The iconic Dinah’s Family Restaurant is moving to Culver City after more than six decades in Westchester. The last day of operation at the long-standing diner’s original location will be April 30 before opening its new restaurant at 4130 Sepulveda on May 6 under the name Dinah’s Kitchen.
Dinah’s was known for its homestyle food like fried chicken, German apple pancakes and Belgian waffles. According to Eater LA, they decided to move “due to a new development along Sepulveda Boulevard that would’ve forced the restaurant to close.”
Back in 2021 when the eight-story mixed-use project on Sepulveda began development, the initial proposal involved allowing Dinah’s to stay open throughout construction. However, an altered plan for the project emerged a few months ago that would require Dinah’s to close for three to four years while a new restaurant was being built – without any guarantee that the new rent wouldn’t ultimately price them out.
Thus, owners Mario and Teri Ernst began their search for a new location that would enable them to keep their current staff and continue serving the same community.
Culver City’s Dinah’s Kitchen will feature expanded menu offerings, plus a focus on using locally sourced, fresh ingredients – all while remaining affordable. And the restaurant’s enormous fried chicken bucket atop its current building will be prominently featured at their new spot.
Additionally, Dinah’s will now be neighbors with two other time-honored Culver City businesses – Tito’s Tacos, which opened in 1959, and Johnnie’s Pastrami which opened in 1952.
