The diner, originally configured as more of an open-air patio-style spot that was later covered over to create the dining room you seen now, according to Rosenbluh, was named after the daughter of the original owners. xhr.setRequestHeader('Content-Type', 'text/plain;charset=UTF-8'); Longtime Angelenos swear it has barely changed since the '80s. Something went wrong. Cindy's Eagle Rock From swanky celebrity hot spots to local institutions, take a look back at some of the most iconic restaurants that have, sadly, gone out of business. Our Mexican restaurants had always served salsa, but compared to the kim chee sitting on the tables in some places in Koreatown, it was hardly even hot. The famously debaucherous patio is a bit more buttoned up these days, only allowing hotel guests to eat there with sporadic availability on certain days (a.k.a., if youre famous enough). Since the club closed in 1979, the space has remained vacant, and many of the original old art deco fixtures have been removed or damaged. Shakers After brothers Richard and Maurice McDonald signed over the rights to their company to franchise agent Ray Kroc in 1961, they forfeited the right to their name. The two chains continued to grow and add locations until they merged in 1997. You'll thank us later.2901 Pico Blvd., Santa Monica. The dining room featured groovy, rainbow-hued glass panels and seafoam-green booths. Southern California was once dotted with old-school diners. John mentioned Peter Pan on Oakland Park Blvd ( just up from what was Gibby's) when we played this game at lunch today. Ah, the 1990s. You won't find the 95-cent fish-and-chips special we saw in a 1968 ad but classic breakfast dishes are still on the menu along with fun twists like Hawaiian bread French toast (highly recommended).601 Fair Oaks, South Pasadena. Losers included coffee shops, Cantonese Chinese and red-checkered Italian restaurants, and even sanctums of haute French cuisine. Black men, who formed the basic waiter corps of the 19th century, largely disappeared from restaurant dining rooms and kitchens, replaced by immigrants, white college students, and white women. Like the other ice cream shops, MaggieMoo's would make made-to-order ice cream cones while mixing the ingredients in front of you. This classic American grill has been open since 1919, and not much seems to have changed since then. A must-stop on the way to LAX, Panns is a diner study in Googie architecture. Naka's Broiler advice every day. * 1848 Sycamore Inn Rancho Cucamonga San Bernardino County At this location since 1939. Bill Knapp's made a name for itself in the restaurant world thanks to its quality ingredients and menu full of home-cooked foodnot to mention its dreamy chocolate cake. The epitome of an old-school steakhouse, Dal Rae in Pico Rivera dates to the 1950s and is most famous for its pepper steak. The best places to eat in LAs most famous neighborhood. Not your jam? Hollywood Landmark Restaurants of the 1950s! Popular menu items at Steak and Ale included the signature herb-roasted prime rib, Kensington club, New York strip, filet mignon, and spicy grilled chicken pasta. What makes all this different than the ethnic restaurants found in other places? Musso & Frank Grill holds a historic place in Hollywood. Still, Nick's endures and draws crowds on the weekends. (Howard Hughes, Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor, and Billie Burke all used to pick up their mail here.) The restaurant chains on this list are either out of business or have greatly reduced their number of stores since the '90s. (In a weird reversal of fate, one of Preble's other diners -- the one on Figueroa in Lincoln Heights -- is now an IHOP.). Soy sauce and sesame oil could be found in every kitchen. Complete The Titles Of These 1980s Action Kelli Maroney Talks About FAST TIMES AT RIDGEMONT HIGH, NIGHT OF THE COMET And Her Career In Hollywood, Claudia Wells (BACK TO THE FUTURE) Talks About Working With Michael J. Hilariously, one of the only remaining buildings featuring the wild, often postmodern design of the 90s is the KFC on Western near Beverly by Elysee Grinstein and Jeffrey Daniels. Even so, the iconic lounge is still a great place to drink old-school cocktails like the rum-infused Blood & Sand, catch a live jazz show, and get a little weird along the way. Open from 1929 to 1965, the restaurant and night club was a place where celebrities and socialites alike could enjoy cocktails, a steak dinner, and a night of dancing. Ponderosa Steakhouse. He saved up enough money to buy his own place (Ned's Coffee Shop, which closed in 1988) then bought Rae's in 1992. (Elina Shatkin/LAist), Naka's Broiler in Compton (Chava Sanchez/LAist), The exterior of Nick's Cafe, located just north of Chinatown in Los Angeles. (One internet-fueled legend states that they dropped the "salt" when people started worrying about sodium being bad for their health.) As soon as you enter Dear Johns dining room, youll be transported to another era, one where servers wore tuxedos, martinis were downed like water, and restaurants were too dark to take pictures of your food. These restaurants will help you get acquainted with Los Angeles. The dim, moody bar on a Hollywood side street has been around since 1927 and is a go-to for post-show drinks in the area. Westside dive bar legend Chez Jay is still humming along on Ocean Avenue in Santa Monica after all these years. But it all started here at this big menu destination with traditional preparations of thousand-year-old eggs, cold boneless chicken, and tangerine chicken. After years of success, the owners sold the popular burger joint to Hardee's in 1982. By that year, a majority of the chain's locations had closed, and the others weren't far behind. 