So beautifully written. I have eaten at most of these restaurants and they remain year after year some of my favorites. Thank you for capturing the reasons I find them so special.
1
Been a displaced Easterner for now 40 years in LA. It’s impossible to beat King Taco. I always stop when I’m in the area.
I’ve never ever had a bad experience there. Tacos are the bomb.
They singlehandledly taught me to love heat. All the sauces are homemade.
You can’t avoid the lines but the go fast. Every item on the menu is good, if not great.
BTW Perinos still is the best restaurant ever in LA. 210 items on the menu, every one homemade. Why we didn’t save Perinos makes me sad.
2
@Puccicat
Oh yes, I chose to have my law school graduation dinner at Dan Tana. They have the best veal Parmesan and we’ve been going there for 30 years.
Great selection overall. You missed "The Pantry" though, does not get any more old school, and lots of interesting tidbits of its history, never closing, 24/7, never without a customer. People still line up breakfasts and late night dinners are the best.
You forgot Cole's! Both Philippe's and Cole's claim to be the originator of the French Dip sandwich and each have their own spin on the thing. Cole's is a solid piece of history. Check out the name plates of patrons above the bar and the peep hole behind to look into a stairwell to the old shut down metro.
1
I used to get to LA more often than I do now, but have sampled a few of your oldies. Canter's is probably more natobale for the old schol baked gods than for the sandwiches--Nate and Al's is much better in that department. Langer's was a real disappointment--maybe its just the West Coast pastrami but it lacked a certain punch. Musso & Frank's also disappointed--even the drinks. Still, there are other old school places you should try--the original Top's in East Pasadena on Colorado and Petrillos in teh San Gabriel Valley for pizza and old school speghetti.
With the exception of Langer's, the only destination worthy place on this list, these are all places I tried when I moved here 25+ years ago.
And haven't returned, unless someone else insists on going.
1
What, no mention of the Spanish Kitchen? The legend involved alone....
Love Canters!
I’m hungry!
Ca. 1978 I organized a meeting of an organization I belonged to at a restaurant/pub called the Great Scot. Is the Tam O’Shanter on the same site? The address sounds right.
@Staxman unlikely — The Tam is 97 years old.
1
It's the same restaurant on the same site and the same family has owned and operated it it since 1922.
They changed the name some years ago
Perfectly captures the essence of old school Los Angeles dinning. I’m an LA native and have been to all of these restaurants. Now King Taco is in more locations and there are many good Korean tofu places but these are originals.
1
I can’t help but wonder whether these restaurants or Tejal’s evocative prose lure me to LA for a culinary pilgrimage. So beautifully painted.
2
Living far from LA, I applaud the strong feelings of patriotism of the Angelenos and Angelenas(?), as evidenced by their expressions of love and admiration of so many of the local eateries that would have never been included in any guide of the local haute cuisine.
2
You know what I miss? Los Angeles style pastrami, made from the fatty end of the brisket and steamed until the fat turns into gelatin. Then sliced thin and piled high on rye bread with nuclear grade mustard and a slice of kosher dill. I dare you to finish one without passing out, but even if you do, you will be in a food induced coma for the rest of the day ... life can be bliss.
Pastrami (so-called) is available pretty much everywhere but it is all low-fat prepackaged pavement scrapings I wouldn't feed to my worst enemy.
Dear Lord, before I pass from this life please grant me one more trip down Fairfax Avenue...just one...
5
"Wedge salads are dignified". What sort of dignity-paterfamilias?
Enjoyed the article.
1
Glad the writer started with Philippe's. I'd eat there every week if I lived in LA.
2
Great quick (if somewhat short shrift) rundown of some iconic old school L.A. standby joints. Allow me to shout out a few more: Pink's, Bay Cities Deli, Guelaguetza. I better stop now or I'll be here all day.
3
@rbjd: I dream of Mr. Damiano's. The joy to be had in one of their meatball pizzas is nearly ridiculous, but not quite. Also, delivery till 4 a.m. Bit grungy inside, but one doesn't visit for the decor.
2
@Hipnick Mr. Damianos! What incredible pizza, and what a dark and fiercely unrepentant dive.
Thanks for the reminder.
1
And the Pantry
Canter's has amaaazing Russian coffee cake
2
Great list of LA standards. So many have gone but it's wonderful these are still around. A few more recommendations: La Luz del Dia is at the other end of Olvera Street from Cielito Lindo. I've loved it since the late 1970's and I'm sure it's older than that. Porto's Bakery in Glendale - the potato balls are the best! I don't think Porto's is too new to be on this list but maybe. Zankou Chicken, yes, but maybe also too new. Pasadena has Mijares and Pie N Burger. I urge you to explore more of the cities beyond Los Angeles for good food.
2
Mijares is wretched though
keep going mate.
Johnnie’s Pastrami on Sepulveda!!!? And if that’s not enough Cinco de Mayo Tacos right next door. The Original Tommy’s in Hollywood. There are so many great choices in LA and unlike NYC where many mom and pops have gone by the wayside (not saying there aren’t still heaps but nevertheless) LA has one every where you look.
Randy’s Donuts Inglewood!!!!
3
Like that last paragraph. Makes me feel good about this city.
4
@W.H. Totally agree.
She's a wonderful writer.
