A new ‘50s-style diner is opening in SLO County. Here’s a look
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Victor Bahena plans to open Cambria New Diner on Burton Drive by July.
- The diner will seat about 60 hungry people in indoor and outdoor areas.
- Cambria New Diner will serve the same menu as Cedar Glen Malt Shop.
It’s time to dig out those poodle skirts, Fonzie-style black leather jackets and saddle shoes — a new ‘50s-style diner will open soon on the North Coast.
Owner Victor Bahena expects to open his Cambria New Diner at 4090 Burton Drive and Center Street sometime in July, after getting a few more final inspections.
“I’d hoped to open this month, but there aren’t as many options for getting things done up here as there are where I am now” near Lake Arrowhead, he told The Tribune about such requirements as fire-suppression system certifications and a few more local and county approvals.
The new blast-from-the-past eatery will fill a vacancy tucked alongside The Real Estate Company of Cambria which fronts on Burton Drive at Center Street.
Customer costumes will be totally optional.
That space has been vacant since Cambria Pub & Steakhouse closed a couple of years ago. Before that, the location was best known as part of the longtime Mustache Pete’s Italian Eatery.
“It was closed so long, it took extra work and time to bring it back up to where it needed to be,” Bahena said of the downstairs area his diner will occupy.
The upstairs deck area will not be available to the public, he said.
Passersby who recently peeked through the eatery’s many windows along Center Street have seen new upholstered bench seating with four-top tables done up in black and red, while square black stools flank a red-and-black fronted bar.
An outdoor area provides additional seating. Bahena estimated the total capacity at about 60 diners.
Classic-car culture, music to fit the era and a fun vibe will anchor it all at Cambria New Diner, “with pictures, posters and records” to accentuate the flashback, he said. “Good things can last forever.”
Toward that end, Bahena hopes to find and use a ‘50s style jukebox.
Cambria New Diner will have a familiar cuisine and décor for Bahena
Bahena has spent the last few years working with his brother, Francisco Bahena, at their Cedar Glen Malt Shop near Lake Arrowhead, another ‘50s diner that has often been called “historic.”
“Many of our customers have been coming here since they were children, and now they’re bringing their children and grandchildren,” Victor Bahena said. “We’re hoping that will happen in Cambria, too.”
The Cambria diner’s menu will be identical to Cedar Glen’s, featuring burgers, fries, malts and more, although the local version may not include all the items, at least at first, he said.
“It will all be cooked to order, just the way the customer wants it,” he said. “We like for our burgers to be nice and juicy.”
Some popular options at Cedar Glen include the double cheeseburger with crispy fries and the rather eccentric Nomad, a burger with bacon and peanut butter. Those and other names may change, Bahena said.
Customized orders are welcome, he said.
The menu also includes “Frings,” which splits a side order between fries and onion rings.
Why is Bahena moving to SLO County?
After establishing himself in the Lake Arrowhead area with his wife and four children, what’s motivating Bahena to head north?
Like most people, the 45-year-old says he loves it up here, but the main motivators are his desire to have his own restaurant and that one of his daughters, Jazmin Bahena, will be studying kinesiology at Cal Poly after graduating high school in June.
“She’ll live with me,” he said proudly.
His wife Erika Bahena and son Victor “Junior” Bahena will remain down south for his senior year in high school.
Daughter Dulce Bahena attends San Bernardino Valley College. The youngest daughter, Daisy Bahena, eventually might head north with her dad for her junior and senior year in high school, he said.
Cambria New Diner will be “a good environment for families, including mine,” Victor Bahena said.
He hopes to get the diner’s social media up and running soon. For now, however, getting the restaurant open and serving customers is at the top of the to-do list.
