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'Where John Steinbeck ate': Sang's Cafe has closed its doors

Cristian Ponce
The Californian
Sang's Cafe in Oldtown Salinas.

Sang's Cafe, Oldtown's popular and long-standing restaurant known as "Where John Steinbeck ate," has closed its doors.

James Sang, one of the owners of the restaurant, confirmed its closure on Wednesday but declined to provide further details. 

Last week, someone posted on social media wondering whether the restaurant was closed, and Sara Sang, who said she's Sang's daughter, replied that owners James and Donald have decided to retire and close the restaurant. She thanked customers from their many years of eating and creating memories at the restaurant before inviting people to stay in touch with the family via the "Sang's Cafe" Facebook page. 

Lamenting the closure, long-time customers quickly began sharing their favorite dishes such as the "Kip's Special" and memories growing up at the restaurant's counter.

Sandwich board on Main Street

Sang's Cafe, formerly known as the Rodeo Card Room and the Rodeo Cafe, has been family run for decades, first operated by the parents of James and Donald, according to Trish Sullivan, director of a visitor center in Salinas.

First built in the 1890s, it moved to its current location in Oldtown sometime before the 1930s. The restaurant's biggest claim to fame was that John Steinbeck had eaten there, more than once.

During Steinbeck's time, the cafe was a 24-hour diner and catered to the agricultural truck drivers as well as people who were early risers.

More:Sang's Café holds onto charm, serves up hearty meals

It also had a full bar and a card room that could be found in the back of the cafe, said Sullivan.

Even after he moved away, Steinbeck would return often to visit home when his mother was sick and would visit the Rodeo Cafe, said Sullivan. However, it wasn't always just to have a meal but to hang out at the bar and the card room.

In this file photo, Corey Woo and Laura Kershner enjoy the casual atmosphere at Sang's Café.

Councilmember Steve McShane said if the closure is true, it was likely a result of changes downtown owners have had to take a look at.

"Some businesses that have been there decades have had to reevaluate what it is they do," said McShane. "Ultimately we're seeing residential in places where commercial has dominated for years or instances where a restaurant became a residential or retail establishment. Sang's is ultimately evaluating that same sort of dynamism, that same change in use."

Sullivan noted that Steinbeck wasn't well-liked because he wrote about the hard-working people in Salinas who he knew. However, a lot of his ideas could have possibly spawned from his time at the Rodeo Cafe.

"That's where he got all his stories from really, was listening to the drunken gossip from men in bars and card rooms," said Sullivan.

Folks at the counter interrupting their meal to shout out an answer on a game show.