The Penguin Coffee Shop was a distinctive 24-hour diner at 1670 Lincoln Boulevard, at the corner of Lincoln and Olympic Boulevards. Opened in 1959, it served classic coffee-shop fare such as breakfasts, burgers, malts and sandwiches beneath an enormous roadside sign topped by its namesake penguin. The restaurant was designed by noted architects Armet & Davis, whose other Southern California coffee shops included Norms, Pann’s and Johnie’s. With its soaring angular roof, walls of glass, stonework, terrazzo floors and dramatic neon signage, the Penguin became one of Santa Monica’s most recognizable examples of Googie architecture, a style created in large part to attract the attention of motorists passing by.

The Penguin operated for roughly three decades before closing around 1990; in 1991 the building was converted into a dental office, though the familiar penguin sign remained above Lincoln Boulevard. After the dental practice closed in 2016, the building was extensively restored and reopened in 2019 as Mel’s Drive-In, with recreated counter seating, terrazzo flooring, globe lights and other elements recalling the original diner. The restored building received a Santa Monica Conservancy preservation award and is now considered the city’s last surviving fully expressed example of the classic Googie coffee-shop style. The property also sits at the western end of historic Route 66, giving the old Penguin an additional connection to Southern California’s automobile culture.

The Penguin Coffee Shop

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