10 Restaurants Humphrey Bogart Loved Across The US
Humphrey Bogart — the iconic American actor renowned for his tough-guy roles in classic films like "Casablanca" and "The Maltese Falcon" — had a certain fondness for good food, but he's better known for his love of drink. Indeed, Bogart often drank his favorite liquor on set, and that liquor was Scotch. He liked it so much that witty quotes are attributed to him in regards to the drink, including when he supposedly said, "Scotch is a very valuable part of my life."
But even Bogie knew not to drink on an empty stomach, at least so far as we can tell from anecdotal evidence of him holding his liquor well. For instance, Bogart reportedly ordered two Scotch and sodas with his French toast whenever he was lunching at Romanoff's, a Beverly Hills restaurant frequented by the big stars during Hollywood's Golden Age.
Romanoff's was far from the only restaurant Bogart patronized. He seemed to have a penchant for being seen at all of the renowned Hollywood hotspots, including The Musso & Frank Grill, which was also one of the restaurants Marilyn Monroe loved in California. In fact, despite getting his start on stage in New York City, most of Bogart's favorite restaurants appear to have been around Los Angeles, some of which you can still visit today — though he spent ample time at eateries on both coasts. Here's a look at them for you, kid.
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The Formosa Café In Los Angeles
According to The Formosa Café's management, Humphrey Bogart was a regular at this restaurant, which is no surprise, given the positive reputation it had among famous actors and singers — and especially because of its convenient location right across the street from the old Samuel Goldwyn Studio, where Bogart's 1937 film "Dead End" was filmed. The Formosa also boasts being a former hangout for James Dean, Ava Gardner, Frank Sinatra, and John Wayne.
Although you may not see as many stars there today as during the Golden Age of Hollywood, The Formosa Café is still open for business and serves tasty Chinese food — like wonton soup and chow mein — in an atmosphere designed to recall its Hollywood glory days. A retro decor reigns throughout, with scarlet booth seating in the main dining room and the original red trolley-car section fully restored. You also won't be able to miss the portraits of its famous past patrons lining the walls.
(323) 794-1106
7156 Santa Monica Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90046
The Musso & Frank Grill In Los Angeles
We know that back in the day, Marilyn Monroe liked to sit at booth three in The Musso & Frank Grill. This was also one of the restaurants Elizabeth Taylor loved, though she preferred dining in the back room, far from prying eyes. Furthermore, Musso & Frank ranked among Frank Sinatra's favorite restaurants, and he purportedly liked booth 224. With all of these stars in attendance, it's hard to imagine that there was room for anyone else — yet Humphrey Bogart apparently managed to squeeze in, because he was also known to be a regular, though we may never know which table he favored.
However, the restaurant's management claims that Bogart could be regularly spotted at the bar with his fourth and final wife, actress Lauren Bacall, or with author Dashiell Hammett, who created the detective character Sam Spade that Bogie played in "The Maltese Falcon." We don't know what Bogart liked to order here, but the menu hasn't changed a lot since his time, so if you eat something at Musso & Frank, you may very well be tasting something similar to what the Hollywood icon enjoyed. Dishes that stand out for their longevity on the menu include grilled lamb kidneys with bacon and grenadine of beef — and Bogie would certainly approve of the extensive Scotch selection offered at the bar nowadays.
(323) 467-7788
6667 Hollywood Blvd, Hollywood, CA 90028
Barney's Beanery In Los Angeles
Dating back to the 1920s, Barney's Beanery became so popular over the past century that it's expanded to multiple locations across LA — but the original restaurant is sited on Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood, and that's where countless stars could enjoy some of the best chili in town. It's widely reported that silver-screen customers included James Cagney, Marilyn Monroe, and Judy Garland ... and contemporary celebrities such as Taylor Swift are being spotted there these days, too.
Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall are believed to have considered Barney's Beanery as their special spot. While the place lost its shine as a Hollywood Golden Age hangout while gaining a hard-rocking reputation over the following decades — drawing the likes of Janis Joplin and Jim Morrison — today you can still stop into the original location to try their legendary chili. To immerse yourself in the good old days, go for the classic beef chili made with the same recipe since Barney's first opened for business, served with cheese, sour cream, and onions; there's a decent chance that Bogie and Bacall enjoyed it as well.
Multiple locations
Five Crowns (Formerly The Hurley Bell) In Corona Del Mar
As a premier steakhouse of Corona del Mar operating since 1965, Five Crowns draws upscale foodies from near and far. However, while a previous business that occupied this site also attracted high-class clientele — allegedly including Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall — this establishment's history is marked by some debauched details.
According to local historians, the Five Crowns' Tudor-style building was constructed in 1936 to resemble a venerable inn near London, and it was called The Hurley Bell. Corona del Mar was sparsely developed at the time, but being close to Newport Beach, The Hurley Bell's fare grew in popularity among Hollywood stars who owned boats docked at the nearby marina — and this is where Bogart kept his beloved yacht, a sailboat named Santana. The Hurley Bell was reputedly a haven and hideaway for many luminaries; in addition to Bogie and Bacall, Howard Hughes and Rita Hayworth were said to rendezvous there, while other notables purportedly seen inside include Ava Gardner, Lana Turner, and Bette Davis.
The original owner died in the late '40s, and business soon went downhill; under the management of a series of tenants, The Hurley Bell was accused of becoming a brothel and gambling parlor. Thankfully, when Five Crowns was launched, the building was restored and is now once again fit for Hollywood royalty.
