In 1931, Clifton’s Cafeteria opened in Downtown Los Angeles, offering huge quantities of comfort food to anybody and everybody: second helpings were free of charge, and those that couldn’t pay at all were still welcome. Of course, what people mostly notice about the place is the insane décor, made up of a fake forest with the occasional animatronic creature waving its creepy arm at you. (The thought is that Walt Disney cribbed a lot of ideas from this place.)

For the last few decades, Clifton’s has sort of languished as a place people might go to once every few years for a kitsch injection, but it wasn’t the destination it was at first, when the one-person chapel was a genuine, not ironic, thrill; when Raymond Chandler would hold court over a weekly group meeting of writers in the upstairs dining room.

But a couple years ago, Downtown nightlife almost-mogul Andrew Meieran purchased the property, and in case there’s any question, this is a good thing. He previously turned LA’s first private power plant into a gorgeous, enormous club, the Edison, and before that had been partnered with Cedd Moses, the man who’s using mixology to turn Downtown into an after-dark destination.

But Meieran’s vision of Clifton’s, which will be three times as large as the Edison, will be a barhopping mecca unto itself. Here’s what Clifton’s will become:

The main floor will still contain a cafeteria, serving the same type of food, but with higher-quality ingredients and smaller portions. (Prices, and the free-seconds policy, will stay the same.) The space’s originally floors and walls will be refurbished, and a three-story, fake Sequoia tree will be planted in the middle. That tree will reach all the way through the third floor, making cutting holes into the ceilings perhaps the biggest undertaking in the remodel.

The second floor will be a sports bar done in a lodge style; a more traditional restaurant will be finished in the Craftsman style. Above that, two bars on one floor, including a tiki bar, which Meieran anticipates will draw lines on weekends, what with its “exclusive” door policy, fancy cocktails, and changing front door location that will add to the mystery.

On the top floor will be an upscale restaurant, seating only about 50 people, and a bakery. In the basement? A butcher shop and a store Meieran describes as “Dean & DeLuca for kitsch.”

Those who feared this new ownership, worry not: Meieran’s into it. He’s keeping the infamous woodland chapel, and may even bring back elements that were stored away years ago, like the Sherbert Geyser and the Limeade Springs. But now, you’ll have cocktails to help enhance your enjoyment.

Clifton's Cafeteria, 648 S. Broadway, Los Angeles, 213-627-1673

Photos courtesy of of Kinetescape Inc.