U.S. Open In L.A.: Best Dining Bets
Legendary Old School options, New Old School, New School and Quick/Cheap are just some of the recommendations for those coming to the 2023 national championship.
Location, location, location.
Just like The Quad’s list of worthy non-golf things to do when visiting for the U.S. Open, these suggestions are driven by options in the general vicinity of L.A. Country Club and nearby neighborhoods where our visitors are staying.
For more comprehensive reviews and dining categories, check out The Infatuation’s page. Fore, please, now dining in L.A.!
Old School
Musso & Frank Grill. An inevitable gravitational force lures tourists to Hollywood Blvd despite being utterly depressing to locals. Thankfully, there are bright spots like the Roosevelt Hotel, the Hollywood Bowl and most of all, Musso & Frank Grill. It makes the largely uninspiring Walk of Fame much more attractive. A staple since 1919, you still expect to find Jake Giddes at the bar. Musso’s classic steakhouse vibe and stubbornly old school wait staff can be just as entertaining as asking about the days when James Cain, Raymond Chandler, Ernest Hemingway, Dorothy Parker, F. Scott Fitzgerald, William Faulkner, Charles Bukowski and Gore Vidal talked shop over the famous martinis. Or the times Sinatra, Garbo, Chaplin, Fairbanks, Pickford Monroe, Brando, Bogart and more recent types like Clooney, Pitt, Depp and Ford have kept the good times rolling. The open grill is a work of art and great fun to eye as the grillmaster negotiates with waiters who bring the protein out from the kitchen. Everything on the vast menu is solid, but the Musso salad and Caesar are standouts, as is the Welsh rarebit, Lobster Thermidor, Chicken Pot Pie (Thursdays only), Fettucine Alfredo (old recipe) and anything off the grill.
Dantana’s. Just down Santa Monica Boulevard from LACC and next to the equally legendary Troubadour, this red-and-white checkered tablecloth and red sauce classic was long the quintessential Hollywood hangout. It remains a fantastic step back in time. Opened in 1964, the late night hangout is best known for its tableside Caesar, chicken parmesan, aged steaks and cappuccino ice cream. The cramped bar is usually helmed by delightfully ancient bartenders surrounded by kitschy wall decor oozing history.
Apple Pan.
A westside institution since 1947 is just ten minutes from LACC and hasn’t lost its essence under new owners Irving and Shelli Azoff, who now haven’t changed a thing except accepting non-cash forms of payment. The small stand features a U-shaped counter seating and now an outdoor option, with the same Ohio-style burgers (get the hickory with cheese), thick sandwiches and incredible pies (banana cream is best though strawberry cream on weekends is also spectacular). An enduring and endearing gem not to be missed.