1
Thank you so much for this lovely piece. I lived in LA from 1972 - 1980, and I discovered Raymond Chandler and Musso and Frank the very same week. I then set off to hunt down LA restaurants that dated from that period and you found many of them here. I also adore the Original Pantry Cafe (they say 'we never close' almost as a threat), Blair's Pacific Electric Buffet, Chez Jay, and the little known Snug Harbor, a coffee shop dating from 1941. When I am home in the US and visiting various cities, I now ask for this favor: take me to lunch or dinner at a restaurant older than I am (and I'm 70). Otherwise, I just don't feel it's been tested well enough yet...
8
@EdI LOVE that idea. I have discovered (and READ!) Ray a bit earlier, but I've lived closed to the office that Phil Marlowe had (on Cahuenga I believe) - and naturally know Mussos very well. I've lived in H'Wood til recently and always check the "oldies" when I'm back in L.A. I will follow your advice. I have the same thing with New York where I've lived as well for a long time....looking for the past. In a good way!
3
@Ed: you were lucky to live in the last decade that LA was a livable, affordable city for ordinary people.
I am amazed even these few eateries have survived the changes in the city -- probably not for much longer. The old owners must be retiring or dying off.
I lived there from 1977 to 1980….not so long, but enough to get a real glimpse of the place and see how it was already changing….getting crazy expensive, destroying its middle class.
SINCE 1980…the population of California and LA have increased by 35% or more. And it was gridlocked freeways back THEN, imagine it today!
There was a little bit of the "old LA" left in the late 70s, but that was 40 years ago. That anything remains is surprising to me. The new LA is cold, expensive, exclusionary and off-putting, at least to moi. And traffic so bad, the last visit I swore I'd never go back, even to see old friends.
1
@Ed Nothing to add, but just wanted to say that I loved, loved, LOVED your comment.
Snug Harbor — heck yeah!
Chez Jay — yes! A great, oddball restaurant; quintessentially Los Angeles in so many ways.
This article (and the comments) are helping remind me of how bored I am by the surveys of the latest ultra-hip places, and how much I love those idiosyncratic joints that result from Angelenos ad-libbing eateries as best they could. Jay himself was a writer who opened the restaurant when the jobs dried up —yet Chez Jay is wayyyy more memorable than any I Dream of Jeannie teleplay.
Gotta love LA’s jury-rigged weirdness. It’s not just life’s royalty. It’s even more people trying to transmute their pain into beauty—and simply a living.
I’m so glad that Rao seems to get this.
1
This is the kind of food that New Yorkers "of the moment" are lacking. Of course we have Pete Wells who seems to like his restaurants to "smell like the inside of a new car" to partly blame. I'm so sick of $150+ tasting menus, "Omakase" and sauces turned into foams. A plate of properly cooked Prime Rib will do me nicely, thank you. WHERE can I have it for $50, potato and veg included, in NYC right now? I do NOT want to have to go to Lawry's (which I like) for it and I shouldn't have to spend $100 each time I crave some prime beef with au jus.
5
@ManhattanWilliam Right NOW I have a craving for "Mi Chinita", a Cuban-Chinese very old, shabby diner on 8th and 19th (or 20th) where fantastic fried chicken with plantans and black beans for 3.95 buck tasted like heaven. Of course, it's gone. It's Chelsea!
1
Also the fried chick peas w/chorizo & fried plantains! Once a delicious low-budget Manhattan staple, there are only a handful of “Comidas Chinas y Criollas” joints left. Sad
Thank you for this wonderful walk down memory lane and tribute to so many deserving LA institutions. Long live the classics!
6
I lived in LA in the late eighties/early nineties. I really miss Vickman’s and Lowry’s California Center, both downtown, now closed. Gorky’s downtown was fun too.
At least Tropical Bakery in Silverlake is still a joy.
2
A simple, comforting plate of prime rib, mashed potatoes and creamed spinach at the Tam O’Shanter.
Looks like there also is a Yorkshire pudding on the plate
lI've wanted to to go Lawry's since reading about in Gourmet Magazine. Still on my bucket list.
3
Sadly, not all the oldies-but-goodies survived.
Callahan's, a stalwart on Wilshire in Santa Monica, closed its doors late 2014, as new owners made rent impossible to meet. At least the original large blade sign declaring "Restaurant" remains, in tribute to its 1946 construction.
Even in the '70's -- my first exposure -- it had a vibe of early '50's LA with generous portions, friendly staff, and some amazingly good corned beef and cabbage.
R.I.P.
2
Hmmm....I've lived in LA since 1978 and I never liked the food at any of the restaurants Ms Rao is lauding so highly. I was recently shlepped to Lawry's and I couldn't wait to get out of there - it was like a bad food trip with Eisenhower's ghost. Thank the Universe we don't have to eat like that in LA. It's possible to get beautiful produce, amazing fruit, and avoid pork, mayonnaise and artery clogging grease masquerading as "great food." There is a reason why it's called "Old School."
3
@Xtine
RE: Just how much of it do you think people eat that it would be a risk? Also people exercise.
4
Step up quick and patronize these places before they disappear. I’ve lived in LA for over thirty years and in the last five, I have seen some classic favorites disappear mainly because landlords raised the rents to astronomical levels. Chaya, Kate Mantilini, Marie Callender’s, Il Buco, Bouchon, Ships, Trader Vic’s, El Conquistador-other LA based NY Times readers can add to this list. Sad!
