Cole's French Dip

Cole's was founded in 1908 by Henry Cole on the ground floor of the Pacific Electric Building, which served as the main terminal for the Pacific Electric Railway. Cole's unique table tops were made from the varnished doors of retired Red Cars of the Pacific Electric Railway. Original glass lighting, penny tile floors, historic photos, and the welcoming 40-foot mahogany Red Car Bar were preserved in the recent restoration of the cherished landmark recipient of the Los Angeles Conservancy’s coveted Preservation Award recognizing outstanding achievement in the field of historic preservation. According to carvers at Cole's, Henry Cole first dipped the French bread in jus at the request of a customer who had had recent dental work. The French bread was too hard and it hurt this customer's teeth, so Henry dipped the bread in order to soften it. Other customers, with perfectly good teeth, saw Henry dip the bread and requested that he do the same for them - and thus the French dip was born. Cole's has also been a filming location for several movies and TV shows, including Forrest Gump, Mad Men, A Lot Like Love, People Like Us and Rumour Has It...