Peggy Sue’s 50’s Diner in California – Our Review

Peggy Sue’s 50’s Diner is a quirky but authentic road side diner in Yermo, California. Most likely you wont run into another diner like this!

Peggy Sue’s is a great little stop in California for those who want to experience a real 50’s diner. There is a lot to see both inside and outside of the building, but their main thing is of course their burgers and milkshakes.

Peggy Sue’s 50’s Diner is located in a city of Yermo along the Interstate 15. Many people drive by the diner since it is on the way from San Francisco or from Los Angeles to Las Vegas. It is also very close to famous Route 66.

You can’t see the diner from the freeway, but once you see the big signs about it, make sure to turn off to the town. Our navigator directed us incorrectly first, but you should be taking the Ghost Town Road first and then turn to Yermo Road from there.

Our route followed the legendary Route 66 for a while which ends in California. Just to feel nostalgic, we got off the freeway and drove along Route 66 for a while. Someday it would be cool to drive the whole stretch across America.  

The Story of Peggy Sue’s Diner

Peggy Sue’s Diner is really owned by Peggy Sue. She and her husband Champ found an old and abandoned diner a long time ago. They remodeled it and were able to reopen it in 1981.

The building is from 1954 and it was originally built from railroad ties found from the nearby Union Pacific Rail yard. 

For those interested in trains and the Union Pacific Rail, I would recommend a visit to California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento. Also Golden Spike National Historical Park in Utah had a great exhibition on building the railroads.

The old diner Peggy and Champ purchased was called The Country Kitchen and while they renovated it, they tried to capture the original atmosphere as much as possible.

They originally moved to Yermo from the Los Angeles Area where Peggy worked in the movie industry. She worked in hundreds of movies and shows on their set or as an actress. At the same time she collected a sizeable amount of memorabilia from the industry.

Champ on the other hand worked in a busy amusement park called Knott’s Berry farm when he met Peggy Sue. They got married and decided to move away from the bustle of LA.

When they opened Peggy Sue’s Diner they brought in their large collection of movie and TV show mementos, which can now be seen in the diner. Over the years they have also collected more as their customers donated things.

The diner quickly become very popular and they expanded it with a 50’s souvenir shop, lemonade bar, ice cream bar and pizza parlor. They also built a very interesting garden at the back of the diner called Dinersaur Park.

Peggy Sue and Champ worked at the diner for a long time and even their longest employers have been there for 20 and 30 years. But unfortunately Champ passed away in 2020 which in many ways was already a difficult year for the restaurant industry.

Peggy Sue is now running the restaurant with her kids and hopefully it will stay in the family.

Eating at Peggy Sue’s Diner – Our Review

Peggy Sue’s Diner is a colorful place. The entrance looks like a giant jukebox and at the main door you will be greeted by Betty Boop.

When you step inside, it almost feels like time has frozen and you got stuck in the 50’s. Even the waitresses are dressed in 50’s uniforms.

Most of the walls are covered with photos and posters from well-known movies. I think the most interesting ones are the photos of actors and actresses Peggy Sue has met or have visited the diner.

They have had guests such as Nicolas Cage, Antonio Banderas, Kristin Stewart, Taylor Lautner and Whoopi Goldberg. The diner was also showcased in Andrew Zimmern’s Bizarre Foods.

The menu has traditional diner foods from sandwiches to fried chicken, but I was happy to also find some home made meat loaf for our daughter.

Everything was named in an old Hollywood style such as Marlon Brandon Mushroom Cheeseburgers and Elvis Presley Shakes. I got myself a Buddy Holly Bacon Cheeseburger.

When ever visiting a diner you should leave some room for dessert because they usually have a variety of milkshakes, ice creams and traditional pies.

If you want to try something very American, try the Root Beer Float or an Old Fashioned Ice Cream Soda. I am not a huge fan of sodas with ice cream, but you must at least try them. 

The food was good but nothing extra special that would make me come back. But the ambiance and the experience itself was worth a trip.

While we waited for our food we walked around to see what all was there. From the main dining room the diner looks quite small but there are extra rooms that fit a handful of people.

We also wanted to check out the Dinersaur Park which was outside at the back of the diner. And yes, it was quite bizarre, but at the same time quite 50’s!

They have a beautiful, little pond with carp and turtles, and then they have some giant metal dinosaurs along the garden. Our little daughter of course loved the place and tried to spot the turtles in the water.

We have actually seen some similar dinosaur statues in Palm Springs which is only a couple hours away from Peggy Sue’s Diner.

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Peggy Sue’s 50’s Diner is a fun place to stop at if you are passing by. These kind of old and authentic diners are getting pretty rare and everyone visiting from abroad should definitely experience one!

You can add it on your route if you are driving from Los Angeles or from San Francisco to Las Vegas or to Death Valley, or you are driving along Route 66 in California. On the way to Death Valley you will also pass by Manzanar National Historic Site which makes an interesting stop.

Very close to Peggy Sue’s Diner is Calico Ghost Town which is an old mining town which caters to tourists. It can also be a fun stop if you like to visit ghost towns. The best one in California is called the Bodie Ghost Town.

And everyone who is interested in hiking should make a little detour to Mojave National Preserve or to Joshua Tree National Park. Both of them have some unique nature and great hiking trails.

There is so much to see in this area and a visit to Peggy Sue’s 50’s Diner will get you re-fuelled for your adventures!