7
@HK Chaya was great for more than two decades, but mercifully, it cannot be compared with taco trucks and greasy dip sandwiches. RIP, Franco-Japonaise Chaya on Alden Drive....
Thank you for showing respect! You've visited a great number of the best ones. Although I'd suggest one more place that's been around a while, at least since 1991 - but I'd wager it had been open way before then: Versailles, the Cuban spot on Venice Blvd. (That's the original site; there are other branches: on La Cienega, and in Encino. Coincidentally, not at all affiliated with the famous Versailles restaurant in Miami.)
Particularly indulge in some super-moist garlic chicken, washed down with a licuado de guanabana. Who cares that it's a hole in the wall? You can't (literally) chew the scenery - so focus on the food! ;)
We Angelenos have a truly global selection of astoundingly diverse restaurants. Thanks for pointing out the long-term survivors!
11
This list is spot on. As a native Angeleno, I have enjoyed many meals at all of these establishments except one and they are great.
7
I’d add the Smoke House, across from Warner Brothers Studio. Red leather booths, great garlic toast, prime rib, excellent bar... very nice.
4
In almost any larger city, or a large enough one with a good university, there will be those places that the food is good, that the prices can be affordable to a wide range and continuing clientele.
I continue to read many review articles, and it is very rare to have something that celebrates the established, those who have paid their dues and earned a loyal following for a reason.
Fancy is ok once in awhile, but please stick with good food, well and consistently prepared so I can keep coming back over the years. All too often I see some extremely overpriced something-or-other that a chef has tried to create to make his or her mark, and it falls far from the dishes we grew up with, or hit a special memory or note with us.
I'd take a dozen of these vs. one of the new trendy and soon to be gone openings.
7
As a native Angelino a strong effort. Given the size and diversity of Los Angeles, this is a good cross section of the old school joints. Sure there are newer places, some of which are absolutely stellar, but this article wasn't about that. I have lots of fond memories, as well as future plans for many of these places. And no, King Taco is not just for tourists, most of whom would have no idea what lengua is.
3
Because I live an hour's drive south of LA the names of these places are only legends that I have never experienced. For years I have dreamed of taking a few days' vacation there so that I can enjoy them all. And this article has truly inspired me. I'm retired; I certainly have the time. There's just one thing. Out of eleven restaurants cited, six of them are about beef. No problem for me. But didn't old Los Angeles have any seafood, Chinese, German or Greek places? Just asking. As soon as it stops raining I will be on my way to Philippe's.
2
For classic German places, there's the Red Lion Tavern and the Alpine Village further south. Was once the Matterhorn Chef, now closed. Other newer places are quite good. Definitely some classic seafood places near the ocean. Paradise Cove and Neptune's Net come to mind. I know there are others. Chinatown has some old school places, and touristy places like Mr. Chow, but the best Chinese food is in the traditionally Chinese neighborhoods East of LA. I never cracked this code, but I know Jonathan Gold did a lot of exploring. Also Yamashiro in Hollywood, which is nominally Japanese, merits mention as a classic. I can't think of any Greek places, though there is a significant Greek Orthodox church downtown. Maybe near there?
2
@Jessica How about Papa Cristo's on Pico at Normandie for Greek?
Very enjoyable piece! There are other restaurants that I might include, but at least this is a worthy counterpoint to some of the self-praising esoterica that in recent years has served as au courant restaurant reviewing in this city. An ex-NYer, I know that NY, too, has its tried and true contributors to the food scene, so it's nice to read as a NY Times critic forays through what LA has long had to offer (and at cheaper prices than the new and fashionable).
2
I'm a native born and haven't fall far from the tree in over 40 years. Langer's is an annual stop for colleagues in a football pool, though I might like Johnny's Pastrami on Sepulveda a little more. Tito's Tacos gives King Taco a run for its money (and a better local TV commercial). The El Cholo on Western. Taylor's steakhouse. Vito's Italian. So many good ones.
6
Not mentioning Tito's or Johnnie's is a culinary sin.
You picked all the right places. To be honest, I like Cole's slightly more than Phillipe's but they're both fantastic. And thank you for not starting with In-N-Out.
7
I love these old school restaurants but agree with a lot of the comments that the food quality is sub par. Too bad you missed Dear John's in Culver City before it closed last year. I loved the ambiance: cheesy live music, no windows, 'seasoned' wait staff and long bar with a lovely bartender. Alas, one of the only 'old school' places on the Westside.
1
Definitely a list for someone who cares more about nostalgia than food quality or culinary skill. Los Angeles has never kept up with global standards on food quality when it comes to high end (or even middle brow) restaurants, and we are only just barely inching towards it now. By global standards I mean cities of our scale like London, NYC, Paris, Tokyo, Mexico City, Bangkok etc. The restaurants listed here may be fun for some, but to me they are a depressing reminder that we lagged 20 years behind other cities on our culinary front. We still don't even have a single Michelin star restaurant, which is pathetic for such a massive city.
4
@SL What about Providence on Melrose? Two Guide Rouge stars. Mélisse in Santa Monica? Two stars. Hope you get to dine there.
