Peggy Sue's 50's Diner

One of many jewels along the Historic Route
66 is Peggy Sue's Diner, a wonderful blast
from the past. Peggy Sue, a Hollywood
starlet, boasting over 100 movies and
commercials, left the limelight for a simpler
life opening in 1954 a little diner in Yermo.
Though she left Hollywood, Hollywood didn't
leave her. Movie star friends that she worked
with came to visit her here and are now a part
of this restaurant's history with an impressive
collection of signed photographs and
newspaper articles on the walls. Hollywood
whimsy is everywhere from a life-size James
Dean greeting customers at the hostess desk
to Marilyn Monroe and Elvis rocking out to the
juke box tunes in one of several dining rooms.
Another dining room is a pizza parlour where
you order your pie at the counter and play
video games and sip on a rootbeer while it
bakes. The gift shop had the most extensive
collection of memorabilia I've ever seen.
There was everything from The Beatles,
Gumby, Popeye, I Love Lucy, Lulu, Betty
Boop, Wizard of Oz, Honeymooners, Laurel &
Hardy, The Three Stooges, James Dean,
Marilyn Monroe, Elvis and the list goes on and
on. With four separate dining areas and a
generous gift shop, there's a bit of something
for everyone here. It's certainly worth a stop
on your way to where ever. A second Peggy
Sue's was opened in 1997 in Victorville and
though the restaurant was originally built in
1959 it hasn't doesn't reflect the love that was
poured into the Yermo location. Oh sure you'll
still see Elvis hanging around, it's only a
cardboard version though, and there is a small
gift shop. Here you can order up such dishes
as the Tina Turner Tuna Sandwich, Fabian
French Dip or the John Denver Omelette. We
had the Chicken Fried Steak with hash browns
and an order of their biscuit & gravy. This
meal would have been ideal for insomniacs,
but probably wasn't the best choice to start
our long trek to Vegas, leaving us ready for a
nap. My son loves a BLT Sandwich, but didn't
care much for theirs, it was a bit dry with only
3 slices of bacon, and though I finished it I had
to agree with him. So far I liked best the
lightly battered Onion Rings at the Yermo

location, they're not too thick, not too thin, just right! Here we also ordered
the Home Cooked Meatloaf which wasn't bad, but reminded me more of
Salisbury Steak. Unfortunately the Mashed Potatoes tasted as if they were
mashed with skim milk, not much flavor. Pineapple seems to be popular
here, offering at both locations Pineapple Shakes, Pineapple Cheesecake,
Pineapple Sundaes and Pineapple Pie, the latter I didn't care much for.
Though the food so far hasn't made much of an impression on my picky
palate with average coffee shop fare, I still look forward to spending more
time at their Yermo location. It's just too cool and a such a memorable stop.

Located at I-15 Ghost Town Road in Yermo.

Telephone (760) 254-3370.

The second location is at 16885 Frontage Road in Victorville.

(760) 951-5001.

JULY 2003