Andy Chase

02/09/2002 - Heart's Coffee Shop

16918 Saticoy St (at Balboa) • Van Nuys, California

An even sadder place than Johnie's was before it closed, Heart's looks as though it hasn't seen any maintenance at all to its exterior or sign since it opened.

Photographing the sign in its entirety was made difficult due to a couple of factors:

1. A fast food chain who shall remain nameless has erected a sign at the corner of the adjacent lot, blocking half of the Heart's sign to the east.
2. Although it's clear that the rusty heart at the very top of the sign used to rotate, in 2002 it only sways back and forth about 10 degrees in the wind.

16918 Saticoy St (at Balboa)
Van Nuys, California

Darby's Coffee Shop in Canoga Park.20901 Sherman Way (at De Soto) Canoga Park, CA 91303

I had an appointment in an unfamiliar part of the Valley today (Canoga Park) and since I had some time to kill beforehand I thought I would grab lunch, preferably in a non-McFastFood type restaurant.

A Coffee Shop was what I had in mind, actually, but I didn't know of any notable ones in that part of the valley, and a Google search for "Canoga Park coffee shop" was fruitless. All it told me was that once upon a time there had been a Big Boy which has since closed.
I drove along Sherman Way, looking for my cross street and keeping an eye out for a promising place to eat. It wasn't until I doubled back to De Soto avenue by way of Valerio that I saw the bright blue sign proclaiming Darby's Coffee Shop at the corner of De Soto and Sherman Way. I made a quick right into the parking lot, and looked the place over - I do love supporting old coffee shops, but not if they're dirty and/or creepy. The health inspector had given the place an "A", which was encouraging, and the sign looked original and well-maintained, which is always promising.

I went in and sat at the counter, which was immaculate. Looking around at decor I would hazard a guess that the last major remodeling was done in the late 60's/early 70's, but the vinyl upholstery has either been kept very clean or, if replaced, carefully colormatched to the shiny avocado/moss green (stools) and brown (booths) of the last remodel.

A very cozy little place, which seems to have been there for quite some time - one of the signs out front said something about a 50th anniversary special, which would date Darby's to 1951.

It was about 1:00 when I sat down to order lunch, and there was only one other customer there. I had glanced at the hours on my way in and noticed that they only open for breakfast and lunch. I had apparently missed the lunch rush, and that was fine by me; An attentive waitress took my order, and about 5 minutes later I had my tuna melt and fries.

The rye bread was grilled to perfection and the fries had the perfect crispy/mealy ratio. The tuna salad was very tasty, if not quite warmed all the way through. Next time I'll ask to have the tuna somehow warmed up, either by grill or by microwave, but at the time I was too hungry to complain. Overall, the sandwich was good.

Total cost for a tuna melt, fries, and a coke: about $6.50. Not too bad, and better quality, bigger portions, and better service than you're likely to find at a Denny's type restaurant. I didn't find the tuna salad all that off-putting, because I got the impression that they would have been happy to heat it up for me if I'd only asked. Next time I'm out that way I'll have to stop in and try their coffee. I'll bet they do good breakfasts, too.

11/25/2001 - Bob's Big Boy, 4211 W Riverside Dr, Toluca Lake, California.\n
A Coffee Shop sign facing Riverside drive from the curved roof of the restaurant.

11/25/2001 - Bob's Big Boy, 4211 W Riverside Dr, Toluca Lake, California.
Bob's Big Boy from across Riverside Drive.

10001 Riverside Drive Dr, Toluca Lake, California.
A little further west along Riverside drive is Patys Coffee House, another googie-style coffee shop which, unfortunately, has been remodeled over the years. However, the sign retains all of its original character.

Burbank Boulevard
Toluca Lake, California

3037 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA. The sign lettering is very reminiscent of the old Tiny Naylor's restaurants.

10/02/1999 - Fairfax at Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles. Armet & Davis, Architects.

A stylish Coffee Shop sign decorates Armet & Davis' characteristically slanting roof along Fairfax ave. A potential point of interest to film buffs: A scene from the Coen Brothers' film The Big Lebowski was filmed inside Johnie's.