Whether it’s the cuisine or the clientele, many famous LA restaurants have boasted a Sunset Boulevard address. The first was Café Trocadero, a French inspired “supper club” that was opened by Hollywood Reporter publisher Billy Wilkerson in 1934. Wilkerson was likely more motivated by the opportunity to host famous Hollywood stars than he was by any desire for a Michelin star; indeed “The Troc” was an instant hit, with high wattage stars like Tyrone Power, Lana Turner, Clark Gable and Jean Harlowe as regular guests. In 1940s, an otherwise forgettable joint named Sherry’s Restaurant was the site of a gangland hit on Mickey Cohen, an accomplice of noted mob boss Bugsy Siegel.
Flash forward eight decades, and Sunset Boulevard, 2017 offers a microcosm of LA itself. Virtually every kind of cuisine is available, from sushi (Katana, 8439 West Sunset) to Thai (Luv2eat, 6660 West Sunset) to Mexican (the provocatively named Pink Taco, 8225 West Sunset) and even Moroccan (Mount of Tunis, 7445 West Sunset).
Finally, no trip to LA would be complete without paying homage to the In-N-Out Burger (7009 Sunset Blvd); a restaurant that none other than Anthony Bourdain admits is his first stop when he arrives here.