The Original Pantry, the iconic downtown Los Angeles diner, is celebrating its 100th anniversary on Wednesday.
When the doors opened before dawn, longtime customer Ronnie Medina was first in line with an appetite and, like generations of LA residents, a Pantry story.
"When I was 10, my dad brought me here for my first ‘man meal," Medina said. "And, 30 years later, I brought my son on his 10th birthday. And, the (server) who helped us said, 'I’m actually the one who served you.'"
The diner is celebrating a century of service with a live mariachi, free souvenirs, and a free stack of pancakes for customers who purchase a meal from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m.
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The LA Historical-Cultural monument serves traditional American breakfast and gained notoriety for never closing since opening in 1924.
Former LA Mayor Richard Riordan, was the owner of The Original Pantry for decades before his death in 2023.
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The Original Pantry Café was opened in 1924 and moved to its current location in 1950 on the corner of Figueroa Street and James M Wood Boulevard.
According to the diner, the likes of Marilyn Monroe and Dr.Martin Luther King Jr. are some of the iconic figures to have dined at the historic DTLA establishment.
