The polished, dark, decorative wood bar is buzzing with animated conversations, glasses clinking as the bartenders get the next round ready, red-jacketed waiters maneuvering through the patrons with trays of aromatic meals towards the high-backed booths in the main dining room.  The scene is so contemporary, it’s hard to believe that this restaurant and bar have been a dining destination for celebrities & literary luminaries for the last 100 years.

Musso & Frank Grill is on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in the heart of Hollywood.

Opened in 1919 at 6669 Hollywood Boulevard, Musso & Frank’s is the oldest restaurant in Hollywood, and one of the oldest in LA.  French chef, Jean Rue, created an enticing and delectable menu, making the restaurant a popular spot for patrons looking for an upscale dining experience.  

Its location – close to movie studios – made Musso & Frank’s a favorite for actors & actresses wanting to unwind after a day of filming.

In the late 1920s, the restaurant sold to 2 Italian immigrants – Joseph Carissimi and John Mosso. Carissimi & Mosso moved the restaurant next door, to 6667 Hollywood Boulevard.  But in the last 90+ years since, 4 things remain the same:

• The restaurant is still located at 6667 Hollywood Boulevard
• The quality of the food is as excellent as ever
• The Mosso family still runs the restaurant
• Many of the items that made the restaurant a favorite in the 1920s are available in the 2020s.  

When you eat at Musso & Frank’s, you’re not only getting an excellent dining experience, you’re experiencing some real, Hollywood & literary history.

Sit back and enjoy these stories.

Hollywood Stars Loved Musso & Frank’s

Let’s start with the very early days of the restaurant.

In 1919, the movie industry was barely 10 year years old, but had already found its home in Hollywood.  

The fledgling movie industry made people like Douglas Fairbanks, Mary Pickford, John Barrymore and Rudolph Valentino household names.  Charlie Chaplin was already a worldwide phenomenon, but he, too, found his place in Hollywood.

Try to imagine Hollywood Boulevard as it looked in the early 1920’s – a garish cacophony of horses & buggies, model T’s, trolley cars and pedestrians, all sharing the same space.

Legend has it that Charlie Chaplin challenged Douglas Fairbanks to a horse race down Hollywood Boulevard.  Whoever reached Musso & Frank’s first would buy lunch.  

That must have been a sight to see!

But it is most likely just legend.  This photograph shows Hollywood Boulevard in the 1920s.  This photo was taken at Cahuenga, looking west on Hollywood Boulevard.  Musso & Frank’s is 3 blocks from this location. 

And what’s missing from this photo?  Horses.  No horses, no buggies, only cars, trolleys and pedestrians.  But then again, it was Charlie Chaplin and Douglas Fairbanks — they may have brought their own horses to weave in and out of this chaos!

Charlie Chaplin loved Musso & Frank’s and ate there for lunch every day.  In fact, Musso & Frank had a booth continuously reserved for Chaplin.  He often dined with Fairbanks, Pickford, Valentino, or Barrymore.

The booth is still in its original spot in the restaurant, and it’s the most requested reservation spot.  

Favorite Meals of Celebrities

Chaplin’s favorite meal was broiled lamb kidney and lamb curry and rice, or an Irish stew and a salad of lettuce with Roquefort cheese dressing. (Funny, the things the newspapers in the 1930s thought were worth reporting! Well…I agree with them.)

Greta Garbo would breakfast with Gary Cooper, eating flannel cakes (a pancake made by separating the egg whites from the egg yolks, and adding both to the batter separately). 

When Cooper was having dinner, he preferred a tenderloin steak, with a baked potato, and a green salad with French dressing.

Ginger Rogers also preferred steaks, but loved the rum cake for dessert.

Rumors of a Speakeasy

When Mosso & Carissimi bought Musso & Frank in the late 20’s, prohibition was in full swing.  It’s said that during prohibition, Musso & Frank’s had a speakeasy in the back of the restaurant, accessible through a secret door from the ladies room.  

For sure, they had a private back room that had its official opening date of 1934, the year after prohibition ended.  But before?  

