By TIM WILCOX
Special to the Alpine Mountaineer
If you have an appetite for nostalgia, one of the best places to satisfy it is at the Cedar Glen Malt Shop. Step inside and take a look around. Images of classic cars from 60 and 70 years ago adorn the booths and compose a long mural underneath the illuminated bar. Scores of 45-rpm vinyl records line the walls near the ceiling. Perhaps most arresting, life-size depictions of Elvis Pressley and Marilyn Monroe cover the restroom doors.
Owner Francisco Bahena knows this environment well. He and his wife, Janet, purchased the restaurant nine years ago when the previous owner decided to relocate. Francisco had already been working there for some 10 years and was completely devoted to the establishment. “It was an opportunity we couldn’t pass up,” he says.
Opportunity was foremost on Francisco’s mind when he moved to the U.S. from Mexico 25 years ago at the age of 14. Family members initially settled in Anaheim, where he attended high school. His older brother, Victor, moved to Cedar Glen and eventually invited Francisco to join him. Hired by the Malt Shop, where Victor was already employed, Francisco expanded his knowledge and refined his skills before purchasing the eatery. Victor now manages the business for the proprietorial couple (married since 2012), and other family members work on site.
The Malt Shop attracts nostalgia lovers from mountain communities, of course, especially during the week. But on weekends in particular, “We get customers from all over – from Orange County, San Diego and L.A.,” Francisco reports. “And quite a few of them have been coming here for a many years.”
He admits that COVID-19 was “a big challenge” but insists that it didn’t really threaten the business. According to Francisco: “We were so grateful for the community support, and our menu was perfect for take-out. That’s how we kept going.”
The optimistic outlook is that he, Janet, Victor and Co. will keep going – without interruption from global health crises – well into the future even as the eatery itself honors the past.
“We love the restaurant business,” says Francisco. “It’s in our family’s nature to be hospitable, to welcome our customers, to enjoy serving them again and again.”
On the Menu
In a strikingly literal sense, Malt Shop hamburgers are a tall order. (Photo courtesy of Cedar Glen Malt Shop)
OK, let’s return to “an appetite for nostalgia.” This is a no-nonsense burger joint that’s intended to be a throwback to the popular drive-in eateries of the 1950s and ’60s. The drive-in component is absent, but a stellar line-up of 12 hamburgers is front and center.
Most feature a one-third-pound patty of prime ground beef charbroiled with sundry seasonings and “secret sauces,” then served on a toasted bun with lettuce, tomato, onion, dill pickle and Thousand Island dressing. On the side: old-fashioned fries or onion rings (for an extra $2.99). Ranging from $1l.50 to $15.99, the burgers sport classic-car names such as Buick Roadmaster, Corvette, Cadillac Coupe de Ville, Hudson Hornet, Impala and Dodge de Soto.
A handful of examples: Buick Roadmaster is the “double your gustatory pleasure” pick, thanks to double meat, double cheese and double bacon. Nomad is a bacon cheeseburger with (ready for this?) peanut butter. Dodge de Soto is a pastrami cheeseburger, while Hudson Hornet is graced with mushrooms and Swiss cheese. As for Edsel, it’s topped with bacon and blue cheese. Tijuana Taxi (chicken breast with Swiss cheese, Ortega chilies and ranch dressing), Nash Metro (garden patty) and ’58 T-Bird (turkey patty) are non-beef options.
Fountain-style malts and shakes come in numerous varieties. In the background, classic-car images decorate the booths, while vintage artwork and 45-rpm records hang on the walls. (Photo courtesy of Cedar Glen Malt Shop)
Averaging about $12, sandwich selections include the likes of albacore-tuna melt, BLT, Philly cheese steak and hot pastrami. A deli dog ($8.99) and chili-cheese dog ($9.99) round out this “supporting star” cast. Also available are fish and chips ($13.50), a generous grilled-chicken Caesar salad ($12.75), chili bowls and soups. The kids’ menu – with choices such as burgers, chicken nuggets and hot dogs – runs $9.25 per item with various sides.
Obviously, an eatery focused on recalling the era of malt-shop fountains is a rarity in the mountains and down the hill. Here’s a sampling of the malts and shakes: mint chip, orange, banana, pineapple, root beer, maraschino cherry, hot-fudge swirl, Rocky Road, mocha almond fudge and hot-caramel swirl. A full glass is $7.99, while smaller orders run $5.99. You’d also expect to find assorted flavors of ice cream plus sundaes, floats freezes and a banana split. Your expectations will be met.
By the way, this establishment traces its roots to 1946, when it was Lake Brook Malt Shop. Then, for a number of years, it was Happy Face Malt Shop. With such a long and colorful history, today’s enduringly popular version offers sweet and savory servings of nostalgia.
Cedar Glen Malt Shop: 29125 Hook Creek Road; (909) 485-1926; first come, first served; major cards; $4.50-$15.99; 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sun.-Thurs, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Fri.-Sat.
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