1
Always go to the great Musso & Franks when in town...and the Formosa Cafe on Santa Monica. Real hang out places...
5
Great article. Nice to read something in the NYT from someone actually coming to grips with Los Angeles as it is.
9
Full disclosure I live in LA. Okay now that you have visited all the OLD hangouts its time to plug into the vibrating and diverse LA food scene. Its not at Musso and Frank. And if we created a top 25 Korean restaurants, Soon Tofu wouldnt be on the list. And no one goes to King Taco unless they are tourists. So you did them, okay congrats. Now its time to eat. As a food critic you should never utter the words Tam O Shanter again when you discuss LA food. Go get Jonathan Gold's list. Mange!
7
@Robert Glinert Gold was brilliant for what he did and I was reading him in LA Weekly long before he moved to the Times. But let Rao be her own reviewer. And anyone who's honest would have to admit that Gold very much had his own "shtick" that he did to death. Yes, Gold won every accolade that *other reviewers* might bestow on a peer -- but his picks were much too often inside baseball -- self-consciously off the beaten track, bizarre or killingly spicy dishes served in tiny, decrepit mini-malls a 90 minute drive from where any bona-fide LA Times subscriber actually resided.
For a while a made a point of making pilgrimages to Gold's new sine-qua-non of the week. But I wound up staring at too many bowls of inedible mystery substance in dumps deeply embedded in the middle of nowhere.
No doubt the day will come when Rao starts chasing that dragon, too. But for now, she's written a masterful look at so many of the places life-long Angelenos cherish.
Hats off!
5
@Robert Glinert This article is about old school LA, not the current restaurant scene--which is terrific. But do your homework. Jonathan Gold wrote very fondly about most of the restaurants on the list. Off the top of my head, I recall his stories about these: Musso's, Langers, Philippe's, Lawry's, Beverly Soon Tofu, the Apple Pan, and yes, he liked the Tam O'Shanter too (the Moscow Mules and the sandwiches). You can look it up.
2
Very good pics and luckily I've had the pleasure of having been to most of them, I would also add Taix, good French cuisine at great prices, great service. I would also add Guisados for tacos, The Pantry restaurant old but good, Coles French dip sandwiches, Tommys Chili Hamburgers on Rampart,Cliftons cafeteria, much improved since renovation, The Eastside Market Italian Deli, El Tepeyac in East Los Angeles, The Stinking Rose, Jim Dandy Fried Chicken in South Los Angeles and last but not least, the Grand Central Market, Egg Slut and other fine establishments. These are some of my favorites.
7
@ Andres Betancourt, Jr.: Yes, eggslut is stupendous! They now have an outpost in Las Vegas, @ The Cosmopolitan. The clerk there had remarked that Angelenos - already familiar with eggslut's addictive allure - are his *only* customers who don't titter or wisecrack about the name!
1
Oh the memories.. Unfortunately a lot of these places have gone downhill. Many use cheaper ingredients and skimp on the portions to save money [and who wouldn't these days, I can't blame any of them]. The nostalgia is there but the taste and quality is no more..
3
Wonderful article, thank you and keep up the great work! So many great restaurants in our town, take advantage of it! Would love to see a review on the weekend street food in the Pinata District, near downtown at the corner of Olympic and Central. You will LOVE it, try the pupusas!
2
@PM
Yes, the pupusas are great! Nearby is the guy shaving meat off the spit for tacos al pastor. You have to pay at the window first to get what looks like a scrap of paper from a school notebook and hand it to him to prove you paid. I had a tasty squash blossom quesadilla from another cart across the street. And if you need to buy a 50 pound bag of dried chilis, no problem!
I lived and worked in LA for years and I ate at almost all of these places. I remember Phillipe's fondly, with it' ladies in white behind the counter and the little rooms with picnic style seating and sawdust on the floor. Not so fond memories of Musso and Frank's, but it was late at night. Canter's was always great, especially late at night, and I remember the snarky waitresses who treated me like the ne'er do well son and would bring huge slices of watermelon or bowls of sliced bananas in sour cream...I could go on rhapsodizing about these memories, but they are really specific to a time and place, and of course many other "memories" have closed: Chasen's, Perino's....and Korea town barely existed 30 plus years ago, so I missed that (mostly). What a pleasure to be reminded of those times and those great times, and the neighborhood restaurants. And when the first of the "new" revolutionary restaurants was Michael's in Santa Monica.
49
@Charile H: I fondly remember the waitresses who insisted I have Vernor's ginger ale and kasha knish at each visit. "Too skinny", they'd sniff...when my intent was always a French dip. Cheers.
1
Great article. Makes one realize that these old-school places have their own dignity and staying power. And yeah, some of the food is dated, but sometimes the old and simple stuff is just what you need.
73
I am way too old. In my life I've been to all of those joints in LA. And been crazy about every last bite. Who knew there was still so much LA style in this Arizonan?
44
@GWPDA Nice to see that nym again after all these years. Either you or I or both of us stopped commenting/reading at Atrios's joint. But I've never forgotten your enthusiastic, perhaps ironic, response for what you called something like the first time the word "withal" had ever been used correctly on the internet.
I envy you for having eaten at all these joints.
4
I have eaten at all the restaurants in the article. It is good to see it in the food section which all too often focuses on the latest trendy places, where the chef comes out of the kitchen to berate you for asking for a salt shaker, or charge a week's pay for a dinner the size of a sugar cube.