They’ll never tell.

Discretion is one of the hallmarks of Musso & Frank’s, even today.  Then, as now, they respected the right of all diners to enjoy their meals without the hassle of fans or tourists.  While many restaurants at the time employed a woman to roam the restaurant to take commemorative photos of the diners, Musso & Frank’s never did.  

Musso & Frank’s Literary Following

During the 1930s, movie studios wanted to recruit literary talent, optioning their books for screenplays, in an effort to sell more movie tickets.  And Musso & Frank’s became a literary hangout.  It didn’t hurt that it was located right next to Stanley Rose Bookstore and across the street from the Writer’s Guild.  

F. Scott Fitzgerald would proofread his novels at Musso & Frank’s.

Raymond Chandler wrote much of his Phillip Marlowe detective novel, The Big Sleep, at Musso & Frank’s.  The book was published in 1939.  The movie, starring Humphrey Bogart & Lauren Bacall was released in 1946.  

Noted author William Faulkner (who also wrote the screenplay for The Big Sleep) was known to be so familiar with the bartenders in the Back Room that he would go behind the bar and make his own mint juleps (to be fair, a mint julep is essentially bourbon over crushed ice, a little sugar and some mint leaves – pretty easy to make).

Dashiell Hammett would be at the bar with Humphrey Bogart (who brought Hammett’s Sam Spade detective to life in the 1941 movie, The Maltese Falcon).  

Or Bogart would be sipping martinis with Lauren Bacall.  

Changes at Musso & Frank’s

In the 1950’s, the Back Room was closed.  Musso’s took over the now-defunct Stanley Rose Bookstore, and created the “New Room.”  (It’s still called the New Room today, even after nearly 60 years)

The original bar was moved from the Back Room to the New Room.

Since its opening in 1955, the New Room became a favorite hangout for Kurt Vonnegut, Joseph Heller and Charles Bukowski.

There’s a story that one day, Marilyn Monroe and her date, Joe DiMaggio, were sitting at the bar having lunch.  Two sailors rushed inside.  The bartender assumed these sailors, probably on shore leave, would be fawning over Marilyn Monroe, begging for her autograph.

But they completely ignored her.

They wanted to talk to their hero, Joe Dimaggio, instead.  Monroe got a quiet lunch, Dimaggio did not.

Here’s a photo of Marilyn Monroe & Joe Dimaggio in the main dining room in 1953.  While Charlie Chaplin’s booth was booth #1 by the window, Monroe’s favorite was close by – booth #3.  

This photo is likely taken in booth #3.  We can’t say for sure, but we do know the date of this photo – June 26, 1953.  Monroe & Jane Russell had just left their handprints and footprints at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre as part of the promotion for their movie, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.  

Monroe & Dimaggio celebrated the occasion afterwards at Musso & Frank’s for dinner.

Any Other Good Stories?

I have a recent story that you won’t find anywhere else.  I know this story is true, because I heard it from the parking attendant, who heard it from the busboy, who heard it from the bartender.

Legendary actress, director & singer Barbra Streisand came to Musso & Frank’s incognito.  She’s sitting at the bar, eating, the bartender standing opposite her.  

A tourist rushes inside and comes up to the bartender.  She breathlessly asks, “Do any celebrities ever come in here?”

The bartender slowly shakes his head and says, “No, not anymore.”

The tourist’s shoulders slump, and she says, “Oh, that’s too bad.” She turns and shuffles out of the restaurant.  

Streisand looks up from her meal, nods appreciatively, and says, “Nice job.”  And she finished her meal, uninterrupted.

The Legendary Phone Booths

As you enter Musso & Frank’s from the back parking lot, you pass through a hallway with old photos, original menus and 2 ancient pay phone booths.

These were the very first pay phone booths in Hollywood.

But more than that, scripts were discussed over these phone lines, deals were negotiated.  

When Johnny Depp was an undiscovered, unemployed actor, before the age of cell phones, he would hang out at Musso’s, drinking coffee.  When his agent had a job, he would call Depp on one of these phones.  

