Comments on: Ben Frank’s, Los Angeles, 1962

By: brad dorset

brad dorset — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 22:13:33 +0000

Boy, what a cool diner…my main lunchspot. I moved to L.A. in ’78, from Alabama. I rented a (monthly) hotel room at 8462 Sunset, the Park Sunset Hotel, for $200.00 per month. (It’s now the Grafton, and will run you 200 to $300 per night, LOL)! Anyway, over time I enjoyed most everything on the menu. I didn’t have much $ so a lot of times I’d just have a big bowl of Lentil soup, which they’d fill to the brim, with iced tea. To this day I’ve STILL not found a better lentil soup. Between Ben’s, Ship’s, Norm’s, Lucy’s El Adobe, Danny’s Teriyaki Dog and of course In-N-Out Burgers, I never went hungry, and never went broke. Thanks for the photo. bd

By: Robert

Robert — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 05:28:16 +0000

Great shot of Ben Franks..taken a few years before I got to LA from Boston..I arrived in 1979..I lived a couple blocks west on Hammond, for about 10 years.. and went there all the time..one of the few places to get a decent anything after the clubs closed..and believe me I closed quite a few..their meatloaf and liver plates were great..always went for breakfast on weekends…I always sat by the window facing Sunset in order to get my daily fix of serious people-watching..LOVED IT..a few other places I loved nearby were Cravings, Chin-Chin, Le Dome and Le Petit Four (for their fantastic banana muffins.) El Privado was my main club that I always went to nightly, among many others. This part of LA will always change for the best.

By: The Lower Modernisms – 012. Lomo Featured Project: Ben Franks aka Mel’s Drive-In. 2011 Googie Coffee Shops Bicycle Ride Series, February Ride.

Wed, 23 Mar 2011 15:12:13 +0000

[...] it up when they took over and remodeled, as you can see by comparison with this vintage photograph: http://www.charlesphoenix.com/2007/04/ben-franks-los-angeles-1962/ But nevertheless it retains a lot of charm. Alterations include the addition of the awning in the [...]

By: Doodaddy

Doodaddy — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 17:10:06 +0000

The Ford in front of the ’59 Chevy is a ’59 Ford Interceptor, I believe. Cerainly not a ’60, which was much different in design.

And Nomads did not have windows on the side rear of the auto…..

By: joey cholik

joey cholik — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 23:29:49 +0000

This was THE place to go after the clubs on Sunset closed. The Trip was down the street along with the Whisky a go go and Gazzaris’. I was there in summer 1966 and 1967. Also liked Canters’ and Hamberger Hamlet.

By: Terry

Terry — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 03:50:50 +0000

I always loved Ben Frank’s and thought the food was very good. After hours Strip hang out for many many years! I could never understand why they would close a perfectly good real retro diner and turn it into a fake one!

By: larry leon

larry leon — Sat, 08 Sep 2007 15:59:06 +0000

I missed the liver and onions and mashed taters . I drove by the place back in the early 60s and the place was a hang out for hippies regular folks and sonny and cher.

By: steve lillie

steve lillie — Tue, 01 May 2007 14:17:13 +0000

ok, we’ve id’ed the Chevy, but Joyce, could it not be the top-of-the-line Nomad rather than the Brookwood? How about that nifty 1960 Ford
Convertible. Ford stylists were peeking over the fence at GM and spied the 59 chev styling.
They made the ’60 tailites oblong and copied the chev fins in 1960.. Did not sell too well so round tailites returned in 61. See the 57 Ford coupe in front of the Chev. James Bond painted it black and chased Dr No’s henchmen in Jamaica in 1960. Great slide, Charles

By: Mary Sue

Mary Sue — Sat, 28 Apr 2007 02:57:25 +0000

I remember the place very well. I remember going there before heading towards Whiskey a Go Go for the evening and listening to Johnny Rivers. Thank you very much for the memories of the 60s.

By: Jim D

Jim D — Sat, 28 Apr 2007 01:59:40 +0000

Charles: Well, the ’59 Chevy has been commented
upon already so, I’ll move to the Mel’s section
and comment on the food there. I’ve eaten in a
number of Mel’s Diners and the food isn’t worth the price. I did eat in THIS Ben/Mel’s a
few times and wouldn’t go out of my way to eat
there again either. An aside; today for lunch I
went to the Musso & Frank Grill on Hollywood Blvd where they charge from $2.50 to $3.75 for
the dressing on your salad! I had a ham sandwich and creamed spinach on the side and a
really refreshing brewed iced tea. A good restaurant has good cooks/chefs doing the work,
Mel’s lacks in that department. But, the build-
ing is a classic, yes it is.