Phil Rosenthal and Nancy Silverton Opened a Diner on Larchmont, and the Wait Is Real

A television host, a four-time James Beard winner, and a waffle Ruth Reichl called the best she has had.

Max and Helen's sits at 127 N. Larchmont Boulevard, and the pairing behind it explains the crowds. Phil Rosenthal, creator of Everybody Loves Raymond and host of Somebody Feed Phil, opened it with Nancy Silverton, the Mozza founder and one of the most decorated chefs in the city. The name honors Rosenthal's parents, Max and Helen, who became familiar faces to anyone who watched his shows.

The concept is a nostalgic American diner built on a 1970s-leaning menu with all-day breakfast, which is a deliberately unglamorous thing for two people of this stature to do. It is also, by most accounts, why it works.

The wait

This is the practical thing to know before you go. Weekend waits have been reported running as long as eight hours. Coverage has noted workarounds to get seated sooner, though most writers have drawn the line at about an hour themselves. Weekday mornings and the shoulder hours are the realistic play, and there is a patio that opened after the initial run.

On the menu

The dish that has traveled furthest is the maple-butter waffle, which Ruth Reichl has called the best she has ever had. Lily's Hot Chocolate is the other item people order without looking at the menu. Portions run large enough that diners routinely report splitting mains between two people, and prices have drawn comment as steep for the format.

Visiting

Max and Helen's is at 127 N. Larchmont Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90004, on the west side of the street closest to First Street, in the middle of the Larchmont Village stretch.

• Reservations: available on OpenTable, which is the single best way to avoid the line.

• Best timing: weekday mornings. Sunday is popular, helped by the nearby farmers market, and that is also when it is worst.

• Seating: indoor booths plus a patio that opened after the initial run.

• Good for families: yes, and it is built that way.

• Parking: metered street parking on Larchmont and the residential blocks east, which fill on weekend mornings.

Menus, hours and current details are at maxandhelens.com, with booking through OpenTable.

Follow along with more LA restaurant news, see what else has opened in our guide to new restaurants in Los Angeles, or browse our picks for the best food in Los Angeles.