323-257-7375, cindyseaglerock.com. Opened in 1997, its become one of the oldest Korean restaurants in LA under the ownership of Jennifer Lee. November 2019. By now, theyve started to spread. This 19-stool counter feels like someone dropped an old-school diner in the middle of a fancy Beverly Hills hotel. In 1971, the building where fast food was born was demolished and turned into an unofficial museum for the chain by restaurateur Albert Okura. Secret agents, post-war paranoia and questions about life as an American Do you remember hanging out at the mall in the '80s? And we were not alone: While chefs in the rest of the country were still looking to Europe for inspiration, our local chefs simply looked around. Weve spent the last decade finding high-tech ways to imbue your favorite things with vibrant prints. Mexican chain Chevys was founded in 1986 in California. He has been running the place ever since, along with his other restaurant, Teddy's Cafe, located about a half mile east on Pico. Then, Souplantation and Sweet Tomatoes closed all 97 remaining locations during the pandemic. However, the international chain ceased operations in 1999. In other words, a much simpler time. Pizza Hut was my favorite restaurant in the 80s, Only The Biggest Seinfeld Fans Can Pass This Quiz, Predator Is A Cinematic Masterpiece That Still Holds Up Well Today. And for more throwbacks, don't miss these 16 Beloved Restaurants Only '70s Kids Will Remember. In the beginning of the decade, we overcame our fear of raw fish, learned that the only place to eat sushi was at the sushi bar, and discovered that the service was better when you remembered the difference between toro and maguro . Real explorers know that Artesia and Cerritos are filled with sweet shops and snack shops and restaurants catering to people who know the difference between golguppers and puchkas. The first restaurant opened in 1991, and Roasters filed for bankruptcy in 1998. Harry B. Carpenter founded the Carpenter's chain with his brother Charles and operated many locations in Los Angeles. After a brush with a drunk driver in 2016, Rosenbluh and King closed the place for six months to overhaul the place down to the studs, restitching the Cony's signature orange booths and shining up the vintage counter.1500 Colorado Blvd., Eagle Rock. 15 Fantastic Glendale Restaurants Worth Checking Out, 28 Classic Restaurants Every Angeleno Must Try, Summer 2017, A South LA institution thats been around for a quarter of a century,Watts Coffee Houseis the true definition of a warm community gathering space. Opened in 1964, the Italian-American haunt serves late every night of the week, with hits like chicken Parmesan and grilled steaks. The La Cienega Norm's was threatened by a West Hollywood developer in 2015, but thanks to the efforts of the L.A. The drinks are cheap, the food menu is surprisingly solid, and the crowd-watching never disappoints. If youre headed to DTLA for dinner, you have a lot of good choices. A post shared by What Did I Eat (@whatfoodtoday). 101 Coffee Shop Bennigan had its start in Atlanta in 1976, but in the early 1980s they were everywhere. But after 75 years in the business, the famous restaurant went out of business in 2012. When the check came, we paid and then pressed an ostentatious tip upon the chef. For the new restaurants in Monterey Park--restaurants whose customers were almost entirely Chinese--were places that produced real Cantonese food. Swanky Cafe Pacific has been a Park Cities mainstay since 1980, this place is a power-lunch haven for one-percenters who wish to dine on fine seafood. Rae's The Lamplighter was extinguished in 2010, but the building remained intact, paving the way for Corky's to make its triumphant return in 2010 under new ownership (aka the same folks who own the equally fantastic Paty's in Toluca Lake). But by 2007, the last one had closed. The space is essentially a series of massive interconnecting dining rooms, each filled with various fireplaces, wood-paneled walls, and of course, hundreds of framed acting headshots. Sign of the Dove is considered one of the lost gems of New York City after closing and eventually being demolished in 1998. Mona Holmes, 21 Essential Sit-Down Mexican Restaurants in LA, 20 Satisfying Soups to Keep You Cozy in Los Angeles. However, after filing for bankruptcy in 1998 the company was acquired and sold in 2001. Its a private club, home to the best magicians on the planet, with a restaurant thats better than youd expect. Thom Mayne & Michael Rotondi: 72 Market Street, Venice, 1983 pic.twitter.com/jt1boAY5W9, A post shared by Steven - Pastry Chef/Owner (@spoonspatisserie). The Stork Club was an integral part of the New York City social scene in the early 19th century. Elaine's was a New York City institution since opening in 1963 and remained one until it closed in 2011. Korean restaurants remained a mystery for much of the decade, but in the past couple of years adventurous eaters have discovered that restaurants catering to the large local