There has been a rivalry in Los Angeles for more than a century over who invented the French dip sandwich: Philippe the Original or Cole’s French Dip, both 1908 eateries that are located roughly 1.4 miles apart.
Yet, only one will remain standing after Aug. 2, when Cole’s, which has been called the oldest continuously operating restaurant in Los Angeles, will close its doors, citing reasons including the pandemic, the recent writers’ and actors’ strikes, rising costs and bureaucracy.
The French dip sandwich is an LA icon. According to the experts, it “consists of either roast beef, roast pork, leg of lamb, turkey, pastrami or ham served on a lightly textured, freshly baked French roll which has been dipped in the natural gravy of the roasts.”
Cheese may be added, and usually it is accompanied by sides of the eater’s choice, including coleslaw, potato or macaroni salads, hard boiled eggs pickled in beet juice, sour dill or sweet pickles, black olives and hot yellow chili peppers.
It is a meal that millions have enjoyed for 117 years.
According to Eater LA, there was a rhyme and a reason to dip the bread.
“Cole’s first opened in 1908 from entrepreneur Harry Cole, who operated the sandwich shop and bar — called the Red Car Bar — inside the hub of Los Angeles’s busy Pacific Electric Building, where the city’s famed and now defunct street car served more than 100,000 passengers daily,” wrote Matthew Kang. “At some point, its chef Jack Garlinghouse dipped bread onto jus to soften it for customers with bad gums.”
The food industry has continued to receive blow after blow this year with the January wildfires and ongoing ICE raids. For Cole’s, its location and homeless presence in DTLA took its toll. According to an article in the Los Angeles Times, Cole’s staff had to scrub feces off the property every other day.
A handful of LA’s longtime restaurants have closed recently, including Original Pantry Cafe, Pacific Dining Car and Chin Chin. Fellow legendary eateries, such as Pink’s Hot Dogs, Langer’s Delicatessen-Restaurant and Canter’s Deli, expressed deep dismay at Cole’s closing.
In 2008, owner Cedd Moses’s 213 Nightlife, now Pouring With Heart, bought and restored Cole’s. Once a hangout for mobster Mickey Cohen and writer Charles Bukowski, the LA landmark on E. Sixth Street is now up for sale.
Moses released a statement: “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. We care deeply about our family of staff and are immensely grateful for our amazing guests who have supported Cole’s over the years. We invite you to come in to see us this month before our departure, to laugh, to cry, to raise glasses, to eat and to say your goodbyes right alongside us.”
Cole’s French Dip plans to host a farewell celebration on Aug. 1 at 9 p.m. featuring a “pickle party” and music by Kwame Moore, Olga Arteaga and Eddie B.
All ages are welcome until 7 p.m. when it becomes 21 and older.
Cole’s French Dip
118 E. Sixth Street, Los Angeles