loves Fritos.
- Spikes Teriyaki Bowl, 1530 S. San Gabriel Blvd, San Gabriel, CA. Yes, this place is still in operation, but it changed management some years ago and has not been as good since. Their Teriyaki bowls were divine, their Curry sublime, the Gyozas so fine, and the Burgers bovine. They also had a good fountain serve Cherry Coke, which I think is still there.
- The Tikis, 1975 North Portero Grande Dr., Monterey Park, CA. Truly an unbelievable place. Picture a Tiki themed Disneyland with free flowing booze and scantily clad hula girls. The Tikis Dinner Show would feature an all you can eat Hawaiian buffet and an elaborate entertainment that featured giant apes that would swing down on vines and send the women screaming for their lives as a full scale volcano exploded into the sky. A maze of dark and mysterious underground tunnels catacomb the area and explorers could discover hidden bars, discos and Polynesian wonders. I still keep one of their original matchbooks. Here’s the printed description:
THE TIKIS
· 12 acres of tropical enchantment
· 50 feet of underground lava tubes
· 50 feet of underground lava tubes
· 80 ft erupting volcano
· Waterfalls, lagoons, jungle trails
· 3 to 7 bands
· POLYNESIAN EXTRAVAGANZA featuring the finest of Hawaii, Tahiti, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga & New Zealand.
· Accommodates up to 5000 persons, 18 acres of parking
· We specialize in holiday parties
· Sundays bring the kids
· 12 exciting rides, petting zoo.
· Polynesian cultural center of the islands Train ride through ½ mile of Polynesian settings and monster caves. During October, The TIKIS would also host nightly Halloween Horror Nights with the some of the most elaborate and horrific Haunted Mazes. They did not skimp on the gore. Truly an unforgettable experience. 
11. Assorted Treats, Fizzies Soda Tablets, Candy juice inside wax shapes, Scooter pies, candy cigarettes, candy lipstick, half of a lemon with a saladito stuck in it, soda vending machines where first a paper cup was dispensed then the soda poured out into it, Nesbitts soda, Royal Crown Cola, Maypo, Space Sticks, Bosco and so many others……………………
Damn I miss Thrifty ice cream. I still feel like I’m being ripped off if I pay more that 30 cents for a scoop.
My parents had some kind of weird thing for Sambos, and whenever we were in Santa Barbara they would make a big deal out of going to what was then the only one left, although it was operating under a less racist name.
There’s a Farrell’s still operating down near San Diego, but I’ve never managed to go there.
Thanks for the post!
Yeah, the Sambo’s in Santa Barbara (the first & original) still operates today. The unfortunate connotation of the name belies the fact that the name Sambo’s was actually chosen because it was a mix of the founder’s names: “Sam” & “Bob”.
Granted, I’m out of town at the moment so I can’t personally check, but I’m pretty sure Bob’s Freeze is still around. Or in any event, there’s a place on Beverley / 3rd called Bob’s Freeze near the Civic Center Plaza. The place next to it is not Gardunos though.
Everyone seems to have loved Sambo’s in Montebello. It was before my time but people still rave about it!
I come here to read AL Desmadre’s posts every week because I don’t know where else on the net I can read a description like, “Their Teriyaki bowls were divine, their Curry sublime, the Gyozas so fine, and the Burgers bovine.”
Bravo!
I think the English translation for Las Carnitas is hilarious - LIttle Pork Meats. That literal translation doesn’t really entice me to go inside. It’s such a cool sign though. Too bad it was demolished. The current restaurant could have modified it rather than removing it completely.
Another excellent post, Al!
Oh how I used to love Farrell’s! I had a few birthday parties there. I loved that big drum they would bring out to sing happy birthday.
My parents used go to Tikis, I so, so wanted to go but I was just a kid. They did take me to one of the Halloween events. I was too young to appreciate it though, such a scaredy cat I was.
The Helms trucks were another favorite of mine. I’d go for the glazed donuts and the mystery gift bags. Those wooden drawers in the back of the truck were so awesome.
By the way, there used to be a Sambo’s on Vermont near Wilshire.
