An Iconic Santa Monica Diner Resurrects as an Art Deco American Bistro
Restaurateur Bob Lynn operates seven restaurants in Los Angeles and the Phoenix area, including the Misfit in Santa Monica. In March of this year, his Pasadena restaurants, La Grande Orange and Luggage Room Pizzeria, closed after 18 and 10 year runs, respectively. Lynn, a trained chef who had a 25-year career as an executive at Hillstone group opening restaurants like Rutherford Grill in Napa, Gulfstream in Newport Beach, and Cafe R&D (which later became R&D Kitchen), tries his best to purchase the buildings his restaurants operate in (except the Pasadena ones, which contributed to their closures) in order to set them up for long term success.
Lynn acquired the barrel-ceiling bowstruss-reinforced building that now houses Diner Antonette years ago, which also had the next-door Vienna Bakery. He and Abbott, who live a few blocks away, were always charmed by the diner, which felt like a neighborhood bistro in Brooklyn or Paris with this sunken floor counter and cozy booths. Lynn waited for the owner of the former Callahan's diner to retire before opening Ingo's there in 2014, then waited for the owners of Vienna Bakery, who were in their 80s, to retire and close in 2021 after 57 years of business. From 2021 to 2025, Lynn and his team took apart the bakery to make way for the retail area and patio, exposing its glorious ceiling and even some catwalk mezzanines. Lynn thinks owning the property should give Diner Antonette staying power long after he eventually retires, and hopes it becomes a neighborhood institution like Callahan's and Vienna were before.
Although Ingo's had operated for four years until its hiatus, Lynn refreshed the American bistro menu with the help of his longtime director of culinary Jordan Lynn (who also happens to be his son). The menu features plenty of ingredients at their seasonal prime, like poached baby artichokes, peaches with scratch-made ricotta and sorrel pesto, and pan-roasted Scottish salmon with braised Tuscan kale. Ingo's popular crispy Brussels sprouts remain, served with marcona almonds and baked goat cheese. The mains will seem familiar and timeless, like meatballs and rolled spaghetti, steak au poivre with fries, and a cheddar-topped burger using a meat patty that's ground to order (something Lynn claims no one else does). Whole roast branzino Provençal comes with the perfume of vermouth and the comfort of sliced roasted vegetables, while dungeness crab and lobster are served over handmade pasta.
For dessert, there's an olive oil cake with saffron and gelato from Lynn's Phoenix-based artisanal Grateful Spoon ($20 to try every flavor, with a 'Do It!' on the menu). Expect quality, smaller producer wines by bottle or glass and a tight set of inventive cocktails.
'We never spent a dime on PR or marketing, like Hillstone. What we do is be patient and focus on execution,' says Lynn, who still praises the consistency and overall operation of his former employer. Still, he thinks Diner Antonette's food takes the familiar American bistro classics and brings them into a more appropriate California-inflected seasonality: 'We're not running items all year long, we're much more focused on what's in season. We try and use all of our seafood daily instead of carrying it overnight. It's just a younger attitude.'
Eventually, Diner Antonette will have brunch service, an appealing proposition with that airy patio that fits 60 people, and an expedited 'lunch hour' with reasonably priced, quick-fired items to cater to the neighborhood.
Diner Antonette is open daily for happy hour at 4 p.m., with dinner commencing at 5 p.m. It closes at 10:30 p.m., with lunch and brunch service to come. Located at 1213 Wilshire Boulevard, Santa Monica, CA, 90403. See More: Eater Inside
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