Every city in the US has a roster of these restaurants that long ago shook off the celebrity appeal and continue to serve great food in human sized portions.
56
I think you hit it on the nail. How can you review a city's great new restaurants without knowing who and what inspired them. We are spoiled in the North America to have waves of immigration that completely change and re-imagine what food and culture can be.
36
I ate at Musso & Frank's about twenty years ago. I'm glad to hear that it is still in the world. Eating there was like a brief glimpse into the old and long gone Hollywood, perfect food, perfect atmosphere, and perfect service.
Besides, I don't think there are many other places where you can have the best martini you will ever have while imagining that Kirk Douglas might have sat in the same booth as you as he tried to convince Stanley Kubrick to takeover the direction of a little film he was making about a rebellious gladiator.
28
Lawry's Prime Rib is an amazing dining place. When my late dad lived in LA during the depression the full prime rib entree, fully "side-dished," was about two bucks. Just the thought of that meal gets me hungry.
5
@Curiouser "During the Depression"? Lawry's didn't open until 1937 or '38. I guess that was still the depression, but the tail end of it right before WWII
You forgot the Original Tommy’s Hamburgers on the corner of Rampart and Beverly Boulevard. You failed.
6
And don't forget Valentino which just recently left the scene.
Yes, yes, and yes. Truly the best burger ever made.
Great article. We lived in LA for a few years, '89-'92, and I'm sorry we didn't get to some of these places. We were way west, in Venice, so hit our two favorites often - Tito's Tacos under the 405, and La Cabana on Rose Avenue at Lincoln. Still miss them both.
3
Nice job, Tejal. Many smiles in your work. Looking forward to more.
9
Great article. Brought back good feelings. My first principal
treated us to the Apple Pan.
1
@The Chief from Cali
After a math class at UCLA
2
Such scrumptious writing! But don't forget to check out the Original Pantry.
4
When I go to LA I go to Avenue 26 tacos, there is nothing more LA feeling than it https://m.yelp.com/biz/ave-26-taco-stand-los-angeles
A version of this article gets published every five years or so touting the same hoary LA restaurants. I've done two tours in LA, about 15 years in the 70s-80s and the past fews years. In my first tour, I was impressed by these places, but I was also young and fascinated with Old Hollywood. I now realize they're mostly dingy dumps running on the fumes of faded glory. Dan Tana's and Musso & Frank have lousy food, bad service, high prices, and I wouldn't look too closely at the floor. Cantors recently got a "C" health grade. This author missed some of the other usual suspects: The Apple Plan (always been bad), The Original Dining Car (worse), and Tito's Tacos, which is actually the best of legacy taco stands.
3
@Isaac Seliger Wow. I disagree from stem to stern. And I actually gasped at your Apple Pan misjudgment. Ate there for decades. Could not be more fond of Manny, who might still man the West side of the counter during the evenings. You always left happier after experiencing that food and Manny’s warmth. Saw John Lithgow there constantly. Once had Howard Hessman try to cut in line in front of me there.
The Apple Pan remains the best burger I’ve ever had, and one of my fondest memories.
11
The Original Dining Car served me several wonderful breakfasts in my pre- retirement business trips to LA. They never missed a beat. You and I must have very different tastes and taste buds. I have enjoyed great meals in other cities at Antoine's and the London Chop House. Different strokes for different folks.
6
I was at Canter’s this morning and there was a big A rating in the window. I bought one of those banana cakes, in fact...
7
"There was nothing campy or insincere about the pleasures of old Los Angeles. Not even its fast food."
Good article, and I'm glad that you omitted In 'n Out -- just about all neighborhoods in LA have local burger places that are as good or better than In 'n Out.
But you could've mentioned the local chain that has LA's best fast food: Zankou Chicken. Run by an Armenian family, rotisserie chicken that's unbelievably fast and cheap and good, accompanied by the garlic sauce and extra pita bread.
24
Yes to Zankou Chicken—always a good meal. But I’m really looking forward to your review of El Cholo on Western, and their otherworldly green corn tamales. And don’t ignore Fatburger, the spiciest burger in America. Enjoy!
3
@Marc Lanier Good call on El Cholo. After I finished reading the article, I had a nagging feeling that the author had overlooked a place. El Cholo was the one I was trying to think of, talk about old school. Or even OG, I think the restaurant had the name before "cholo" became a slang term?
OTOH, although I like El Cholo I don't love it, maybe the author decided to limit the article to the places they like best? Still, El Cholo is on the list of iconic LA restaurants of long long standing and decent food.
2
What a great article. You completely nailed it.
How refreshing (and startling!) to read a warm and appreciative NYT article about Los Angeles without a single hint of condescension.
29
Nice memories here. Back in my meat-eating days I adored the Applepan’s gooey burgers, pretty much everything at Canter’s (especially the bakery case), and the fussy, old-world vibe of Lawry’s. Los Angeles had many more old-style eateries that I treasured, but now they are all gone. Drug store lunch counters, tea rooms in older department stores, and one particular family-owned restaurant that made the absolute best ham, turkey and Swiss stacked sandwiches that ever blessed the earth. And Junior’s deli. I loved that place.