The sound of the arriving donut truck was always one that instantly got you excited, even if you couldn’t actually buy something. But since everyone would run to catch it, you could hang out and see them crazy long wood drawers get pulled out to reveal all kinds of goodies. That was some good design there. Check out this link for a photo http://www.flickr.com/photos/socalcamerahappy/634240859/
Sorry, I don’t have a picture ahh but in this case a picture couldn’t captivate the taste of a Curry’s Mile High Ice Cream cone. Black walnut, coffee, black cherry were among many of the combinations of the standards. On special occasions my mom would order a Banana Split. She would say that a Banana Split had to be shared; that’s what they meant when they named it “Split”!
Does anyone remember the A&W Drive-In on Whittier Blvd. across from K-Mart, where they had carhop service? What about the tiny drive-thru on Soto Street just north of Whittier Blvd. where you could buy chili dogs or mustard dogs for 35 cents each from the nice Japanese couple? And who can forget the snack bar/cafeteria at Sears on Olympic/Soto… as well as the nut/candy shopes inside where you could smell the roasted cashews throughout the store. You oldtimers will remember that there was an Orange Julius on the corner of 1st and Boyle, where the Mariachi Plaza now stands. Frank’s (now called Olympic Basket) on Olympic near Atlantic, made the best green chile burritos, and Pup N’ Taco on Atlantic/Goodrich was good too. But one of the most missed places in my book is the raspada stand on the corner of 3rd/Indiana. There is still a business in that location which makes raspadas but they are nowhere nearly as good as those from back in the 70’s - early ’80s.
Memories…
I do remember the A&W across from Kmart, AND the 35c Hot Dogs on Soto- they were great, the stand itself is still there, not the dogs. There was also a great Burger Stand
on Whittier Bl. called Zorba’s and this great little Italian food place in a little Quonset Hut on Gerhart ave. just south of Whittier Bl. Thanks for adding more memories!
Does anyone remember the name of the bowling alley that was next to the Golden Gate Theater? Does anyone have pictures of it? Wasn’t there also a bowling alley somewhere else on whittier blvd near the 605 fwy?
Driveindude-
That bowling alley was actually next to the ALAMEDA theater one block west of the Golden Gate. My parents took me there when I was wee little. I barely remember that they had a mini table top bowling lane for kids in there that I played.
There was also a LUCKY LANES bowling alley on Pomona Bl. just west of Atlantic Ave.
you may be right. I somehow seem to remember going to that bowling alley with my dad and we we’re right next door to the Golden Gate.
Anyway, I wanted to make a comment about Cronis Dogs. I hope I spelled it right. Well, From 1979 thru 2000 I worked at the old Times Mirror Press building over on Boyle Ave in Boyle Heights. For 18 of those years I worked with a woman by the name of Carmen Cronis. She was once married to that Cronis dude that opened that same hot dog stand on Whittier Blvd.
Speaking of Cronis. One of the long time managers, I think his name is Bun(?), (tall thin, narrow faced-mustachiod white guy) only this year finally retired from working at Cronis.
He was there slapping chili on those dogs for about 30+ years. That place is a real treasure. I’m glad it’s one of those places that has not changed a bit. I used to live about 2 short blocks away.
Hi! I grew up in East Los Angeles, lived there from 1957 til 1979 when I got married. My parents lived there most of there lives, until my dad died in 1997 and I moved my mom here to Colorado. Boy, all these posts about the area, bring back memories, I was doing a search on Cronis hot dogs, and I found you guys! I am 51 years old, and remember going to Cronis as a little girl, and had always managed to stop there on my returning trips to the area. It’s been about 5 years though since I’ve been back. That little Italian place in a quonset hut on Gerheart…that was Grasso’s, my one and only place I ate pizza til I was a teen! The best shrimp pizza ever! My father was a friend of his, when my father died, guese who was buried next to him at Calvary Cemetary…Mr. Grasso and his son, who took over the place for a while after his dad had passed away. Zorba’s, yes, that was a great hamburger place too! I lived on Amalia Ave…right there by Whittier and Atlantic. The A&W, Pup and Taco, the Golden Gate Theater….jumping in and out of cars cruising on the boulevard…if only my mom and dad knew!!! My dad was very active in the community as well as my grandmother, they lived on Arizona St.