I miss the coffee shop counters more than any bar I ever went to. The Original Pantry shutting down was the one that got me, and every year another one of these places quietly disappears. I still drive to Rae's on Pico for eggs and a cup that never stays empty. Which of the old ones do you still go for?
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Russell's on Fair Oaks in Pasadena is the one I'd send you to. It has been there since the twenties and the waffles are the reason people line up, crisp outside and still soft in the middle. Go on a weekday before nine or you will wait thirty minutes on the sidewalk. Street parking on Union is easier than the Fair Oaks meters.
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Nick's Cafe in Chinatown, 1300 North Spring, opens early and the ham steak and eggs is the whole reason to go. Counter seats mostly, the line moves fast, and I am usually out in twenty minutes.
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Pann's on La Tijera is five minutes from me and it still looks like 1958 inside. Get the fried chicken and waffles, sit in a booth, and skip the Sunday church rush.
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Rae's is my neighborhood one and I am glad you named it, that turquoise counter on Pico has not changed since before I moved here. Two eggs, hash browns, biscuit, and the coffee just keeps coming. Get there before eight on a Saturday or you are standing outside with everyone else. My out of town friends always think I picked something trendy until the check comes.
If you want the fancier version of old LA, Musso and Frank on Hollywood Blvd is still the real thing, same red jackets, same menu, sit at the counter and watch them work. Not a diner exactly, but it survived everything, and that counts for something these days.
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Nothing near us in WeHo really qualifies anymore, so I drive up to Clark Street Diner on Franklin for this.
It is the old 101 Coffee Shop space, wood paneling intact, and the pancakes and the bacon are done properly. Weekday mornings around ten are calm, weekends after eleven are a wait. Fifteen minutes from Santa Monica Blvd and worth it.
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Gardena Bowl Coffee Shop, inside the bowling alley on Vermont. I grew up going down there and it is still the same counter, same Japanese American breakfast plates, and the bill is genuinely cheap for what you get. Order the loco moco or the teriyaki eggs and you will understand why the regulars are all in their seventies. Bit of a drive from West LA, but nothing else feels like it.
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I still love IHop and Denny's. I don't need anything fancy. They serve their purpose and run 24/7. Great after a night out.
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That's exactly how I feel.
Open 24 hours and fair pricing. Plus, you get the same consistent quality. Are there qualitatively better diners out there? Sure, no doubt, but I grew up with Denny's, I don't need any fancy replacement.
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I love Pann's for example. It's just that their hours (7:30 am to 3 pm) are a joke. The whole point of a diner is that you can go there whenever you want.
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Hahaha, true. I was looking for diners in L.A. for my next trip. Found places like Ocean Diner in Hermosa, but it closes at 2 PM.
Not exactly what I was looking for. 
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