Abbey Lane Cafe

The Santa Clarita Valley has a rep for being a chain-restaurant haven, and maybe for good reason. The locals even nicknamed the area surrounding the Lyons exit off the 5 Freeway “Hamburger Hill” because of the fast food signs that dot the horizon. But Abbey Lane Cafe, located just down the road from CalArts and tucked away in the middle of a Stevenson Ranch neighborhood, is a restaurant that caters to palates that prefer Joan’s on Third to Johnny Rockets. Open daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner, the café does its best to put a twist on standard dishes. For example, its vanilla pancake stack offers four hearty soufflé pancakes with Bananas Foster ($7.95). And when it comes to java, the staff’s well-versed in the art of espresso-based coffee making. Abbey Lane’s lattes and cappuccinos always have the right ratios of coffee-to-milk and are consistently frothy and strong. It’s no wonder they have a little sign taped to the register that reads, “Friends don’t let friends drink Starbucks.” Other standout dishes include the rice salad with mixed greens, grilled veggies and warm rice ($9.95); and the grilled Sloppy Rustin, a sandwich that features turkey, bacon, sautéed onions and jalapenos with BBQ sauce and American cheese ($9.95). As the name implies, it’s messy, but oh so good. Be sure to save room for dessert because the cakes and pies are brought in from local LA bakeries. (Hello, red velvet cupcakes!)

TIPS: Abbey Lane has a small, but good selection of beer and wine. (Think Stella Artois, not Schlitz.) The cafe recently started serving wine flights, with three samplings for $11.