As “Hal” continues disgorging the entire contents of his brain, minus the parts he’s leaving on these entries as comments, he focuses on more restaurants:
In the 1970s I remember a lunch only place on Foothill in Claremont called Soup’s On. Anybody ever go there? I went once or twice and it was very popular.
The Laugh Stop was also happening around the Griswold’s area in the late 1970s.
Anybody remember Baja Pete’s in Chino? Obviously it was a Mexican place in the 1970s and 1980s. I used to really dig the enchilada suizas there — the rest of the food was OK but nothing super fantastic. Never have found a restaurant that could match those suizas since (though Las Casueles in Palm Springs comes close). The building still stands but got gutted of its atmosphere. It’s now called Plaza Guadalahara and is a non-waitress, counter order joint. I don’t like it.
There was a small taco stand on either Mission or Holt in Ontario called La Fonda. It was fantastic. Then one day they moved to a strip mall portion of a grocery store center on Euclid and Francis and they started sucking.
My faves were Orlando’s, Espiau’s and The Arbor, which had a hotel adjacent to it which made for some super long dinners and happy hours.
Another Tastee Freeze location was on Euclid adjacent to a Circle K on the west side of the road somewhere between Francis and Mission. The building’s still there but it’s a Loco Pizza or something now — the Circle K is no longer a Circle K either. I think someone mentioned the location on South Garey in front of the old Alpha Beta market with the A-frame latter-day design.
Someone mentioned Ozzie’s Oasis in Montclair on Central near Kingsley. There was also a location in Chino on Riverside Drive and Ninth. One of the few burger joints that served sloppy Joes. When they closed, the building was remodeled and became Pearl City, a Chinese restaurant which lasted about a decade. Not sure what’s there now.
There was also a Tastee Freeze on East Mission east of Garey in the A-frame style that’s now a Bamboo Express. Next: yet more restaurants, in the penultimate excerpt. The end is in sight, folks.
