{"id":676976,"date":"2026-03-23T22:47:15","date_gmt":"2026-03-23T22:47:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/676976\/"},"modified":"2026-03-23T22:47:15","modified_gmt":"2026-03-23T22:47:15","slug":"historic-coles-set-to-close-permanently-with-collaborative-french-dips","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/676976\/","title":{"rendered":"Historic Cole’s set to close permanently with collaborative French dips"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

After eight months of extensions, lines of fans and negotiations to find a new buyer, one of L.A.\u2019s oldest<\/a> and most famous restaurants is set to close this weekend with a celebration. Cole\u2019s, the city\u2019s longest-running public house and alleged creator of the French dip sandwich, will shut its doors March 29.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe delayed the closure because we got such a great, big response of people coming out to support the restaurant, which we really appreciate,\u201d said Cedd Moses, the founder of Pouring with Heart hospitality group. \u201cBut then business started receding again, so now at this point, we\u2019re forced to close. We just can\u2019t keep the doors open and keep hemorrhaging money.\u201d<\/p>\n

Last July, Pouring with Heart, the owner of Cole\u2019s since 2008, announced an early August closure for the downtown institution. This was then extended into September,<\/a> which extended again through the end of 2025. In the last days of the year the group announced the restaurant and bar would run through January, but continued into March. The team delayed closing as they attempted to find a new buyer who would continue the legacy of historically designated Cole\u2019s \u2014 and not simply open a new concept within the dark, moody space.<\/p>\n

In the decision to close, Pouring with Heart (formerly 213 Hospitality) cited near-monthly financial losses that began during the pandemic, then continued with rising costs of labor and insurance, decreases in business due to entertainment-industry strikes and job losses, the 2025 fires and beyond.<\/p>\n

Though there are multiple interested parties, Moses said, none have closed escrow.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re close to signing on the dotted line, so we\u2019re still hopeful,\u201d he said. \u201cBut either way, we just need to close the doors at month\u2019s end. We\u2019ll see if something materializes.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"A <\/p>\n

A 2025 view inside Cole\u2019s, one of L.A.\u2019s oldest restaurants and bars. Cole\u2019s received a preservation-minded renovation in 2008 to maintain its antiquities and wallpaper.<\/p>\n

(Gina Ferazzi \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

After the closure announcements in 2025, lines stretched down the block<\/a>. Wait times ran as long as an hour and a half as fans flocked for one final French dip sandwich. But even in its busiest months, Moses said, Cole\u2019s barely broke even.<\/p>\n

In 2024 Pouring with Heart closed Cole\u2019s influential speakeasy, the Varnish<\/a>, which helped lead L.A. \u2018s craft-cocktail movement of the 2010s. The announcement sent shock waves through the beverage community, but Moses said the decision afforded Cole\u2019s another year in business.<\/p>\n

Cole\u2019s debuted at the base of the Pacific Electric Building in 1908, where it served affordable roast meats, sandwiches and drinks primarily to busy commuters. It\u2019s rumored that the famous French dip sandwich was first served here, as opposed to Chinatown restaurant Philippe the Original, which also claims the invention. The story goes that in order to soften sandwich bread for a guest with bad gums, Cole\u2019s chef Jack Garlinghouse dipped the roll in au jus.<\/p>\n

Through the decades Cole\u2019s garnered fans such as poet Charles Bukowski, whose memory is preserved with a plaque above a urinal that reads, \u201cCharles Bukowski pissed here\u201d; gangster Mickey Cohen, who has a similar urinal plaque as well as a favorite booth, which still sits in the front corner of the restaurant; and actor-director Andy Garcia, who features the bar in an upcoming film called \u201cDiamond.\u201d<\/p>\n

The business changed hands multiple times through its first century. When Pouring with Heart obtained Cole\u2019s, Moses and his team invested $1.6 million into a yearlong restoration, which included installing a new kitchen, removing asbestos, and stripping away years of paint that covered original wallpaper, which was then digitally copied and printed onto new wallpaper to preserve the restaurant\u2019s storied aesthetic.<\/p>\n

\"The <\/p>\n

The iconic, Neal Fraser-conceived French dip at Cole\u2019s.<\/p>\n

(Gina Ferazzi \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

Redbird chef Neal Fraser contributed a new recipe for the French dip, which calls for 24 hours of marination, nine hours of roasting and 12 hours of cook time for the jus. Fraser also created new versions of the astringent \u201catomic mustard,\u201d Cole\u2019s slaw and grilled cheese sandwich.<\/p>\n

Cole\u2019s is turning to local chefs once more for its final weekend, with a slew of collaborative specials in addition to the regular menu. On Saturday find a beef curry dip from Jitlada, a burger dip from Father\u2019s Office and a Wagyu pho dip from Little Fatty. Then on Sunday, look for a surprise dip from Bay Cities (an interested party in purchasing Cole\u2019s), red mole loaded fries from Guelaguetza and a po\u2019 boy dip from Found Oyster.<\/p>\n

Each restaurant will serve 118 versions of their sandwich in honor of the restaurant\u2019s run, while See\u2019s Candy will be handing out 59 treats each day for a total of 118 treats over the weekend.<\/p>\n

Cole\u2019s<\/a> is located at 118 E. 6th St., Los Angeles, open Monday to Thursday from 2 p.m. to midnight, Friday and Saturday from noon to 2 a.m., and Sunday from noon to midnight.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"After eight months of extensions, lines of fans and negotiations to find a new buyer, one of L.A.\u2019s…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":676977,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[5123],"tags":[64,1582,276,285242,54302,2385,285241,1888,285243,4512,3043,2961,4536,224,5337,9105,285244,40683,9953,1628],"class_list":["post-676976","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-los-angeles","tag-business","tag-ca","tag-california","tag-cedd-moses","tag-cole","tag-day","tag-famous-restaurant","tag-fan","tag-french-dip-sandwich","tag-heart","tag-hour","tag-la","tag-line","tag-los-angeles","tag-losangeles","tag-month","tag-new-version","tag-sandwich","tag-weekend","tag-year"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/116280927665923558","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/676976","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=676976"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/676976\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/676977"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=676976"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=676976"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=676976"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}