For a few days now, paper has covered the windows of the iconic Penguin Cafe, a restaurant that has been serving customers in Laguna Beach since the 1940s.
Owner Sabrina McMurray, whose family has operated the cafe since it opened as a malt shop in 1942, said Monday in an email the cafe is “temporarily closed,” but did not elaborate on how long that closure would be.
The building on Coast Highway between Thalia and Oak streets, is owned by Merrit Farms, a Central California family company that has other properties in Laguna Beach as well.
“It’s been in Laguna forever,” said one of the Merrit Farms family members, who said his uncles and aunts have stories about climbing up on the chairs for a malt after his grandfather bought the building, which in the family is known as “the Penguin” building. He said he had been in contact with McMurray about reopening the cafe.
Leave a Reply