Trimmings

Clifton’s Cafeteria Gets Its Old Face Back

Owner Andrew Meieran outside of Clifton's original facade, unveiled yesterday
Owner Andrew Meieran outside of Clifton’s original facade, unveiled yesterday Photo: Arpi Ketendjian

Yesterday, the original facade at Clifton’s Cafeteria was revealed for the first time since the sixties. A large crowd gathered Downtown to watch the removal of unsightly aluminum grates that have long obscured the eatery’s first face, and possibly hoping for some sort of Geraldo Rivera-esque reveal, a la Al Capone’s vault. Although the cafeteria’s resemblance to Soviet-era architecture has been crushed, the unveiled facade ended up not looking much like the glamorous front we’ve seen in old photos. Instead, many of the windows had been filled in with concrete, in what The L.A. Times notes is earthquake-proofing installed in the late eighties. But new owner Andrew Meieran will clear those away, too, in the months to come, as part of his multi-(read, MULTI) million-dollar renovation of the historic, forest-themed cafeteria that plans to include an upper level bakery, as well as a titanic, booze-slinging tribute to our long-gone Tiki culture.

Clifton’s Cafeteria reveals original facade, hidden for 50 years [LAT]

Clifton’s Cafeteria Gets Its Old Face Back