Atmosphere of ‘50s Without the Pretense

Pop’s Cafe is a down-home diner in downtown Santa Ana that’s one of the best-kept secrets around, something you’d imagine finding in Andy Griffith’s Mayberry. Maybe it’s Eff’s barbershop and the Powder Puff beauty salon next door.

Nothing fancy here; good breakfast and lunch food and friendly service keep regulars coming back. You can sit at the 10 counter stools or six tables inside or the half a dozen sidewalk tables outdoors, and tap your toe to “This Magic Moment.” It’s the kind of place you want to walk to on a weekend morning to read the paper and watch the world go by on Main Street.

Somehow, Pop’s manages to strike a nostalgic 1950s atmosphere without pretense--on its menu and with its black and white soda fountain decor, added five years ago when Moe and Linda McElvogue bought the place. Moe, who at 16 launched his restaurant career as a busboy at a Garden Grove Bob’s Big Boy, cooks. Linda helps with waitressing.

Surrounded by banks and title companies, Pop’s is situated at the edge of French Park, a historic residential neighborhood.

Customers range from uniformed cops to business suits and other downtown workers during the week. Weekends bring more officers, the residents and the after-church crowd.

Breakfast is the best deal at Pop’s, where you can get perfect French toast--thick pieces lightly crisp outside, soft inside, for $2.95. Also try the chicken fried steak, but come with an appetite. Besides the gravy-covered meat, you get biscuits, hash browns and eggs--all for $4.15.

My friend Roger recommends the eggs Benedict or corned beef hash, which, like most breakfasts, come with Irish potatoes flavored with onions and bell pepper.

Lunch features 13 sandwiches, from traditional fare to chili sizes. At $5.25 each, they may seem steeply priced, but they are big sandwiches. No match for an In-N-Out Burger, Pop’s is nevertheless respectable at $3.15. A side order of French fries is far more than any one person needs. I’d go for the turkey sandwich on squaw bread instead. The best.

The waitresses are sweet, the coffee’s always good, and the owners often drop by your table to make sure you’re a happy customer. Maybe next they’ll bring back real gas station attendants.

Pop’s Cafe, 112 E. 9th St., Santa Ana. Open Monday through Friday, 6 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday, 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Sunday 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. (714) 543-2772.