Dale's Diner — Restaurant in Long Beach

"Sunday, Monday, hungry days. Tuesday, Wednesday, hungry days. Thursday, Friday, hungry days. Saturday, let's eat, okay? Breakfast, all day for you." - parody of theme to "Happy Days"

Dale's Diner is a 50's themed diner, complete with jukebox & milkshakes. Unlike Ruby's Diner, which is more an imposter theme park diner, Dale's Diner is the real deal. A diner which feels lived in, because it is. I attended an event at Dale's, almost a decade ago, but haven't been back, since. After visiting Stein Fillers, I was originally planning to hit up Village Road Pizzeria, but some greasy spoon action sounded more enticing (and better bang for the buck) than a few slices & a pint.

Perusing Dale's assortment of omelette's, named after popular 50's cars, instead, I found my appetite set on chicken-fried steak & eggs.

Chicken-fried steak & eggs- A big, battered & fried steak, smothered under a mountain of country gravy. Complete w/ 2 eggs, toast & my choice of side - Southwestern hashbrowns. Tummy stuffing! Portions aren't skimped, here. Everything was good & just as expected. The highlight were the Southwestern hashbrowns. The reason I didn't choose an omelette, the SW hashbrowns had bell peppers, onions & other accoutrement that I would've had in an omelette.

Service was excellent. The young women were friendly & quick with service. Seating is via booths & bar seating. Parking lanes are on Norse Way, with lots behind some of the businesses.

Dale's Diner is a throwback of Americana, and a fine option to choose when searching for meal. I left full & satisfied. Nothing fancy, and...

Hark! What light through yonder diner breaks? ‘Tis not the moon, but chrome that gleams so bright, Where burgers, juicy as a summer’s morn, Do melt upon the tongue like lovers’ sighs.

O, blessed beef! Thy patty, thick and true, Hath kissed the flame to sweet ambrosia’s tune, Whilst golden cheese, like sun-kissed Avalon, Doth cloak thee in a robe of molten grace. The bun, soft as a courtier’s velvet glove, Doth cradle thee with buttery embrace.

The staff! Fair nymphs and merry-hearted knaves, Who greet thee not as guest, but kin long lost. Their smiles do sparkle brighter than the stars That gleam upon this realm of checkered floors. “What wilt thou, friend?” they cry with voices sweet, And lo! Thy cup o’erflows with cola’s fizz, Or shakes of malt, so thick, so rich, so cold, They’d make stout Neptune pause and beg a sip.

The scene! Aye, here the golden age doth dwell— Where rock ‘n’ roll doth hum from jukebox high, And booths of crimson beckon weary souls To rest and feast like kings of olden days. E’en Elvis’ ghost might tap his blue suede shoe And cry, “Forsooth! This place outshines my own!”

Thus ends my tale, yet ne’er my love for thee, O diner fair, where joy and grease do meet. Five stars? Nay, ten! And all the muses sing: “Return anon, and taste eternity!”

—Thy Devoted Patron & Bard of Burgers

Translation for Modern Folk: *“This 50s diner slings burgers so juicy they’re basically edible sonnets, staff so kind they’d give Falstaff a run for his money, and vibes so retro you’ll swear you’ve stepped into ‘Happy Days.’ 11/10. Seriously though,...

One of my favorite diners in Long Beach or the whole South Bay area. It’s very similar to George’s close by in that it is a traditional retro diner modeled after the 1950s. I am working through a list of all diners in LA County and next up on my list was Dale’s. I was excited to try it because it’s the sort of place that I love to visit and looking from the outside I knew that I would enjoy what was on the menu. They don’t have a dedicated parking lot however street parking is extremely easy to find in this part of town so we were able to find a free space right out front. Our server was extremely polite and checked in on us often and everything that we ordered came out very fast. They have a large menu filled with all sorts of great options so it’s the sort of place that would be easy to visit multiple times and be able to get something new each time. Pricing is also very fair, which is probably one of my favorite parts of any diner.

For this visit, we started off with a Cinnamon Roll, and I honestly was not a fan of it. It was very dry and tasted more like a muffin than a traditional cinnamon roll. I am pretty sure they bought it in a large batch and was not homemade so I would not recommend ordering it. For my meal I chose the Hamburger Steak and Eggs and thought it was great. The patty had a lot of great seasoning on it, and the eggs were cooked perfectly and the portion size was very generous. Overall I really enjoyed it although I was not a fan of the Cinnamon Roll.

I would highly recommend to any fan of diners or to anyone in the Long Beach area searching for a great...