Nick's Cafe

Nick’s is one of those places you walk into and realize you don’t know LA at all. The nearly 70-year-old Chinatown diner is a flat-out institution, and the kind of greasy spoon spot where you post up at their U-shaped counter, eat some ham and eggs, and listen to the two guys next to you talk about their issues with Nixon. You head to Nick’s completely for the experience, but walk out thinking the food was pretty d*mn good too. No surprise: cash only.

photo credit: Jakob Layman