Musso & Frank Grill facts for kids

Musso & Frank Grill
Restaurant information
Established	1919
Food type	Steakhouse, American
Street address	6667-9 Hollywood Boulevard
City	Los Angeles
County	Los Angeles
State	California
Country	United States
Reservations	Yes
Other locations	No

The Musso & Frank Grill is a famous restaurant located on Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, Los Angeles. It first opened its doors in 1919. The restaurant is named after its original owners, Joseph Musso and Frank Toulet. It holds the title of the oldest restaurant in Hollywood and is often called "the beginning of Hollywood."

History of Musso & Frank Grill

Frank's François Café, the restaurant before it became Musso & Frank, in 1920

The restaurant was started by a French immigrant named Firmin "Frank" Toulet. It was first called Frank's François Café. In 1923, the name changed to Musso & Frank when Toulet partnered with Joseph Musso.

Later, in 1927, the restaurant was sold to Joseph Carissimi and John Mosso. John Mosso expanded the restaurant in 1936. A larger dining area, which opened in 1955, is still known as "the new room."

Today, the Mosso family still owns Musso & Frank. John Mosso's great-grandson, Mark Echeverria, manages it. The restaurant has kept its classic look with high ceilings, dark wood, and red booths. Even the waiters and bartenders wear the same red coats they have worn for many years. It is known as a classic "New York-style bar and restaurant."

Musso & Frank is also famous for its martinis. In 2008, a magazine called GQ said it was the best place in America to have one.

In 2019, Musso & Frank celebrated its 100th birthday! It also became the first restaurant to get a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 2021, the restaurant added two new private dining rooms, expanding its seating for the first time in 66 years.

Classic Menu Items

In 1927, Musso & Frank was the first restaurant in the United States to serve fettuccine Alfredo. The recipe was brought back from Italy by actors Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks after their honeymoon. They shared the recipe with the chef, and it was later added to the menu.

The restaurant still offers a classic steakhouse menu. You can find dishes like Welsh rarebit, lobster Thermidor, and chicken pot pie. The chicken pot pie is a special dish only available on Thursdays.

Musso & Frank's Role in Hollywood Life

When Musso & Frank opened, Hollywood was a growing area. It was far from Downtown Los Angeles, where most of the city's business happened. This location helped the restaurant become a popular spot for artists, writers, and thinkers in Hollywood.

Writers and Politics

By the 1930s, Musso & Frank was a central place for Hollywood's creative community. Many famous writers spent time there. The Screen Writers Guild was nearby, and a popular bookstore was right next door. Writers like James M. Cain, John Fante, Raymond Chandler, Ernest Hemingway, William Saroyan, Dorothy Parker, William Faulkner, and F. Scott Fitzgerald were regulars.

The restaurant appears in books like Fast One (1933) and The Day of the Locust (1939). Even aspiring writers like Charles Bukowski would visit, hoping to follow in the footsteps of their heroes. A historian named Kevin Starr once said that a list of writers who visited Musso & Frank reads like a list of important American novels from the mid-1900s.

Important people in Los Angeles politics also met at Musso & Frank. Helen Gahagan Douglas, who later became a congresswoman, ate there on her first night in Los Angeles. Actor and activist Will Geer also met with groups of young writers and actors at the restaurant in the 1930s and 1940s.

The Film Industry Connection

From the very beginning, Musso & Frank has been a part of the social scene for the film industry in Los Angeles. The restaurant even had a special back room for its film industry guests. This included screenwriters, actors, producers, and directors.

Many famous stars have visited, such as Tom Mix, Charlie Chaplin, Harry Warner, Jack Warner, Greta Garbo, Humphrey Bogart, Frank Sinatra, Marlon Brando, Marilyn Monroe, William Frawley, Douglas Fairbanks, Mary Pickford, Orson Welles, and Rudolph Valentino. Today, modern stars like Johnny Depp, George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Keith Richards, and Harrison Ford still enjoy dining there.

The Musso & Frank Building

The building in 2003

In 1984, the Hollywood Boulevard Commercial and Entertainment District was added to the National Register of Historic Places. The Musso & Frank building is an important part of this historic district. The building is recognized for its unique features. These include its glass brick windows, flagstone wall, a special entrance, a bright neon sign, and its well-preserved inside.

Images for kids

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  Musso & Frank Grill logo