If the film industry resides in Hollywood, the greater city of Los Angeles is its backyard. Filmmakers have taken to exploring this backyard in their movies, and local residents have come to accept that a routine trip to the deli can quickly turn into a cameo in the latest blockbuster. Though tourists have taken to camping outside celebrities’ homes for a glimpse of fame, there’s a less invasive—and far tastier—method of stargazing. Here, we follow the cameras to seven restaurants made famous by their appearances in film.
If you’re flying in to LAX, your first stop should be Randy’s Donuts on West Manchester Avenue. No, Randy’s was not named after Randy Newman. It was, however, briefly featured in the music video for the singer’s 1983 paean to his native city, “I Love L.A.”. When the giant donut that sits atop the shop isn’t appearing in action films such as 2012 and Iron Man 2, it acts as a beacon, enticing pilots to visit during long layovers at the nearby airport.
Next, take a drive over to Canter’s Deli in the Fairfax District. Though countless celebrities have feasted on Canter’s pastrami sandwiches since 1931, Walter Matthau bears the rare distinction of doing so on camera in Neil Simon’s I Ought to Be in Pictures (1982). Current owner Marc Canter recently penned a book about Guns N’ Roses, whose frequent visits to his deli evince the band’s appetites for things other than destruction.
If pastrami and hair metal don’t satisfy your taste for decadence, head to the lavishly appointed Cicada Restaurant downtown. In a memorable scene from Pretty Woman (1990), Julia Roberts flings a snail across the restaurant’s art deco-inspired dining room. Her costar, Richard Gere, would return to the restaurant just a few years later in Final Analysis (1992). Perhaps he was drawn back by the mallechort elevator doors or gold-leafed ceiling—traces left over from the restaurant’s former life as a 1920s haberdashery.
Cicada’s transformation seems minor compared to that of J & J Sandwich Shop. The 6th Street delicatessen was stripped of its walk-up sandwich counter and injected with a dose of 1950s noir for L.A. Confidential (1997). Recast as the Nite Owl Coffee Shop, J & J became the scene of a multiple homicide and ground zero for the movie’s pulpy action.
Hop on the 101 freeway and exit at Franklin for a post-lunch coffee or milkshake at the appropriately named 101 Coffee Shop. Restaurateur Warner Ebbink carefully designed the shop’s interior—complete with swiveling counter chairs and plush leather booths—to mimic the funky diners of the 1960s. According to the New York Times, Jon Favreau and Vince Vaughn frequented the diner back when it was called the Hollywood Hills Coffee Shop. They repaid the hospitality by immortalizing the shop in their hit comedy Swingers (1996).
Get back on the 101 and take it out to the San Fernando Valley for the last stop of our tour, which brings us to a nondescript strip mall in Granada Hills. This is the site of Vincenzo’s Pizza, which the filmmakers behind the neo-noir Drive converted into Ron Perlman’s latest criminal lair. Though one of the film’s most violent scenes takes place inside the renamed Nino’s Pizzeria, it’s worth risking your life for a slice of Vincenzo’s New York–style pepperoni.
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Restaurants in Malibu
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Coogie's Beach Cafe
Contemporary American Cuisine at Coogie's Beach Cafe (44% Off). Two Options Available.
Pesto-infused burgers, white truffle mac ‘n’ cheese, and turkey pot pie served in a spacious dining room beneath a central skylight
Eastern Malibu
$25 $14
Select Local Merchants
Using predominantly organic and local ingredients, Coogie's Beach Cafe puts a distinctly Californian spin on traditional American comfort food—a natural combination to fill its traveler-friendly oceanside perch just off the Pacific Coast Highway. Chefs fete early birds with breakfast treats such as blueberry pancakes topped with maple-glazed granola and serve a spicy bayou scramble alongside zucchini muffins. Lunch and dinner find organic greens and wild arugula admiring the brawn of Angus beef, filet mignon, and herb-roasted free-range chicken. The menu is broad enough to harbor options for vegetarians (garden veggie tacos), the gluten-averse (quinoa pasta), and kids (sesame-crusted chicken fingers). House-made desserts include Granny Smith apple pie.