Now I am going to dream about deli bakery counters bursting with hamentashen, rugelach and other delights. And the smell of toast. Junior’s always smelled like toast.
10
@Passion for Peaches
A charming confession and wonderful memories!
Do you not think that a return to the bosom of the omnivores would be a correct step from the both points of view of evolution of the human species and St. Augustin's teaching that vegetarianism is not a Christian diet? :-))
2
@Passion for Peaches
How refreshing to hear you chime in. I was introduced
to Juniors and loved to grab a bite, when in that area of
Los Angeles. Thanks for the reminder
1
I used to live in Southern California and a really great place to go and eat was North Wood's Inn in Covina. I loved the salads.
I sure hope it's still there.
3
@Wood Gal We have two Clearman's baked potatoes and two fried chicken breasts in our fridge right now for my wife's Thursday and Friday lunches. We go to the La Mirada store any time we come back to Los Feliz on I-5, the Santa Ana Freeway that I watched built near our Santa Fe Springs house in the '50s. My dad got on the freeway every morning, and got off on Slauson driving to his job as a tool & die maker in his year old Cadillac, during the days when a blue collar job meant a wife at home, two cars and porterhouse steak, hamburgers, pork chops and hot dogs. Chicken was fried and for birthdays, and Disneyland was affordable with E ticket rides, and in the Spring the scent of orange blossoms was everywhere.
10
it sure is! Also in Temple City...good
@Wood Gal
Oh the red cabbage salad.. How do they do it! ?? !!
My folks used to take us to Monty's in Encino after the Rams games back in the late 1960's. Another LA classic.
1
monty's encino burned down but the woodland hills location is still a classic
1
How can you omit "The Pantry"? Simple good food, cheap.
11
One would think memory deficits hog the reality of what kind of meals one gets at Canter's. The food remains deli smart, but the cleanliness and rude treatment of customers has become a problem. Since the original owner died, the restaurant has lost its enthusiasm for both. Their bakery remains above the flaws.
4
@Madeleine, ah, that’s a shame. I haven’t been to Canter’s in probably a dozen years. I loved it so.
@Madeleine
Really? I go to Canter's from time to time (though for pastrami, it's Langer's or nothing) and the service has never been short of gracious. Guess it's just the timing?
And that bakery case. Next to the one at Porto's, its the most tempting for sure.
One of my first memories is going, in a taxi, to Tiny Naylor's on Wilshire Blvd. with a relative visiting from Japan. As a graduate student at UCLA in the 1990s, Hamburger Hamlet was a frequent haunt from the Beverly Hills location to Westwood Village and Sepulveda Blvd. (and a splurge for an impoverished student at that!), and I remember the Ships locations closing one by one until they were all gone. Thanks for the article and the memories.
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@Edward Hashima, hey! I often ate at Hamburger Hamlet, Ships and Tiny Naylor’s. Great places all. Back in the old days Ships had toasters at every table. What a great idea!
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@Edward Hashima Tiny Naylor’s grandson, Biff (I think) Naylor, runs DuPars today. He introduced himself to our party at DuPars Pasadena a few months ago, and was delighted to hear that we grew up at his grandfather’s restaurant.
And I remember Ships Westwood at 3 am while pulling all-nighters at UCLA film.
I was also a UCLA undergrad when two middle-aged men parked their van in Westwood to hand out amazing ice cream samples for their new company— their names were Ben and Jerry.
And I was a freshman at the film school when some girls showed up late for their appointment to have us shoot a free music-video of them. We were insulted by their tardiness so we refused. Besides, their group had the stupidest name ever: They called themselves the “Go-Gos.”
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A word on Canter’s: stick to the pastry counter. There are so many better old and new school spots to get a sandwich. The current family ownership is too busy with their also-ran food delivery service to bother keeping standards at the restaurant, to the point they can’t keep 24 hour restaurant service going in an area with clubs and CBS across the street. They really did use to be as good as lore tells, but it has been at least a decade since I thought they were any good.
If you venture to Philippe’s, be sure to check out Cole’s, their “rival” for the title of “creator of the French dip.” I much prefer Cole’s, but both are great parts of LA history.
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I lived in LA from 1981-84. Two of my favorite restaurants are now long gone. Our first meal in LA (having driven through the night, it was breakfast) was at Ships in Westwood. We loved the toasters on each table - no more cold toast! And their hamburgers were fabulous. What a shame that all locations of this chain are now gone.
Another more upscale favorite was Hamburger Hamlet in Brentwood. They made a hamburger that was topped with friend oysters, peanuts and a wonderful sauce. Yum!
And then there were all the great little food booths at the old Farmer's Market.
All simple meals, but so very, very good and special.
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@India I'm sad to hear that Hamburger Hamlets have all closed.
According to legend, in 1977, George Lucas reportedly sat in a window booth the one on Hollywood blvd across he street from Grauman's Chinese Theatre, watching a crowd line up for the first Friday night showing of Star Wars.
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@itsmecraig the Hamlet outpost on Sepulveda in the Valley is still extant. I took my mom there for dinner weekly last year before she passed.
Decades before, our family did Sunday night burgers at the Hamlet opposite Grauman’s for years.
