S & W Country Diner – Classic Home-Style Breakfast & Lunch in Culver City

We had an excellent breakfast! The food was very well prepared, service was also very good. Attentive but not rushed. The atmosphere is a vintage vibe, a throwback to an earlier time. We didn’t have to wait, but were told that sometime they get busy and can have a short wait. It is cash only. A great choice for a traditional home style breakfast. The hashbrowns were very good, as was Sam’s special hot coffee.

Important to know that it is cash only. S&W is a really solid, classic diner. Inside has a really great retro look, with the theme of a diner in the country. They have plenty of table and booth seating as well as a large menu. Service was very quick and we were able to sit down right when we arrived for an 11 AM Sunday brunch. Parking in the area can be a bit tricky, we were not able to find street parking, so we parked in the parking garage on Watseka Ave a few blocks away. The garage has first hour is free parking and plenty of floors. We ordered the Eggs Benedict, which was done very well although the ham could have been cooked a little more, as well as a Scramble and Blueberry Pancakes. I tend to like my pancakes a bit fluffier but still these were very good. We also ordered a Biscuit & Gravy and although I enjoyed the gravy, the biscuit was not a traditional biscuit and tasted closer to a light cake. I held back a star due to some personal preparation preferences, and the cash only policy. Overall it was a nice breakfast.

S&W is a cute place, but not as good as it used to be. I was trying to decide between 3 and 4 stars, my husband loved his burger so I went with 4, but I doubt we will be back, unless I want a burger. The service was just okay. We did get waited on right away and our food came, but we never saw a server again, we had to ask for a check. The place is still cute, but dusting of the stuff on the walls needs to be done. Other than that, it was clean. Parking is on the street and not easy to find. I found the rest of the food to be just average. The biscuits and gravy were not good at all and the gravy was watery. No one ate it. The pancakes had no butter on them and were bland and dry. The eggs were cooked perfectly. The coffee was just warm and no one came to ask if we wanted more. The salad was very good. It does get very crowded on the weekends so I would go elsewhere for breakfast if I were you. This is the not the first time we have been and found it lacking. I really hope they get it together. Good thing I did not want syrup on my pancakes.

Went here with the wife for breakfast on a rare rainy day in LA. Had been here before for lunch. Then I had the cheeseburger combination. Although I didn't write about it then, this was one of the best burgers I have had in a long time. Everything you want in a diner burger plus the absolute best bun. The burger was tasty and juicy but the bun refused to fall apart. That NEVER happens. OK, back to breakfast. I had my go-to dish of French Toast. It was just what you would expect from a country diner. Four pieces for a full order. Lightly browned, tasty but unremarkable. The coffee was good and a glass of water appeared at the start, just like you would expect. The wife had her usual dish of two eggs over easy with bacon, hash browns and toast. Again, this was just what you would expect from a country diner, unremarkable but adequate. The ambiance (can you use that word for a diner?) reminds me of a place I frequented 40 years ago near Chicago called Steel's Grill. Country diner. That's all you need to know. The diner is open for breakfast and lunch. It closes at 2 pm. They only accept CASH, so hit up the ATM before coming. There is plenty of metered street parking in the morning but you may need to walk a bit for lunch. So, we'll definitely be back for lunch. Breakfast was good but not great and there are a lot of places for breakfast that we haven't tried yet.

What a fun place I got so lucky and got parking outside, but I have to tell you only the best place in the world could serve a peanut butter and jelly and banana sandwich. The menu is huge here from my part. Had to do the two enchiladas with ground beef I ate them so fast. I don’t even think they had time to cool down. I would’ve eaten the plate if I could’ve gotten away with it, but you can’t eat plates… I thought the service was incredibly friendly. I love the environment. It’s very straightforward and very honest and the seating is comfortable. You can even sit outside, but if I were you, I would enjoy the fact that this is one of the few places you can get a really good meal for under $15 and there’s a lot of choices here and the food. I didn’t even have to wait seven minutes my next visit? I’m coming for breakfast.