The bar sends forth a fountain of fruit smoothies, fresh-squeeze juices, homemade lemonade, and organic hot teas, depending on the season. When sea breezes are favorable, diners relax on a palm-shaded patio; otherwise, they munch beneath a big central skylight and weathered wooden surfboards, safely hiding out from vengeful waves.
23755 Malibu Rd
Malibu,
CA
US
When it comes to making a positive first impression, the Sunset Restaurant doesn?t dawdle: it greets guests with a sprawling view of the Pacific horizon. Located on a secluded chunk of Zuma Beach, and just a few steps or somersaults away from the ocean, the restaurant continues to stun patrons throughout their visits by surrounding tables with equally stunning coastal views. In Sunset?s pristine, white dining room, large windows look out onto the beach while dates and groups sit down to plates of seafood pasta, grilled filet mignon, and wild langostinos flown in from New Zealand. Away from its casual dining spaces, the facility also boasts elegantly decorated bars and private event rooms for hosting special occasions, including weddings.
6800 Westward Beach Rd
Malibu,
CA
US
American Luxury Limousine's large fleet has been transporting people to special and everyday occasions—be it a college shindig or a business meeting—for more than 27 years. Professional drivers chauffeur bridal parties in style, pulling up to weddings in shiny stretch Hummers, party buses, and Lincoln Town Cars. They also offer leisurely wine tours of the Santa Monica Mountains to acquaint oenophiles with local varietals, and they host bachelorette parties to put an appropriately epic period on the end of a bride’s single life.
3201 Retreat Ct
Malibu,
CA
US
The Santa Monica mountains rise from the undulating greens of the Malibu Golf Club, clinking glasses punctuating the silence as wine lovers sample local vintages at Malibu & Vine Outdoor Wine Bar. Tables dot the grassy expanse, allowing guests to bask in the sunlight as the bar’s wine stewards pour out samples or full glasses of locally grown vintages from Saddlerock and Semler. On the weekends, the bar invites in musical artists to strum throughout the afternoon hours, making the late lunches more relaxing than watching a complicated computer sink into a swamp.
901 Encinal Canyon Rd
Malibu,
CA
US
Howdy Sylvano Kabrins has a particular affinity for fresh, healthy Mexican food—in fact, he credits himself with launching the "Fresh-Mex" movement. Inspired by the two years he spent living with a peasant family in Mexico during college, Howdy founded his first Mexican restaurant in 1979. La Salsa, as it was called, soon blossomed into a 100-restaurant franchise, due in no small part to the fresh, light twist it put on a cuisine that was known at the time for being heavy and greasy. 16 years later, he opened Howdy's Taqueria, and his culinary imagination has only become more creative since.
At the taqueria, vegetables sourced from local organic farms—including Howdy's own ranch in Ojai—combine with deft recipes to create flavorful food brimming with macronutrients. The result is a selection of well-balanced dishes such as protein-packed Cross Fit bowls and the Rainbow Kale salad, which mingles kale and quinoa superfoods with heart-healthy beets and protein-rich sunflower seeds. Seafood is also a big draw, as lettuce-cup tacos filled with seared ahi tuna and Scottish salmon with quinoa share menu space with a multitude of fish tacos and burritos. Howdy's wife provides the chicken-soup recipe, which uses organic, free-range chicken in a dish that resembles italian wedding soup, and there's also a variety of sushi rolls available. But the food isn't all that's wholesome—the restaurant itself also embraces a casual and friendly ambiance, surrounding patrons with earthenware tiles and stout wooden chairs.
3835 Cross Creek Rd
Malibu,
CA
US
When you’re in love, few things are more beautiful than your mate. One exception may be a panoramic view of the Pacific. During brunch at Geoffrey’s Malibu, every seat offers an eyeful of ocean. The menu is just as impressive, with items such as herb-crusted salmon and sautéed sea scallops in a pomegranate reduction.
27400 Pacific Coast Hwy
Malibu,
CA
US
