Philippe's
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Philippe_store_front.jpg
Philippe's is a restaurant located in downtown Los Angeles, California. It is in the Chinatown area. Continuously operating since 1908, it is famous for being the oldest remaining restaurant in Los Angeles. It is also renowned for the claim that it is the home of the original French Dip sandwich, being invented by accident when Philippe, the original owner of the restaurant, dropped a roll of French bread into cooking grease and the police officer it was served to having enjoyed it better than a normal one. Cole's, also in downtown, also makes this claim. The style of Philippe's is a traditional sit-down restaurant, having old-fashioned traditions such as rows of tables being shared by several parties, wood-shavings scattered on the floor, dark brown wood for the walls and floor, and newspapers from historical United States events that happened from the time the restaurant opened to the 1950's (quite possibly, the 1960's as well, if you look around), as well as a display dedicated to the history of electric rail in Los Angeles. It has two stories, both containing tables for eating, and is located by Union Station. The traditional meal that Phillippe's is famous for, is a French Dip sandwich, a small bag of potato chips, a soft drink (preferably cola or root beer), and a tapioca pudding cup for desert. The skyscrapers of the downtown area are not visible from the restaurant (at streetlevel), despite how close it is.
Philippe's serves cans of soft drinks, however, they are not the famous national brands. For example, Philippe's serves Dad's brand root beer, rather than A&W or Barqs.
Philippe's is also famous for serving regular coffee for 9 cents to this day, in honor of old-fashioned prices.
On its 85th anniversary, French Dip sandwiches were sold for 10 cents every business day for one week.
The restaurant is located in the Historical District of Los Angeles, two blocks north of Olvera Street (the oldest street in Los Angeles) at 1001 N. Alameda Street.
External Links
- Official Website (http://www.philippes.com)