
Unfortunately the losses keep adding up, the most recent closures are: The Prospector (1965), Lupo D’Abruzzo (1966), Rod’s Grill (1957), Leo’s Mexican Food (1976), The Spot, (1977), Watson’s Soda Fountain (1915), Mexi-Casa (1965), Shibucho (1976), 94th Aero Squadron (1973), Raul’s Mexican Food (1978), Izzy’s Deli (1973), and Dhaba Indian Cuisine (1972). NOTE June 2023: During the covid crisis we lost at least 23 area vintage restaurants. These closures are found at the bottom of the list. Cheers, my dears, and bon appetit! Love, Nikkiįrom May 2015 to June 2023 we have lost 98 restaurants on this list due to closure. As of June 2023 the list is at 480 places, spread as far south as the bottom of Orange County, east to San Bernardino and north to Santa Clarita. I do my best to keep this list continually updated and add, subtract and make changes as needed. I’ve added a Yelp link for each restaurant, so you can check out hours and customer reviews of the food. The list includes all of Los Angeles and Orange Counties, but also the Inland Empire in San Bernardino and Riverside Counties.

You will find classic steakhouses, Googie diners, pastrami delicatessens, walk-up hamburger stands and more. My criteria for the restaurants here is that they are at least 37 years old (1985) or older, although I have made a few exceptions, and that they are within about an hour’s drive from downtown L.A. I’m sure there are many holes in my research and would appreciate additions, updates and corrections in the comments section below.
#Sushi boy irvine center drive update
After a lot of detective work I’ve compiled this “Master List” and plan to update it regularly. I often search the internet for authentic old-school spots in neighborhoods I visit and finding them is not always easy. I pray that old places don’t renovate their mid-century or even mid-’70s decor. I’m a junkie for vintage architecture and old signs. I’m not as selective about a menu as I am about the ambiance, atmosphere and what I am experiencing. I’m a sucker for a joint with history, charm, character and stories. Kallas-Lee's dessert courses have included triple crème cheese ice cream and a striking bone marrow custard topped with candied marcona almonds, berry granita, lemon verbena, and nasturtiums.We are lucky in Los Angeles to have a lot of spectacular vintage restaurants, but we are still losing many every year to owners who retire, sell out for money or lose their long-held lease to nasty gentrification. Other highlights from the seasonal menus: Columbia River sturgeon with beurre blanc, caviar and morel Flying H Squab Ranch roasted squab breast with squab jus and red beet and Wagyu ribeye with pommel puree and truffled jus, served with "Waldorf" Salad. Lobster tartare was seasoned with matcha green tea salt, soy sauce, ponzu and lemon and topped with Santa Barbara uni, tomato aspic and puffed quinoa.

Dinner starts with savory snacks and cocktail pairings in a small bar and continues in a 24-seat dining room with booths and a counter overlooking an open kitchen with a wood-burning hearth.Ī recent standout was Mary's Duck - dry-aged for seven days and served with roasted baby beets, pickled green apple, crispy beet root, and finished with a beet reduction. Courses are listed simply - "spot prawn," "squash," "venison" - but convey so much more. The menu spans 21 courses, costs $185 per person (not including wine pairings), and leaves plenty to the imagination. Scratch | Bar & Kitchen is the Valley’s most ambitious restaurant, an impressive tasting experience from Top Chef Season 13 competitor Phillip Frankland Lee and pastry chef/wife Margarita Kallas-Lee that’s part of a three-concept compound on Encino Place’s second floor.