Musso & Frank Today

The menu is printed daily.  Here’s a photo of a portion of the menu from August 31, 2022, one of the dates I was dining there.  Notice the Musso’s Merchant Lunch, served until 3:00 pm.  The options look so enticing – Poached Eggs Benedict, Seafood Omelette, Flannel Cakes, Spanish Omelette, French Dip, Prime Rib Sandwich, and so much more!  I wanted to come back and try some of these mouth-watering dishes.

Only one thing stopped me.

These are only available until 3:00 pm.
Musso’s doesn’t open until 5:00 pm.

This menu is NEVER available! It is a nod to the Musso & Frank’s of the past. I was shocked, but I recovered.

For dinner, you have a choice of sitting in a booth or at the bar in the main dining room. If you want a booth, reservations are strongly recommended. Dining is also available at the tables in the New Room, but it’s drinks only at the bar.

Each of the booths in the main dining room has a high back, so you have privacy. Although the restaurant is noisy, all conversations, except your own, are murmurs in the background. You can’t hear them, and they can’t hear you.

First Night’s Dinner

The menu is a-la-carte.  So on my first dining excursion, I had the 8 oz filet mignon, medium rare.

I paired it with a side of asparagus with hollandaise sauce. 

And what’s a steak without a baked potato?  They come fully loaded.  

There were a number of dessert choices, and the waiter recommended the cheesecake.  He said it was unforgettable.

Instead, I opted for crème brûlée – blueberries, raspberries & blackberries resting on a perfectly  caramelized top over creamy, vanilla custard.  I don’t regret it.

The entire meal was excellent.

2nd Night’s Dinner

On my next visit, I started with a caesar salad, crispy romaine lettuce, coated with a creamy dressing, crunchy croutons and freshly grated parmesan cheese.

As my main course, I select the spinach & ricotta ravioli with a butter and sage sauce, topped with freshly grated parmesan cheese.  

For dessert, this waiter also recommended the cheesecake, and said it was unforgettable.  

Hmmm…two different waiters, two different nights, both raving about the unforgettable cheesecake.  How could I say no?

When the cheesecake arrived, it looked like any other cheesecake.  I was prepared for it to be good.  But I was not prepared for what I got.  That first bite was the creamiest, most delicious cheesecake I have had in my very, long life!  OMG, It was delicious and truly unforgettable.  

The New Bar

After another excellent dinner, I decided to go over to the New Bar for a glass of wine, and — let’s be honest — to explore a little more.

In the back area, leading to the restrooms, are some of their private dining rooms.  This one was a wine room.  

Proudly displayed were multiple Awards of Excellence from Wine Spectator. I was looking forward to my wine a little more now.

On the walls were the most interesting custom art, stylized drawings of Musso & Frank’s celebrity guests & noted staff.  What a treat this was! 

Behind a glass pane with decorative muntins is the red bartender jacket of legendary Ruben Rueda, who worked at Musso & Frank’s for 52 years.  Akin to retiring a famous athlete’s jersey, Rueda’s jacket was retired and displayed in a place of honor.

Beneath the jacket are some memorabilia, an old coffee grinder & notebook, and empty wine bottles of good times past.

The wine menu was quite intriguing. There were so many great options, it was a difficult decision.  But I decided on the 2016 Challen Pino Noir “Peake Ranch.”  It was a rich purple, full body, flavorful choice. Very nice!

As I was leaving, the busboy was setting up Charlie Chaplin’s booth for the next guests. The Maître d’ said, “You can’t leave! You must take a picture at Charlie Chaplin’s table. Give me your phone, I will take it for you.” And he did.

It was the perfect ending to a perfect evening.

Musso & Frank Grill is Hollywood legend, Hollywood history and an outstanding, contemporary, upscale dining experience.  It’s located at 6667 Hollywood Boulevard. Valet parking is in the rear, or there is a self-parking garage on N. Cherokee. Call (323) 467-7788, or make a reservation here.