As the days grow short and the temperature drops, our thoughts turn to holidays, family, and nostalgia. For those of us in Southern California, the fall and winter months can be disappointingly seasonless, thanks to the year-round temperate climate for which our region is beloved. Folks who have lived in areas with dramatic seasons are likely to feel a sentimental longing for nippy air and frosty branches.

As Thanksgiving rolls around and “it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas,” it’s hard to get in the spirit to “deck the halls” when, as Irving Berlin wrote in his rarely sung intro to “White Christmas,” “the sun is shining, the grass is green, the orange and palm trees sway.” Thankfully, California is as diverse in its geography as it is popular, and the mountains are rarely more than a few hours away by car.

One popular woodsy destination in San Diego County is Julian. This quaint mining town in the hills of North San Diego County hasn’t been a tourist trap like many other California mountain towns. It retains much of the rustic charm evident in pictures of its Main Street from the 1920s. One of the most delightful businesses in Julian’s historic downtown is the Miner’s Diner.

Original Old-Fashioned Soda Fountain

Fifties-style diners are popular retro spots, serving up nostalgia alongside hamburgers and milkshakes. The Miner’s Diner is unique because it adds a rustic touch to the midcentury soda fountain motif.

In fact, it harkens back to the soda fountain of the 1920s, when it was established. Matching the mountain town feel of Julian, there is a lot of wood in the décor to match the mining theme.

Cozy booths and tables are jammed into the busy breakfast and lunch spot, and you can even sit at the counter. The walls are covered with vintage soda ads, old toys, and other antique bric-a-brac.

Every few minutes, you may think that you hear a train whistle. You won’t be imagining it; a miniature train follows a rustic wooden track through an adventurous course around the restaurant’s upper walls, providing excellent entertainment.

The menu is simple yet delicious Americana fare. There are plenty of hamburgers with various variations, as well as other sandwiches. The chili cheese fries are a popular side, and the chili is delicious. To whet your whistle, you can have one of their fountain’s homemade sodas, with nostalgic offerings such as malts and milkshakes from a wide range of ice cream flavors.

Speaking of ice cream, you’ll want to try one of the diner’s delicious desserts. Naturally, you can have a serving of ice cream a la carte, or you can have it in a sundae. Julian is best known for its pies, baked with local apples by the Julian Pie Co., which sells its pies at grocery stores throughout San Diego County. You can have a slice of delicious Julian pie right at the soda fountain, and it’s especially delectable when it’s served fresh with a scoop of their homemade ice cream. You can also buy a whole pie to eat at the restaurant or take home.

Candy Mine and Antique Curiosities

When you go to the Miner’s Diner, you’re in for more treats than what’s listed on the menu. For history buffs, this retro café offers many fascinating glimpses into Julian’s rich history. Several walls are lined with historic photos of the soda fountain, the town, and its buildings. It’s a testament to how little the community has changed that Julian’s Main Street is instantly recognizable in the photos from the 1940s.

Behind the main dining room is a combination gift shop and overflow seating area. For sale is a quirky assortment of souvenirs, knickknacks, and retro toys that will bring you back to a bygone decade of your childhood.

Paying tribute to the building’s history as a drugstore, the origin of all true soda fountains, this room features a large display of vintage pharmacy items. There are Victorian cosmetic tins, herbal salve jars, and amber bottles of granny’s cure-all tonics. It’s fascinating to peruse these carefully preserved artifacts and ponder how much medicine has changed in just more than a century.

Don’t leave without taking a trip into the Candy Mine! Without a doubt the most whimsical feature of this eatery and store, the Candy Mine is a small subterranean chamber which seems to have been carved out by dwarves with a sweet tooth.

A carved wooden entrance leads to some steep stairs down into a replicated mining cave, inspired by Julian’s still-reachable Eagle Mine. Instead of gold, minerals, or jewels, however, this mine is full of candy. Troughs and barrels are full of popular brands, unusual labels, and old-fashioned names you can’t find at the supermarket. At first, it may seem like just a clever way to sell saltwater taffy and bubble gum by the pound, but wait until the rumbling starts.

The sound effects and shaking, which seem to come from distant dynamite or mining carts rattling overhead, make the experience realistic enough to challenge Disneyland.

Family, Faith, and Fun

When you visit the Miner’s Diner, you’re part of California history. The building was Julian’s first brick structure when erected in 1886, and it housed several different stores and businesses during the following decades. The soda fountain was installed in 1928. In 1933, a newcomer to Julian purchased it and made one half a pharmacy and store, while the other half operated as a restaurant. That pattern was followed by a series of subsequent owners.

In 2014, current owners Fred and Misty Dornon bought the Miner’s Diner and Candy Mine after it had been remodeled by the previous owners. These loyal Julian residents of more than two decades have kept the restaurant and store in excellent condition, continuing to improve this beloved tourist destination.

The owners are motivated by a desire to share their ardent Christian faith with their guests. Bible quotes on their website and menu are testaments to their commitment to the Golden Rule: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”

They put this rule to practical application through their commitment to good food, hard work, and excellent customer service, leaving every guest with a smile after a visit to the Miner’s Diner.