Dinah's Comfort Kitchen — Restaurant in Los Angeles

Just got back from trying out the new Dinah's in Culver City, and it pains us to say we are disappointed. So much of it was wonderful to see, after having been customers at the old one - lively atmosphere, friendly folks, a new location with what looked like loyal old customers, and even a dance night. The issue we had was with an order we had, and then the ensuing response. We got the monster burger as well as the steak sandwich. The monster burger, ordered medium rare, was completely raw in the middle. Talking about mushy, moist, raw ground beef that was lukewarm to the touch and clearly not cooked. It was at the center of the patty, about a tennis ball size circumference. Not just the inside either, from top to bottom of patty. We both tried to continue to eat it but could not, and mushing it around on the plate, we felt like it would be remiss not to say anything. When we did say something though, the manager came and started to tell us what sounded like justification as well as blame. "Well, the patties are so big that it's just gonna be uncooked in the middle." "You shouldn't have eaten so much of it, now we can't do anything about it." "Why didn't you say anything earlier when you first got it?" It all felt quite abrasive. We explained that we didn't know it was that raw until we got to the center, the part that is usually what I know I look forward to most. The waiter was wonderful, we have no complaints about that. One a $57 dollar bill we received 7 dollars compensated for the meal, which was also a gesture, though not a terribly significant one, considering that we are now wondering if our stomachs are all good with raw ground beef. I think what was tough was that we were not trying to say it was unacceptable or that we demand money back or anything. We actually refrained from letting them know that the meats of both the steak and the burger were pretty bland and unseasoned in ways that felt like they weren't trying very hard on it. We kind of just wanted to let them know. Usually when a patty is that big, it's pretty easy to just turn the heat down a little so that it cooks through a bit more. Hell, even throw it in the microwave for like 10 seconds to make sure it's like... just not raw. So that was that, and it was compounded by the way we were low key blamed for not handling it right, when we were really just trying to support Dinah's instead of going to these other bougie places we had as options in the area. Probably not going back, which sucks because we are all about supporting small businesses...

I went to Dinah's for lunch on a Sunday with my family. We ordered 2 mushroom burgers, a French dip sandwich, a chicken liver plate, the monster burger and an extra plate of fries for the little one. To say the least, we enjoyed the fries the best. For our drinks, we order 3 cokes, 1 strawberry lemonade and waters to go around. The service started off okay, as the waitress who took our order seemed nice. She was taking care of 2 large groups, including our table, as well as a few other tables.

A different server brought us our drinks a few minutes after we finished ordering and the lemonade was full of strawberries, which was delicious. The refill was served without ANY strawberries and didn't look too appealing. When we got our food, the French dip sandwich came first, then the 3 burgers and fries. The chicken liver order took so much longer and we tried to wait for everyone to get their food before digging in, but it was impossible since it took SUPER long all of our other food was starting to get to cold.

I ordered the mushroom burger, which came with lettuce and tomatoes, and without any kind of sauce or condiment on it. The waitress disappeared for a while so it took a minute to order some mayo for the burger, which was served in a paper condiment cup. My daughter wanted ranch for her fries, which I wasn't able to order until after my mayo came back since the waitress ran off as soon as I asked for the mayo. The ranch was served in a mini dish and it had spilled on the side, was not wiped, and it got all over my hand. The French dip looked dry since it was only meat and bread served with au jus sauce.

The waitress seemed to be irritated with our table, which I'm still unsure why, but she dropped off our check and never came back to check on us or to tell us that we had to pay at the front. With the check, she brought out take out containers and I had to ask TWICE for small containers for the au just sauce and the ranch, since she just kept running off and not waiting to listen to everything we needed. She never brought a bag, either, even though we had 2 FULL containers and the little ones.

When we went to go pay in the front, we carried all of our boxes in our hands and I asked for a bag. The cashier said I needed to wait so she could take payment first. She seemed mad that I even asked for one, when I told her we were all together. I used to like going to Dinah's but sadly, this impression killed...

Dinah's is iconic. I liked it but didn't love it. I really wanted to. I got the prime rib special. It didn't have much flavor. My friend ordered a lot of food too. Dinah's self proclaimed World famous friend chicken. I tried a bite or two and it was only ok. Mayne we just came on an off night. Lacking flavor. A little greasy. The chicken was a bit rubbery. It was all edible just not super delicious. She had fries and creamed spinach as her sides. She really enjoyed those sides. I had vegetables and rice pilaf. Their rice pilaf has a touch of curry and some sliced olives. Super old school I guess and I really liked the unique flavor. Our other friend got ribs. They devoured them. The meat fell from the bone. So the ribs are a huge win. The place is loud so that makes it family friendly. It has plenty of comfy booths and there is a pretty bright room that also has big screen TVs and sports playing if that is your thing! I chose to sit in the main room in the diner. Less bright and calmer. They have plenty on their menu and I do plan to return to Dinah's. They are already advertising St. Paddy's day corned beef. TEMPTING. The wait service was excellent and caring. The prices seemed average. They give you a good amount of food. We all had to go containers. The yeast rolls were cold and the banana bread wasn't my thing at all. Not like banana bread I've ever had. I'd was dense and dry. I gave it to my friends they liked it. So over all Dinah's is a retro cool diner with a ton of choices and I'd suggest breakfast because it is well known for that. Try the ribs and if you can go when the prime rib is on special. There is a Peking lot and plenty of seating. ENJOY. If you liked my review or found it helpful...