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all ships restaurants closed, there's still a Hamburger Hamlet in Sherman oaks
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As a long time resident of LA, I am less than thrilled with the new LA Times food critic's uneven take on these restaurants. They are uniformly old, but not all are newsworthy or even worth trying. Hopefully going forward the focus will be on LA's many, many fine more contemporary restaurants.
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@Marty They’re all newsworthy to those who love them and grew up on them. I don’t see a single exception (though I wished for an Apple Pan photo.) And the hottest flavor-of-the-week joints are written up absolutely everywhere— before folding six months later.
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@Marty You know this is the NYTimes, don't you?
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I have been going to all these places for years, many up to 50 years. Would have been nice to see The Smokehouse included but thats technically in Burbank. Sadly Musso and Frank made a decision to alacartize the menu and instead of increasing drink prices shrank the Martini glasses. It's basically a clip joint now.
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Please, don't forget Bob's Donuts in the Farmer's Market. We'd go early in the morning for wonderful doughnuts and hoddles of coffee, and listen to all the regulars kibitzing around us.
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What is the appeal of prime rib? Can someone explain? I eat meat, but I've always been put off by prime rib--whatever cut it is--for which the standard seems to be to serve it virtually red raw at the center, marbled with unappealing raw fat.
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@gpridge it's utterly delicious. everything you described IS the appeal
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@gpridge, I no longer eat meat, but when I did eat prime rib the appeal was the bite of the horseradish you ate with it. And mashed potatoes dribbled with jus, too. And Yorkshire pudding. It was the whole ceremony of the thing.
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@gpridge: i also prefer that what is on my plate not remind me of the slaughterhouse. A medium to well-done 6-oz petite filet mignon is far preferable, thank you.
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Wonderful reviews, but I would also caution you not to leave out southeast LA, like so many here do.
We have the Dal Rae, Mario’s Tacos, Puffy Taco, and more culinary institutions that are oft-overlooked by the rest of the region.
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@Kevin Perez-Allen
To include the Dal Rae in an article about Los Angeles is a pretty expansive definition of Los Angeles. You might as well say that the Derby, in Arcadia, is an LA restaurant (or even the Sycamore Inn). And the Dal Rae is ferociously expensive. Better to try the original Taylor's in Korea Town--that's LA and cheaper.
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Thank you for a well done article about . my beloved hometown and the great old restaurants. Musso & Frank is a family tradition: every Christmas season my family and friends have dinner there. Best martinis on earth. Want to feel like a local? Stop off at Phillippe's on your way to a Dodger game. Tam O'Shanter recently opened up an outdoor patio are that's a wonderful place to people watch.
I love LA!
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I'm surprised the Yorkshire pudding so enticingly pictured on the plate of roast beef etc. at Tam O'Shanter didn't get a mention, either in the photo caption or in the body of the review. To me, the absolutely necessary Yorkshire pudding is the best part of a prime rib dinner--and it should be generously drizzled with gravy. To omit it from comment is to describe a perfect Christmas turkey but not the stuffing. I want to get on a plane right now.
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I was thinking the same thing! thanx
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@CKent: absolutely yes, plus very few places (even old school places!) make this anymore.
I don't know why, because Yorkshire puddings (the roll-like item in the photo of prime rib, top right) are crazy delicious and take a prime rib dinner from "good" to "amazingly great".
This alone would send me to that restaurant in a hurry, if I lived anywhere near LA.
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I cannot believe you did not include The Original Pantry downtown. Opened in 1924 and designated a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument, it is definitely old school and worth a visit. It truly takes one back to another era.
I haven't lived in LA for decades but ate in many of the restaurants listed. My favorites - Musso and Franks, King Tacos, and Canters. I agree with others that Pinks should have been included as well. Perhaps another edition of Old School Restaurants?
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@MacKenzie Allen-The Pantry was our hang when I attended USC! Kitschy, hearty breakfasts! I'm glad it still exists.
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@MacKenzie Allen The Pantry is indeed super cool. And unless Wikipedia has failed me, still owned by ex-mayor Richard Riordan.
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What about Les Freres Taix? The place for my family’s celebrations for years, surprisingly modest pris fixe for gigantic ladeled soup bowl and salad with authentic vinagrette and wonderful bread basket with French butter, with a variety of entrees spot on consistently cooked and dessert and wonderful service. Reliable go to experience and countless memories.
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Apple Pan! What about Apple Pan?!
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@Ellen Tabor Apple Pan is on the list.
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@Ellen Tabor Read the story
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@Ellen Tabor
Apple Pan is included!!
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As a native Angeleno I think this is great. Of course it just scratches the surface - there is so much more for this critic to discover including the old-school haunts in Little Tokyo. And LA does not end at the river! While King Taco is included, there are so many better taco joints and proper Mexican restaurants in East LA and in surrounding neighborhoods.
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A sacrilege to have omitted Pinks!
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I've got three words for that tourist trap AKA Pink's hot dogs: Ov. Ver. Rated. *blecch*
Musso and Franks....nice room,terrible food, same as it ever was...
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@pistolnyc the food is old-fashioned, but not terrible. I like it.
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Also, sorry to say, the martinis are just awful.
Pink's has been serving delectable hot dogs at La Brea and Melrose since 1939; still the best taste sensation in Los Angeles.
