After 117 years of slicing prime-grade beef and soaking bread in jus, Cole's French Dip, a historic staple of downtown Los Angeles cuisine, has announced it will be turning off its ovens and closing its doors for good on August 3. CBS News Los Angeles reported that efforts to keep the oldest operating restaurant in the city afloat have finally succumbed to a range of insurmountable economic pressures that are not unique to Cole's but are widely impacting independent eateries across L.A.
Aside from the longstanding blows dealt by the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, owner Cedd Moses cited a slew of other challenges that included the aftermath of the 2023 writers and actors strikes, escalating labor costs, rent hikes, and what he referred to as "local bureaucracy." Moses, the main partner in Pouring With Heart, previously shuttered the Varnish in 2024, a celebrated speakeasy nestled in the back of Cole's, and this latest closure seems to follow a distressing trend for the hospitality company as detailed in an interview by Eater.
The restaurant, which opened in 1908 and claimed to be one of the originators of the French dip sandwich, has been a legendary congregation spot for L.A.’s denizens including notarized figures like mobster Mickey Cohen and writer Charles Bukowski; it now prepares to serve its last sandwich. "We have cherished our time serving the Downtown community, and will continue to craft great drinks and our renowned French dip sandwiches until we shutter," a statement from the restaurant expressed appreciation for customers and staff alike and extended an invitation to visitors for a final goodbye.
Known for its meticulously restored interior that harks back to the early 1900s, Cole's has also played a notable role in the city's film and television history, while the improvements made by Moses's team to the iconic French dip had the eatery regularly featured in food critic Jonathan Gold's praises. Despite the imminent closure of this gastronomic landmark, Moses's Pouring With Heart continues to operate several other nightlife hotspots in Downtown LA such as Las Perlas and Tony’s Saloon, and although there are no current plans to revive Cole's, it will certainly leave a legacy and a French dip-shaped void in the hearts of Los Angelinos.
