Cafe & Deli: Just Plain Good

Many shoppers begin or end an outing on San Pedro’s Pacific Avenue at the San Pedro Cafe & Deli in downtown San Pedro.

The Cafe is a plain place. On one wall, behind the 10-seat counter, hangs a poster from the movie “My Little Chickadee” featuring Mae West and W. C. Fields. Opposite, nearly hidden behind high-backed vinyl booths on a shelf lined with marine artifacts, is a plate commemorating the Three Stooges.

If you happen to be going out for a long day of shopping (or boating, for that matter), you might consider stocking up on the Cafe’s manhandler breakfast ($5.95): two eggs, two sausages, two strips of bacon, two pancakes, a ham steak and hash browns. However, most customers go for the biggest sellers--omelets. There is a shrimp omelet ($5.95), mixed with bay shrimp, mushrooms and onions and topped with a hollandaise sauce, and an Italian model ($5.95) that features sausage, ricotta, mozzarella and marinara sauce.

Until 11 a.m., the Cafe features a $2.99 special of two eggs; a choice of turkey bacon, sausage or turkey sausage; and a choice of buttermilk pancakes, beans and tortillas, bagel and cream cheese, or biscuits and gravy, which should cover fans of Midwestern, Mexican, Jewish and Southern breakfasts.

For lunch, the one-third-pound freshly ground hamburgers ($4.25 to $5.25) take over the best-seller list. Served on a wheat bun, they come with pasta salad or french fries. Among the familiar list of sandwiches is meatloaf ($5.25) with jack cheese and grilled sourdough, an open-faced hot turkey with mashed potatoes and gravy ($4.95), chicken or tuna salad ($5.65) and chicken fried steak ($5.95).

The San Pedro Cafe & Deli is at 605 S. Pacific Ave . , San Pedro. (310) 547-0961. Open Monday through Saturday 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sunday 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.