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cupid's hot dogs in van nuys
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@DonTimo
Cupid's closed about 5 years ago
Im still amazed at how these places continue to thrive in LA. Sadly these places are coming of age where the owners are retiring in old age. Apple Pan has changed management and will stay where they are. The owner of Canter’s Deli just passed away. But Nate n Als was saved in its 75th anniversary when Hollywood players stepped in, but the institution will relocate. Its a good sign that the locals understand how important these places are to the city.
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@gears35
ONE of the owners of Canter's just passed away.
My late grandfather was also an owner, along with his brothers, back when Cesar Chavez Avenue was called Brooklyn Avenue. There was an East Side Canter's and a West Side Canter's.
And there are plenty more generations of Canters who will run it. Try the Mish Mosh.
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This was so great. It made me very nostalgic for Los Angeles and I've been living here for the past 25 years.
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As a native Angelina, I say - great article. Of course there are many iconic restaurants here, and one less aged, is Guelaguetza - fabulous busy Oaxacan restaurant.
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Musso and Frank is, without doubt, one of the coolest places in LA.
I used to live two blocks to the north. It was a place I could actually walk to in LA. I used the rear entrance and never had to worry about the drive home.
I moved away after the Rodney King riots. It was a time when much of the best part about the old, romantic LA was being renovated, torn down or burned. Musso and Frank was a link to another world.
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The Yorkshire pudding in the prime rib photo that goes unmentioned looks very tasty.
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@Ben: yeah, I noted that and was surprised it was not mentioned! VERY old school and nobody around me makes it anymore -- too bad, they are just delicious.
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Thank you for a fulfilling read. It's refreshing to see a new critic learn the classics first, bravo.
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I would have liked a new critic paying respects to elders to acknowledge Jonathan Gold, who pioneered reviewing these types of local gems.
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@Diane Kravif Reverence is indeed due, but for the record, Tejal Rao name checked Jonathan Gold in what I believe was her first Los Angeles article on Oct. 29, 2018--on the closing of Baroo. She's a terrific writer, forging her own path, but she's clearly taking pains to understand the culture she now inhabits from the ground up, including the outsize influence of Jonathan Gold. In the wake of his premature departure, we're fortunate to have Rao's astute coverage of Los Angeles restaurants, along with her other terrific food features, in the New York Times.
And to some of the other commenters: Pink's is best left to the tourists and was advisedly left off the list.
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@Ground Control totally agree on Pinks. Completely ordinary hot dogs on a dark, ugly, noisy sidewalk.
Just because it was 3am drunk food for our misspent youths does not make it notable. Any 3am food is heavenly to blotto 22 year olds.
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La La Land of Los Angeles' "stalwart" restaurants.
THANK YOU Tejal Rao!
(And thank goodness The Apple Pan will be remain THE SAME as the Azoff's are the new owners)
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This article reminds me of one from 10-15 years ago about longstanding but not especially prestigious NYC restaurants. I think it was called "The restaurants that time forgot." Several of those were old favorites of mine and I'd love try a half dozen of the places int his piece.
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Great article, though Langer's is (sadly) not in Westlake.
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Langer's is directly across from Westlake (MacArthur) park. If that's not the Westlake district of Los Angeles, what is?
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Lawry’s is not a “steakhouse chain” btw. Prime rib all the way ...
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@SD There is also Lawry's Carvery at South Coast Plaza in Santa Ana. MUCH more casual and cheaper.
No lie. This morning I almost wrote a note to Sam---"Where is Tejal and what's happening on this beat?" And, here you are.
Great LA story. Thanks. A small quibble: Please run the pictures in a slide show. The pics embedded in the article are too small.
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@joe
Pics are clickable when you see that little arrow thingy bottom right - like magic they get big.
I'd add Johnnie's Pastrami to the list. One of the things that I love about LA (much like NYC) is it a city that feeds workers 24/7 and as such has a lot of great diners, burger stands, Korean BBQs and of course taquerias. The best food is often what some might consider the lowest food.
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Great list, but you left out one of the best: Taylor's Steakhouse in Koreatown. Everything about it, from the red leather booths, the dark bar, the waitresses, to the excellent steaks, is exactly what you'd want an old-school steakhouse to be. There might be a few places in LA that serve better food (though not many), but there is no place I'd miss more if it was gone.
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@Mike My son his took his girlfriend to Taylor's for Valentines Day - he's actually cutting into a steak as I type this.
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As a former New Yorker of 30 odd years, I must say that as these beloved joints survive and continue to thrive, it makes me sad on return visits to New York to see virtually all of their counterparts have disappeared.
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@ C.P. Los Angeles
I find it difficult to understand how King Taco and similar fast-food eateries can create a good culinary image of any city.
Living far from LA, my comment to a recent article in this Section on "Los Angeles Times" was heavily criticized by two Angelinas. Hence I keep silent.
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@C.P.
New York itself has disappeared for any reason that really matters. I spose an odd hipster or 2 out in Brooklyn would disagree, but they would be wrong.
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@Matthew Yeah, I agree.
Former NYer, here. Transplanted a long time ago to LA. I get back to NY frequently and the city of my childhood is long gone. NY of the now is kind of like a Potemkin village, all cleaned up and shiny.
But it's just a facade. As a friend of mine (another former NYer who moved back to NY from LA) said to me, 'there are no more bad areas'.
Sadly, true.
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