Chasen's was a restaurant that long served the Hollywood elite in a structure along Doheny and Beverly in West Hollywood. Now all that's left of the glorious edifice founded by comedian Dave Chasen is a Bristol Farms super market, though there's one last remnant located near the cafe that still contains original booths, paneling, and some vintage photographs from the iconic restaurant.
There's also a plaque near the original entrance that tells of this legendary eatery, which entertained everyone from James Cagney and Clark Cable to Warren Beatty and Shirley Temple. In 1962, Elizabeth Taylor famously paid $100 to have Chasen's chili shipped to the Cleopatra set in Rome.
:format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/3361216/chasens02.0.jpg)
Photo: [oldlarestaurants.com]
After the restaurant closed in 1995 after a nearly 60 year run, Bristol Farms tore down most of the building but preserving the Beverly Blvd side. Inside, there's a chili station set up for the market, but it's unclear whether that chili is in fact the one that made this place famous. More than any other long lost restaurant in Los Angeles, this one, the site of many a drunken night of revelry for Tinseltown A-listers, has the most intrigue. Do you have any memories of dining at Chasen's back in its heyday? Hit the comments.
