In this circa 1953 photo, we’re looking southeast across the intersection of S. Spring and First Streets in downtown Los Angeles toward a restaurant called Nibblers. It was a small chain of diners who were also at Wilshire & San Vicente as well as Wilshire & Spaulding Dr. in Beverly Hills. I don’t know what they were like; I just love the name: Nibblers. It sounds so inviting, warm, and friendly, doesn’t it? I also love the name on the white van over to the left: Lucky Lager.
Cindy D. says: “Nibblers was terrific! Great food. Menu with lots of variety. It was a family favorite. Seemed more upscale than a typical diner. Back in the day, every table had a jar of the most delicious pickled beets sitting on it, waiting for you.”
Naturally, none of those buildings exist any longer. This image is from June 2022. That building is part of the LAPD headquarters.
Lucky Lager was a brand of bottled beer.
Yeah, it was very popular when I was a kid.
I think the Nibblers building was later the home of Code Seven, a bar named after the code that police use to signal they’re going off-duty. Appropriately enough, it was a favorite haunt of the LAPD. It also had the world’s longest stairs leading down toward its basement, where the restrooms were hidden, as I discovered one Friday afternoon after imbibing one too many Long Island iced teas. I survived the descent and returning ascent, but it was a near thing.
For some reason, as soon as I saw the Nibblers name, a 1980s-ish Sherman Oaks restaurant popped into my mind: The Great Gorge. Opposite ends of the restaurant naming spectrum!
Ha! That is funny, Ken. Thanks for stopping by.