How Old Is Musso & Frank Grill, Really? A Straight Answer From Hollywood Boulevard

If you’re standing under the red neon at 6667 Hollywood Boulevard and wondering how long this room has been feeding the studio crowd, the answer is simple enough: the restaurant dates to 1919. That makes it 107 years old in 2026. What complicates the story is where those 107 years lived and what still looks its age tonight between 5 and 11 pm, which is when Musso & Frank is currently open Tuesday through Saturday, with Sunday hours of 4–10 pm.

What “Since 1919” Really Covers

The sign is honest. The operation began on Hollywood Boulevard in 1919, when Frank Toulet opened Frank’s Café. In 1923 he partnered with Joseph Musso, and the name you know took hold. In 1927, new owners Joseph Carissimi and John Mosso shifted the dining room a door over, from 6669 to the address you use today, 6667 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, CA 90028. If you’re driving, there’s validated parking in the lot behind the building; look for the entrance off the side street behind the marquee, then bring your ticket inside to stamp.

The bar lore has its own timeline. Musso’s “Back Room” bar scene dates to the 1930s; the room most people drink in now was refitted with the earlier bar fixtures by the mid-1950s. If you order a martini, they still serve it the old way, stirred and portioned with a chilled sidecar so the second half stays cold. Reservations are straightforward in 2026: the restaurant accepts bookings online, and you can also call (323) 467‑7788 during the day.

If you’re chasing markers you can see with your own eyes, Musso & Frank received a special star adjacent to its front entrance during the centennial festivities on September 27, 2019. It was the first time a restaurant received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, which is why you’ll spot people photographing terrazzo before they even open the menu.

The Timeline You Can Taste: Dishes That Actually Go Back

Plenty of places in Los Angeles hang black‑and‑white headshots; fewer keep serving the same oddball favorites that kept the headshots coming. Musso & Frank’s daily features are posted as a short, specific list: Tuesday is Corned Beef and Cabbage, Wednesday Sauerbraten with potato pancakes, Thursday Homemade Chicken Pot Pie, Friday Bouillabaisse Marseillaise, Saturday Braised Short Ribs with vegetables, and Sunday Duck Confit. These rotate one per night, so you either catch them or you don’t.

From the regular dinner section, several prices help you gauge the room. A New York steak (12 oz) is $54, the Filet Mignon (8 oz) is $59 and the Ribeye steak is $61. Prime rib, served with a baked potato, is $71. Not everything is a steak: sand dabs, a Hollywood standby rarely seen outside old coastal menus, come sauté meunière at $33, and the ship‑to‑shore classic Lobster Thermidor is offered at market price. If you’re steering toward mid‑century comforts, the “Classics Made to Order” page puts Welsh Rarebit at $22 and Oyster Stew at $29.

One quiet piece of culinary archaeology sits down in the sides and sweets. Flannel cakes — a cross of thin crepe and pancake that regulars remember from the old breakfast era — now live on the dinner menu. A short stack with syrup is $13, strawberries and whipped cream are $15, and a yogurt‑and‑fruit version is also $15. If you want to eat like a 1930s contract player without ordering a whole steak, that’s your move.

Hours here are dinner‑only now. Plan for Tuesday–Saturday 5–11 pm and Sunday 4–10 pm. Monday is the night Musso & Frank goes dark, which matters if you’re trying to stage an “Old Hollywood” night on a tight schedule.

Hollywood’s Oldest, Not Los Angeles’s Oldest

Locals have heard two different boasts for years: “oldest in Hollywood” and “oldest in Los Angeles.” Musso & Frank can claim the first accurately. If you’re talking the entire city, that honor goes to Philippe The Original, which opened in 1908 and still runs daily service at 1001 N. Alameda St., Chinatown. Philippe keeps longer days than just about anyone in the vintage tier — the posted hours are 6 am–10 pm daily — and their menu publishes prices right on their site, down to a $4.95 cup of chili and a $8.95 Caesar salad. It’s a different script than Musso’s, with sawdust floors, counter service, and French dips instead of grillroom steaks, but it’s the same through‑line: a dining room older than the freeways that bring people to it.

This is why “how old” turns into “how to choose” so fast for visitors. If you want the studio‑era steakhouse where a maître d’ still works the room and the martinis arrive in a chilled decanter, you go to Hollywood and book Musso & Frank. If you want the pre‑Hollywood Los Angeles timeline you can do at breakfast, you go to a Chinatown deli line that has been slicing roasts since before the studios consolidated power in Burbank.

Planning Your Own Old‑School Night: The Practical Bits

It’s easy to get lost in lore and forget logistics. Here’s what the working week looks like in 2026 if you want to map dinner around a show at the Pantages, a concert at the Hollywood Bowl, or a walk on the Walk.

First, the room you came to read about. Musso & Frank takes online reservations and answers the phone at (323) 467‑7788. The posted hours are Tue–Sat 5–11 pm, Sun 4–10 pm. There’s validated parking behind the restaurant. If you want a dish you saw in a vintage menu scan, check the current list before you go; some classics are nightly, others appear once a week as the “Daily Features.”

