Another One Bites the Dust, Temporarily
One of my friends informed me that Billingsley's Restaurant on Pico near Sawtelle in WLA is closed. Sigh. Another classic dining establishment bites the dust. I checked out Billingsley's Facebook page and there was a note that said, "BILLINGSLEY'S STEAKHOUSE is ONLY TEMPORARILY CLOSED and is RE-OPENING UNDER NEW OWNERSHIP. The restaurant has re-opened and it's better than ever!
I do believe that the construction of The Metro made it difficult for all the old patrons to visit Billingsley's in the past few years. The parking lot was made much smaller and there were always construction barriers surrounding the place. Sigh.
The construction of The Metro line extension was the beginning of the end for Billingsley's.
I've been eating at Billingsley's since the 1970s. They served plain and delicious food and drinks. Barbara Billingsley's husband, Glenn, Sr. opened the restaurant in 1946. One of Barbara Billingsley's sons, Glenn, ran and owned the place (Barbara, of Mrs. Cleaver TV fame). Barbara's other son ran the Billingsley's at the Van Nuys golf course that closed in 2004. The Billingsley boys' uncle ran the Stork Club in New York. The family had a long history in the restaurant biz.
Here are a few memories from Billingsley's...
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| Classic Red Leather Booths and Fish Tanks! |
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| The Martinis were strong and legendary |
Billingsley's was a great place for a martini and a slab o' meat. The oily cheese bread was famous! Of course, no one will ever serve green goddess dressing as rich and creamy as Billingsley's. All the menu items were reasonably priced too.
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| Salad with Green Goddess Dressing and Cheesy Croutons |
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| Oily, garlicky, delicious cheese bread |
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| Prime Rib, baked potato with all the fixin's |
Yes, the fare at Billingsley's could have been called "heart attack on a plate," but most places in L.A. served similar food until we became a health-conscious City in the early 1970s era of Cuisine Minceur.
Well, it's open again so we can all get our beef on! Yippee!
Labels: Architecture, Food, Los Angeles
posted by Ellen Bloom @ 4:35 PM
7 Comments:
Oh that's unfortunate. They were really nice folks there. I almost had my wedding rehearsal dinner there. Ultimately we went with another option, but I have always thought so well of them because of how nice they were while we were looking at places.
Very fair prices. TK
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As a newbie vintage-o-phile to Los Angeles, do you have any recommendations to resources for a list of classic restaurants/bars that I should visit? Especially since I only learn of some great spots just as they are closing...boo hoo.
Thank you Ellen, I super love your blog!
Hi Divvy,
Thanks for the blog compliments.
Eater L.A. just published a classic restaurant list for Los Angeles. Check it out, but call each restaurant first, just in case: http://la.eater.com/maps/26-classic-restaurants-los-angeles-classics-week-guide-map
Billingsley's closed in December 2015 and re-opened in February 2016 under new management. Same great menu, servers and cook. It's better than ever and has early bird specials. The re-done parking lot provides more parking. Welcome back
I once bit into a cooked chicken at Billingsleys that was still part frozen in the center. No apology from lifer waitress, just erased my appetite. Never went back. Loved their no nonsense salad and the cheese bread, however
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