Winnie & Ethel’s

Winnie & Ethel’s Diner, winner of The Great Las Vegas Coffee Shop Giveaway, is now open in the historic Huntridge Center at 1130 E Charleston. Dapper Companies was the main sponsor of the competition along with Yesco Sign and Sysco Foods, which attracted nearly 90 applicants pitching their concepts. The three sponsors provided most of the nearly $1 million buildout for the 3,000-square-foot custom-designed restaurant. When Co-owners husband-and-wife Chef Aaron Lee and CEO Mallory Gott found about the competition, they decided to throw their hat into the ring. Gott says, “All the stars aligned. We live five blocks away and are fans of our community and both felt strongly about our marketing, branding and business plan.”

The design embraces the spirit of the 1940s, which is fitting, as the Huntridge Theater across the street opened in 1944. Gott also shared the décor is inspired by the Nighthawks painting by Edward Hopper depicting a welcoming and comfortable 24-hour diner you might find in an old hotel. Winnie and Ethel’s is laid out with tile and hardwood floor, long counter with stools, padded booths, vintage pendant lights, curtains and hues of white, brown and avocado. As for the restaurant’s name, it’s in honor of Aaron Lee’s grandmother and Mallory Gott’s great-grandmother.

The menu fits the theme as well, with classic diner items such as scratch Biscuits and Gravy ($13), homemade soup of the day and a scratch biscuit ($9), Pot Roast French Dip sandwich ($16), Pancakes ($8-13), Meatloaf Sandwich ($15) and bottomless 25 cent coffee (when ordered with an entrée). Hours were recently expanded to include dinnertime, and new menu items were added, including Chicken Cordon Bleu ($18), Salisbury Steak ($18) and Breaded Pork Chop ($19).

As for beverages, there’s a full bar offering classic cocktails (like Manhattan, Old Fashioned and Grasshopper), a craft beer list featuring local Able Baker Brewing and malted milkshakes in variations of chocolate, vanilla, strawberry and peanut butter with the option to be spiked with the spirit of your choice.

The new hours are Wed.-Sat. 8 a.m.-10 p.m., Sun.-Mon. 8 a.m.-2 p.m. and closed on Tue. Plans are to eventually be open 24-hours a day.