Is North End Caffé Still Open? Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives Update

Part 1 — Season 32, Episode 8 Aired June 5, 2020

North End Caffe, the family-run Manhattan Beach diner Chef John Atkinson founded in 2003, made its second Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives appearance in the "Takeout: Bold Bites Brought Home" episode (aired 2020-06-05), having first appeared in the 2010 "Surf 'n Turf" episode, according to Flavortownusa.com. The restaurant pairs classic diner comfort food with gourmet twists, including its Kahlua pig egg rolls and fettuccine carbonara, per reviews on Foursquare.

Part 2 — Season 9, Episode 1 Aired April 27, 2010

For the Surf 'n Turf episode, Guy Fieri sampled North End Caffe's playful Italian-inflected breakfast fare, including Monte Cristo egg rolls and eggs divorciado, plus the Isabella breakfast sandwich with raspberry jam and brie. Owner John Atkinson opened the counter-and-patio spot on Highland Avenue after returning to Manhattan Beach from a trip to Rome, building a gourmet short-order menu around Italian technique. North End Caffe still operates at 3421 Highland Avenue, according to its own website (northendcaffe.com/contact-us), which lists current hours of Monday-Thursday 7:30 a.m.-3 p.m., Friday 7:30 a.m.-8 p.m., and weekends 7:30 a.m.-3 p.m. A Yelp listing updated 2026-09 shows more than 960 reviews, confirming continued operation at the same address.

Part 3 — Season 21, Episode 18 Aired December 26, 2014

Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives revisited North End Caffe in the 'Pork Hall of Fame' episode (Food Network, aired 2014-12-26), spotlighting the Kahlua Pig Monte Cristo Egg Rolls, a pork-and-ham fusion appetizer Guy Fieri had first sampled on an earlier visit. North End Caffe is a breakfast-and-lunch cafe in Manhattan Beach, California; according to Food Network's restaurant profile, owner John Atkinson opened it after returning home from a trip to Rome, building a menu around gourmet short-order dishes such as the Isabella breakfast sandwich and Kahlua Pig egg rolls. On 2026-09-07 the cafe's own website listed current hours and active DoorDash and Grubhub ordering links at 3421 Highland Avenue. A Yelp business listing showed reviews continuing into September 2026, and Tripadvisor ranked the cafe among the top restaurants in Manhattan Beach.