When the urge to eat a plate lunch kicks in, you don’t need to fly to Hawaii to satisfy that need. Rutt’s Cafe is like a little slice of Hawaii in Culver City.

On the weekends, crowds flock to Rutt’s for their reasonably priced hearty breakfast and lunch. Luckily, several chairs are placed outside to help make the wait a little easier.

The restaurant interior definitely fits the description of a dive. We usually sit inside, but on this sunny Los Angeles day, we were seated in the adjoining patio area.

Decorated with hanging coconuts and tiki figurines, the patio felt like something you’d see in Hawaii.

Rutt’s is famous for their french toast made with Hawaiian bread, spam musubi and their royales. The royale is composed of eggs, onions, green onions, bean sprouts and protein of your choice over rice. My husband loves it with smoked salmon and squirts teriyaki sauce all over it.

Like the royales, the plate lunch meals are available in jr, regular, and king sizes. If you have kids or just aren’t very hungry, the jr. portion is perfect. Now that my daughter is older, the regular size manages to satisfy her appetite.  She used to get the breakfast with pancakes and then would eat my kalua pork plate lunch. Once after she attempted to get the pancakes with chocolate chips added to them, the waitress told her that they didn’t have chocolate chips and that it was too much sugar anyway.  My daughter hasn’t ordered breakfast there since.

I’ve always ordered my kalua pork with cabbage, thinking that I was cutting down on my pork intake by having cabbage mixed into it. I should have known better since the kalua pork and cabbage was more expensive than just getting kalua pork. Since my daughter and I got the same regular size plate lunch, I could see that it was the same amount of pork, only mine had cabbage with it it. Well, at least, I ate some veggies because…

…I mixed my macaroni salad in with my rice to make a carb-loaded side that tasted amazing, especially with some of that teriyaki sauce on top.

Rutt’s was featured on Guy Fieri’s Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives as a favorite of Gene Simmons of KISS fame. In all the years I’ve come to Rutt’s, I’ve never seen him. He must not come here on the weekends.

If you have a yen for Hawaiian food or just want a solid breakfast, make your way to Rutt’s and be prepared to wait. Maybe you’ll even be lucky enough to see Gene Simmons.

Location –  12114 Washington Blvd., Los Angeles 90066
Website – http://www.ruttscafe.com
Kid-Friendly – Yes
Kid’s Menu – No
Pesco-Vegetarian Friendly – Yes
Vegetarian/Vegan Friendly – Yes
Gluten-Free Options – Yes