(949) 760-0331
3801 E Coast Hwy, Corona del Mar, CA 92625
Chasen's In Los Angeles
This dearly departed LA restaurant was an all-time favorite among the Hollywood elite during its nearly 60 years of operating — sadly, it closed in 1995. Chasen's was also famous for its chili, which Elizabeth Taylor reportedly loved so much that while filming "Cleopatra" in Italy, she had it regularly shipped to Rome. It seems that fine Italian food couldn't hold a candle to Chasen's menu, at least not for her.
Humphrey Bogart was also a big fan of the restaurant, though he allegedly fought loudly with his third wife, actress Mayo Methot, at their table there. This wasn't the only trouble Bogie found himself in at Chasen's — a widely told Hollywood legend recounts that the actor teamed up with his "Casablanca" co-star Peter Lorre for a drunken heist of the restaurant's safe, before ditching it amid nearby Beverly Boulevard. Though the eatery's namesake restaurateur, David Chasen, considered Bogart as a friend, such shenanigans apparently forced him to kick out the Hollywood icon on multiple occasions. "The trouble with Bogart is that he thinks he's Bogart," Chasen has been quoted as saying.
21 Club In New York City
This famous Manhattan bar and restaurant had a good run, starting out as a speakeasy during Prohibition, but 21 Club proved to be no match for the pandemic, and it closed down in late 2020. Decades before then, it was a favorite hangout for Humphrey Bogart, and this is where he is believed to have joined Lauren Bacall for their first date — and not all that long afterwards, it's said that Bogie proposed to her here, too.
During its heyday, and all the way up until it closed, the 21 Club had a lot to offer in terms of ambience. Despite being a former speakeasy, it exuded old-world charm, and it was filled with mementos gifted by American presidents and athletes alike. Other star guests purportedly included Alfred Hitchcock, Sophia Loren, Harrison Ford, and Rod Stewart. And while dining options tended to be pricey, the à la carte selections still included a relatively affordable burger with fries.
Romanoff's In Los Angeles
Romanoff's, which was open during the 1940s and 1950s, had a relatively short run, but its stellar reputation still endures to this day. Along with Chasen's, it was one of the hottest restaurants in LA, and the place where any famous actor would want to see and be seen. Here Humphrey Bogart's favorite meal consisted of two Scotch and sodas, French toast, an omelet, a glass of milk, and a coffee with brandy to wash it all down.
The food there was mostly upscale fare like filet mignon and frog legs, and anything else that screamed pretentiousness. The very nature of Romanoff's revolved around pretension — not only from the clientele, who did their best to appear as glamorous as possible, but also from the owner.
Born as Hershel Geguzin, the restaurateur rose from a humble upbringing in New York City by claiming to be a Russian royal with the improbable name of Prince Michael Alexandrovitch Dmitri Obolensky Romanoff — and in a city like LA, where so many people make a living pretending to be something they're not, one can hardly judge him for this. The ruse worked so well that "Romanoff" managed to launch his esteemed eatery with a loan of about $7,500 from stars including Charlie Chaplin, Cary Grant, and Bogart.
Chumley's In New York
Chumley's was a popular speakeasy during Prohibition, especially among literary intelligentsia, with Ernest Hemingway frequently listed among writers who hung out here. The author who penned "To Have and Have Not" made a major impact on Humphrey Bogart's life, seeing as the movie version of that novel is what first brought together Bogie and Lauren Bacall. It's also rumored that Bogart was a regular Chumley's client when he was in his hometown of New York.
Even after Prohibition ended, Chumley's continued to cultivate a secretive speakeasy vibe, and not long ago it turned into a real restaurant. In 2016, a restaurateur transformed it into an upscale bistro with menu items such as spicy Dungeness crab pot pie and fancy cocktails. Its history was preserved largely through the decor and portraits on the wall of luminaries publicized as past patrons, including Bogart. Sadly, the place closed in 2020, though it's hard to say whether the change in vibe or the pandemic is what did it in.
Vendome In Los Angeles
In 1928, Humphrey Bogart married his second wife, East Coast stage actress Mary Philips, but the two drifted apart as Bogie started spending more time working on films in LA. By the mid-1930s, he was "spotted at the Billy Wilkerson's Vendome restaurant in Hollywood, with Mayo Methot, the girl he's supposed to marry when his divorce troubles are over," according to an account published by West Hollywood History.
The Vendome was known as a high-quality lunchtime spot and deli and was located near the offices of the Hollywood Reporter, the show-biz trade publication that Wilkerson founded before opening the restaurant. Wilkerson built several other high-profile hangouts, including LA's Cafe Trocadero and the Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas. As the original leader of the infamous Rat Pack, in the mid-1950s Bogart and his hard-partying pals were Sin City patrons — but alas, Bogie died in 1957 before he could possibly join the cast of the original 1960 "Ocean's 11" film, shot in Vegas and featuring the Flamingo.
Restaurant La Rue In Los Angeles
We don't know a lot about Humphrey Bogart's visits to Restaurant La Rue, but we can certainly surmise that he and his wives enjoyed visiting, since he was photographed with some of them there (one at a time, that is) on multiple occasions. One photograph puts him in a booth with his third wife, Mayo Methot, as he lights her cigarette. In front of him is a glass of something that, shockingly, might be water. On another occasion, he was captured at La Rue with Lauren Bacall, while apparently talking to journalists and posing for photos after receiving his Academy Award for his role in "The African Queen."
But what of the restaurant itself? It was yet another venture by prolific publisher and restaurateur Billy Wilkerson, who also owned Vendome. Restaurant La Rue served French fare and was particularly popular during lunchtime, though its setting was decidedly upscale given the two crystal chandeliers that dominated the main dining room.
Read the original article on Tasting Table.
