Ruby’s Surf City Diner

Ruby’s Surf City Diner at the end of the Huntington Beach Pier combines the ambience of a ‘40s-style diner--chrome, glass and red vinyl booths--with touches that pay homage to city’s surf heritage.

Old photos of surfing greats line the walls, and surfboards serve as columns in the center of the restaurant.

“We think it really enhances the end of our pier,” said Peggy Blatter of Huntington Beach after lunching there with her husband, Richard, last week. “We love the atmosphere, and the food is just scrumptious.”

The Blatters were the restaurant’s first customers when it opened last June, and Peggy Blatter said they return “every chance we get.”

The couple are not the only ones enamored with the restaurant’s style. City Community Services Director Ron Hagan said the diner did $920,000 in business in the first six months--twice what was expected.

And even though the Surf City diner serves the same shakes and burgers as the other 26 restaurants in the Ruby’s chain, its decor makes it unique to Huntington Beach.

The end of the pier had been anchored by the End Cafe until a storm knocked it down in 1986. After the pier was rebuilt, Ruby’s took up the cafe’s mantle and has been accepted as a community landmark, Hagan said.

“It’s a lovely restaurant,” Blatter said. “And you can’t beat that view.”