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Pacific Dining Car Breakfast - Santa Monica: This Morning

6 AM with the sports section by my lonesome (Edenic start to the day). Had the top sirloin and eggs over medium this morning. Pefect steak. Trimmed to the nth degree with nary a speck of inedible fat, gristle or other blemish. Ate every delectable piece. Perfectly cooked to medium rare. Very juicy, beefy taste. Nice strong coffee and, since I was the only person in the restaurant, great service.

$25, plus tip. Worth every penny.

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  1. wow, the one in santa monica is open in the morning.

    a month or so back i went to the downtown location at about 3am in the morning and had the dinner on my ownsome. great stuff, yep, they do have two different types of breakfast steaks and eggs.

    1 Reply
    1. re: kevin

      Santa Monica is open 24 hrs a day

    2. No fat at all? Must have had some marbling though to make it juicy, right? I actually like a little visible fat on my meat for the flavor enhancement. Potatoes come with it? Last time I ate at PDC was probably 25 years ago. Didja let the parking attendant park the two wheeler?

      1 Reply
      1. re: ChinoWayne

        Nicely marbled but no untrimmed fat around the edge, at all. The breakfast potatoes are a wonderful lyonnaise style, but I went with tomatoes. My attempt at a "healthier" but not as tasty approach to breakfast. No parking attendant in evidence at 6 AM (and I wouldn't trust them with my bicycle in any case... ;-D> ).

      2. I still can't bring myself to go into the SM location. My mom used to take me to the 6th Street location from a very early age. We always sat [still do] in the rail car.

        What is the ambiance like in the Santa Monica location? Dining room? Or dining car?

        4 Replies
          1. re: SilverlakeGirl

            They have a bar area immediately on your left. Then a more casual dining area and then the more formal dining room at the back (east) of the restaurant. Lots of booths. Not as fun as the 6th St. train car location, but not a bad place as far as ambiance is concerned.

            1. re: Servorg

              The outside is bland and uninspired at the SM location.

              But parking on 6th Street is a nightmare.

              1. re: SilverlakeGirl

                I agree about the exterior being bland. It's the old "can't tell a book..." deal. Try it for breakfast sometime. I don't think you'll be all that unhappy with the interior space. And the breakfast choices are quite good.

          2. Excellent report, Servorg. In 25 years I've never had the sirloin at breakfast -- always the medium-rare filet, and it, too, is very good, often outstanding. The potatoes are also fine, especially when ordered well done, and the jellies, jams, and preserves that come with toast raise the night to a new level. I generally go by 1 a.m. so that I can start with a screwdriver (and chat with the interesting and humorous late-night bartender) but occasionally show up around 3 a.m., when the world is finally peaceful and those chocolate-covered candy sticks on the way out seem so deliciously forbidden.

            I want to get out of the way here so that the people who had an overcooked piece of fish or mushy artichoke in 1997 and will never, ever go back to the Pacific Dining Car can have their say, but I need to mention a small caveat: Both PDC locations are open around the clock, but every great once in a while either one can close briefly in the wee hours for deep cleaning, repairs, or, in the case of 6th Street, removal of dead bodies. (Just kidding, I think.) I've had that disappointment once or twice at each location over the years, so if you get a bunch of friends all pumped up for great steak and eggs at three in the morning, I recommend calling PDC first to make sure there will be no problem.

            Pacific Dining Car
            1310 W 6th St, Los Angeles, CA 90017

            Pacific Dining Car
            2700 Wilshire Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90403

            1. I, too, love it when I'm the only diner in the joint.