Second, know your Monday backup. Dan Tana’s in West Hollywood — at 9071 Santa Monica Blvd. — is one of the few truly old‑guard rooms that is open nightly. Their posted dinner hours are 5:00–10:30 pm every day, and the restaurant explains on its site that reservations are handled by phone during the day with limited to‑go ordering because the dining room stays busy. If the point of your trip is a red leather booth and breaded veal the size of a plate, Monday there makes more sense than standing in front of a locked neon sign on Hollywood Boulevard.

Third, if you want the classic steakhouse feel at a lower price band, Taylor’s Steakhouse in Koreatown — 3361 W. 8th St., Los Angeles — posts its Downtown L.A. hours as 4–10 pm, Tuesday–Sunday (closed Mondays). Prices are old‑school à la carte; you’ll find sides listed on their site like Fresh Asparagus with Hollandaise $8.95. Dinner is first‑come for most party sizes; they take reservations for groups of 8 or more by phone after 2 pm.

Fourth option, if you want the movie‑set vibe without the steakhouse format, Formosa Café sits a short drive west at 7156 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood. The posted hours are 12 pm–11 pm Sunday–Wednesday and 12 pm–12 am Thursday–Saturday, with a weekend brunch 12–4 pm. It’s Chinese‑American cooking rather than grillroom fare, but it’s another place where the booths look like they’ve been taking notes on studio gossip since 1939 and where you can get a pre‑ or post‑theater drink without rushing.

Finally, if you’re stitching a whole day of it and want to start while the studios are still in dailies, Philippe The Original at 1001 N. Alameda St. is open 6 am–10 pm daily. That makes it a useful early stop before a Hollywood night, especially if you want a concrete sense of Los Angeles dining before Hollywood’s golden‑age glamour. The prices trend lower than any of the dinner rooms above; you can build a tray that still comes in under a single Musso steak, then catch the Metro A Line two stops to Hollywood and Vine for the evening.

Why the Room Still Reads “Hollywood” Without Saying a Word

Age counts, but the reason people still cross the boulevard for a steak here is continuity. The short list of grill items reads like a Raymond Chandler grocery list, and it’s priced like a serious dinner in 2026: Filet Mignon (12 oz) $67, Lamb Chops (Colorado, 3 chops) $70. The sides wear their era without apology — Creamed Spinach $18, Lyonnaise Potatoes $17, French Fried Onion Rings $15 — and these are still à la carte, because this was always a place to compose a plate and linger. If you want a smaller bite before a show, the “Italian Entrees” page gives you a reasonable lane with Spaghetti Pomodoro e Burrata $26 or Spaghetti and Meatballs $30.

The other reason the place reads right is that it still runs on a schedule. Dinner starts at 5, not 3:30. The room is closed Mondays. The “Thursday means pot pie” tradition will force you to pick a night and stick to it. If you’re trying to match an El Capitan screening, a Pantages curtain, or a Hollywood Bowl downbeat, the posted hours make your grid simple. Park in back, stamp the ticket, order the martini, and you will make the overture if you book a table in the first seating window.

Key Things To Know

• Musso & Frank is 107 years old this year, founded in 1919 and operating at 6667 Hollywood Blvd. since 1927. The current hours are Tue–Sat 5–11 pm and Sun 4–10 pm, closed Mondays.
• If you want a specific legacy dish, check the Daily Features: Thursday is Chicken Pot Pie; Friday is Bouillabaisse. These rotate one per day, not every night.
• Budget by the menu, not the myth. Steaks run from the $54 New York up to a $71 prime rib; sides like Creamed Spinach $18 and Lyonnaise Potatoes $17 are à la carte.
• Need a Monday option with similar “old‑LA” DNA? Dan Tana’s serves nightly from 5–10:30 pm and handles reservations by phone.
• For city‑wide context, Philippe The Original in Chinatown predates everyone on this list, open since 1908 and serving daily from 6 am–10 pm; counter service keeps it quick before a Hollywood evening.

Reader Q&A

So is Musso & Frank actually the oldest restaurant in Los Angeles?

It’s the oldest in Hollywood with a 1919 founding date and continuous presence on Hollywood Boulevard since then. Citywide, Philippe The Original dates to 1908 and operates daily at 1001 N. Alameda Street, so that’s older in the broader Los Angeles sense.

What hours does Musso & Frank keep now, and is there parking?

Dinner service runs Tuesday–Saturday 5–11 pm and Sunday 4–10 pm. The restaurant is closed Mondays. There is validated parking in the rear lot behind 6667 Hollywood Boulevard; bring your ticket inside to stamp.

How much is a typical steak at Musso & Frank?

From the current menu: a New York steak (12 oz) is $54, a Filet Mignon (8 oz) is $59, and the Ribeye is $61. Prime rib is $71, and sides like Creamed Spinach $18 are ordered separately.

Is there a Monday alternative with that old‑school feel?

Yes. Dan Tana’s in West Hollywood serves nightly from 5–10:30 pm and handles reservations by phone during the day. If you’d rather start earlier, Philippe The Original in Chinatown is open 6 am–10 pm daily for counter‑service French dips.

Choosing between these rooms is simple once you decide what you want the night to do. If you need the Hollywood sign in your steak knife’s reflection, book Musso; if you need Monday dinner or a late booth after a show, angle for Dan Tana’s or Formosa; if you’re tracing the whole city’s timeline in one day, start at Philippe and end on Hollywood Boulevard.

Published: September 7, 2026