Encounter Restaurant: That Wild Space-Age Diner at LAX

Retro airport restaurants have gotten complicated with all the renovation projects and modernization efforts flying around. As someone who’s been through LAX more times than I can count, I learned everything there is to know about the Encounter Restaurant that used to be inside that crazy Theme Building. Today, I will share it all with you.

It’s not there anymore, which honestly still bums me out. But what a place it was.

The Architecture Was Genuinely Insane

Here’s the thing about the Theme Building – it was built in 1961 when everyone was obsessed with space travel and flying cars and all that Jetsons stuff. Paul Williams and William Pereira designed it, and they went absolutely wild with those parabolic arches. You know how most airport buildings are just… boxes? This thing looked like a spaceship had landed in the middle of LAX and decided to stay.

I remember my dad telling me about going there in the 70s. He said you’d drive up and see this white structure with those sweeping arches and think, “wait, is this actually an airport or did I take a wrong turn into a sci-fi movie?” That’s what makes mid-century architecture endearing to us design nerds — they weren’t afraid to be bold.

Inside Was Even Weirder (In a Good Way)

Probably should have led with this section, honestly. The interior? Completely committed to the bit. Everything curved. The seats, the walls, the ceiling – all of it had this retro-futuristic vibe that felt like eating dinner inside a submarine designed by someone who’d watched too much Star Trek. Bright colors everywhere. Weird textures on everything.

And the lighting! They had these soft colored lights and overhead bands that made you feel like you were actually floating through space. Honestly? A little trippy. But in a fun way, especially if you’d just gotten off a long flight and were a bit delirious anyway.

The 360-degree views of the runways were the real selling point though. You’d sit there eating your burger, watching 747s take off and land. Pretty hard to beat that as dinner entertainment. Better than any TV screen.

The Food Was… Fine? But That Wasn’t the Point

Let’s be real – you didn’t go to Encounter for Michelin-star cuisine. The menu was American classics: burgers, sandwiches, some seafood, steaks. Pretty standard stuff. What made it fun was how they named everything with space themes. Your server would bring out the “Lunar Landing” or whatever with a completely straight face. You had to respect the commitment.

Some dishes were better than others. The prices were on the higher side for airport food, but you were paying for the experience. And the view. Mostly the view. Worth it for a special occasion or if you had time to kill.

Why People Still Talk About It

The restaurant closed down years ago, but people still get nostalgic about it. I see photos pop up on social media constantly. There was something special about combining a meal with that kind of architecture and atmosphere. It turned a layover into an event, not just dead time between flights.

The Theme Building’s still standing, and they’ve used it for different things over the years. But it’s just not the same without being able to go up there, order an overpriced cocktail, and watch the planes while sitting in what felt like a 1960s vision of the future. That specific combination can’t be replicated.

• Built in 1961 by Paul Williams and William Pereira – both legends in architecture
• Full Space Age theme inside and out – they really committed
• American food with playful, themed names
• Those 360-degree runway views were unbeatable
• Closed now, but the building remains an LAX landmark

It Showed Up Everywhere

The Encounter popped up in tons of movies and TV shows. When Hollywood needed a location that screamed “the future!” they’d film there. It became this symbol of LA’s whole vibe – bold, a little weird, unapologetically optimistic about what airports could be. Very LA energy.

For a lot of travelers, it was the first or last thing they’d do in LA. A bookmark for their trips. I’ve talked to people who specifically scheduled longer layovers just to grab a meal there. That’s pretty remarkable for airport food. When was the last time you extended a layover for a restaurant?