On several previous visits to San Francisco, we had the pleasure of being shown around by a good friend who first introduced us to Ghirardelli Square. During our first visit, the friend had a Chinese-American boyfriend, and he suggested the Mandarin Restaurant, which served excellent, mostly northern Chinese cuisine. A year later, he had a Mexican boyfriend, and we ate excellent upscale Mexican food in Ghirardelli Square. After meals, we browsed through the small boutique style shops that frequent the center. At that stage, we were still living in Tokyo, and both the prices and products on offer in the local Sharper Image store seemed pretty much mainstream. Soon after, he left San Francisco, and left to our own devices on the following trip, we were happy to return to the Mandarin.

On our latest visit, we would have been happy to return again, but with the children in tow, the Mandarin and several other places in the center simply seemed too upscale for comfort, and as we were not in the mood for a large meal either, we headed for Lori’s Diner. Lori’s has several outlets around San Francisco, with this particular one offering great views of the bay as well as the Golden Gate Bridge. The decor is sixties diner, with bright primary colors and a few essential items, such as a pink Cadillac and a few small planes hanging from the ceiling.

The menu selection was mercifully small – only around twenty food items are available, mostly burgers and salads. I just wanted a cheeseburger, and my wife shared fish and chips with the toddler so the limited menu suited us fine. As with so many other similar restaurants in San Francisco, the order is best placed in Spanish. A starter of mozzarella sticks and tow shakes and a cola arrived promptly. The burger, accompanied by fries and ample fresh salad, was well-done as requested and tasted good. All in all, the food was good, but nothing extraordinary, and the $35 bill was not particularly low either. Johnny Rockets, admittedly without the view, offers a better deal, both taste and value-for-money wise.

I had quite a good chuckle while waiting for the food. On each table was a selection of around a dozen containers of fruit jelly (jam), just waiting to be consumed freely and without any charge. A mere two weeks earlier, we spent a few days in Salzburg, Austria, where in the local cafés, such luxury items had to be ordered separately and in addition to your bread order. The going rate in most cafes was around 80 cents for a serving of jelly and butter! America certainly still is the land of plenty!

Lori’s Diner is a nostalgic 40' / 50' neon-lighted "soda shop" atmosphere restaurant. If you weren't sure you were hungry when you arrived, you would be by the time you climbed the two flights of stairs to get to the restaurant. But have no fear, if you are vertically challenged, there is a elevator available immediately inside the main entrance door.

The dining room is large, with extremely high ceilings, allowing lots of room for all the memorabilia, such as an antique stove, a radio collection, even a bi-wing aircraft hanging from the ceiling, and a 1955 Chevy sticking out of one wall (with its headlights glowing). Over the crowd noise, we could hear the "oldies but goodies", including Chantilly Lace by the Big Bopper and other great hits of the 50's. There is also a private party room and a row of pinball machines. Lori’s is located just two short blocks from the cable car turn-around at Powell and Market and overlooks all the activities and crowds that gather to get a chance to ride this wonderful mode of transportation. The floors and walls are " very 50's" with black and white checkerboard pattern.

Menu includes a wide range of burgers such as the "Big Bopper Burger and the "Cadillac Burger". The Hot Rod Rugger is an open face sandwich with chili, cheddar and chopped onions. The L.A. Burger has Ortega Chilies, bacon, Guacamole and Jack cheese. Prices for burgers are between $6.25 and $8.50. Be sure you have a really big appetite before taking on of the babies.

Then there are the hot dogs- The Moon Doggie - which is your typical hot dog, grilled and served with a mountain of fries. $5.75

Other sandwiches include ham, turkey, bacon, and roast beef. My favorite sandwich name is the "Book of Love" which is a grilled marinated chicken breast with lettuce, tomato and Red onions. Average price for sandwiches is $7.50

Their breakfast specials could feed a family of four- or one very large appetite (I didn't know they made plates that big)

Dinners include Fish and Chips, Fried Shrimp, Southern Fried chicken, and grilled Chicken breast. $9.95 to $14.95

And then there are the desserts- Oven hot apple pie, New York Cheese Cake, and Key Lime Mousse Pie. Remember when you ordered a milk shake at the Ice Creme Shop- it was served in a tall heavy glass and you were also given the metal contained it was made in-- with more shake in it. That is how they serve it at Lori's.

Lori's is open 24-hours, seven days a week and there are several other locations as well; one at 336 Mason St, 500 Sutter St. and at the San Francisco International Airport.

This is as retro as it gets; in the rear of this restaurant is a shiny 1959 Edsel. They've got the vinyl-covered chrome stools at the counter, bright red vinyl seats with formica tables. On the shelves are displayed old radios from days gone by; the floor is white and black square tiles and appears to be subjected to elbow grease treatments every day.

We came in here for a quick bite to eat, and that's exactly what we got. The service is fairly quick for this part of the world, and the food is freshly prepared and inexpensive. The veggie burger I had was great, along with fries. The menu took me back to my high school days, and I suppose this is what it is supposed to do. Hamburgers and Frankfurters feature heavily here; simple sandwiches and soups round out the menu. If you're looking for nouvelle cuisine, you will not find it here.

There are photos of rock and roll stars on the wall and other nostalgia paraphernalia. We were the only customers there in a place that is most likely very crowded under usual circumstances. They have 4 locations in San Francisco; the other 3 are on Sutter Street, on Mason Street and at the airport. They have discount coupons on line if you are planning to visit. Go HEREto get your coupon and to see the full menu.