Korean population have a whole lot more to offer than grill-it-yourself beef. Dan Tanas is the quintessential Hollywood hangout. The Best Restaurants In Hollywood. The chain was founded in 1952 and continued to grow over the years. Tam OShanter in Los Feliz, which dates back to 1922, is one of the oldest restaurants in the city and is owned by the same family as Lawrys. Pump is co-owned by Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star, Lisa Vanderpump, whose first restaurant, Sur, rose to fame on Bravos Vanderpump Rules. navigator.sendBeacon('https://www.google-analytics.com/collect', payload); By 1975, the Howard Johnson Company had more than 1,000 restaurants and more than 500 motor lodges in 42 states and Canada. THEN: After serving in the Navy during World War II, the restaurant's namesake, Nick, returned to Los Angeles and built a diner near the charred remains of China City (the precursor to Chinatown). After modernizing the kitchen, overhauling the menu to feature Southern-style cooking and taking pains to restore the spot's vintage charm (they refurbished the original sign and replaced the awful green carpeting with formica flooring that more closely resembles the original material), Cindy's was back in business. In the '90s, better known as the era of gimmicky restaurants, a set of iconic athletes (Wayne Gretzky, Andre Agassi, and Joe Montana, to name a few) teamed up with Planet Hollywood to open the Official All Star Caf. For more, don't miss these 17 Failed Chain Restaurants From the 1980s That Will Make You Feel So Nostalgic. Due to fickle consumer trends and high rent, many beloved restaurants have been forced to call it quits over the yearssome even after decades of success. And while the food here is mostly just so-so, its also impossible to have a bad time. If you were a kid in the '80s, there's a good chance you You can dine under the same roof as Frank Sinatra, Marilyn Monroe, Greta Garbo, Marlon Brando and countless other Hollywood icons. You Probably Cant Name These Characters From The Office. By 2000, the chain was down to 90 franchised restaurants, 40 of those in the U.S. This is not because of California Cuisine--which was a 70s phenomenon that started in Northern California. $59.95 + $6.10 shipping . Parking lot view of the busy drive-in restaurant, the Rite Spot Cafe, located at 1500 W. Colorado It has to be one of the only diners in L.A. still operated by its original owners and it's an essential stop on your way to or from LAX.6710 La Tijera Blvd., Los Angeles; 323-776-3770; panns.com. 310-828-7937. In 1967, Bahooka was opened in Los Angeles to capitalize on the Tiki phenomena in the U.S. at the time. The restaurant eventually rebranded itself, changing its name to No Place Like Sam's and Jolly Tiger, however there's still one original Sambo's left in the United Statesthe original restaurant, which is run by the founder's grandson in Santa Barbara, California. The Zagat people have just sent out a press release saying that Los Angeles is at the forefront of a revolution in cooking. Opened in 1966, this legendary Boyle Heights restaurant has tremendous bean-and-cheese burritos that were immortalized by the late food writer Jonathan Gold. A restaurant where you can see Hollywood memorabilia seems like a '90s kids dream. Ted Delgado, the restaurant's current owner, started out washing dishes there in 1967 after immigrating from Jalisco, Mexico. It all started with sushi. Sign up for our newsletter to get daily recipes and food news in your inbox! If youre looking to drink stiff Jack and Cokes and smoke without judgment in leather pants, this historic Sunset Strip fixture is the place to do it. The company reached its peak that year, but the late 1970s marked the beginning of the end for the Howard Johnson Company. Tofu came into the culture; we started thinking about health food. "We try not to change very much," Delgado told us back in 2011, and indeed, the blue-and-white color scheme remains the same. Fast Times At Ridgemont High made mall culture mainstream. Do you remember the cool BMX bikes from the '80s? WebThere is a large crease/fold across the top. (Elina Shatkin/LAist), A version of Eggs Benedict made with bacon, spinach and avocado alongside hash browns at Nick's Cafe, located just north of Chinatown in Los Angeles. All this started having an influence on our diet. Either way, a night out at one of these spots is a glimpse into LA historyand always one hell of a time. Free shipping . Here's The Best Restaurant Buffet in Every State. 17 Fantastic Salads Worth Ordering in Los Angeles, 15 LA Restaurants That Perfected Takeout and Delivery, 13 Hot New Brunch Spots to Check Out in Los Angeles, Throwback to LA's best old school eateries and dives. Steak and Ale was ahead of its time. Every time I drive by Johnie's, I lament that I'll never get to stop in for a slice of pie. } In the 1980s, the restaurant began to decline, as it switched up menu items in favor of more chicken and fish. But were including it here anyway because LA wouldnt be the same place without it. Meanwhile, one of the older spicy cuisines became new again in Los Angeles. While these 1990s restaurants didn't stand the test of time, there are plenty of other chains that are still thriving today. No-sugar-added recipes you'll look forward to eating. "The hole it left in the landscape was more than physical.