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Home > Celestial Blood > As LA's legacy restaurants close, Chez Jay celebrates 66 years on Route 66
Podcast: Celestial Blood
Episode:

As LA's legacy restaurants close, Chez Jay celebrates 66 years on Route 66
Category: Arts
Duration: 00:00:00
Publish Date: 2025-08-08 19:00:00
Description: Dive bar, celebrity hangout, the epitome of old school cool. All of these terms have been used to describe Chez Jay — and they're all accurate. Everyone has reportedly spent time there, from Frank Sinatra and Marilyn Monroe to Dolly Parton and Viggo Mortensen. As so many other landmark Los Angeles restaurants have closed ( farewell, Cole's ), Chez Jay has endured. This weekend, the classic Los Angeles restaurant celebrates its 66th anniversary. Michael and Chris Anderson, the father and son who run the place, describe the joint where celebs sit shoulder-to-shoulder with surfers and suited attorneys. Known for the stiff pour, a classic martini and free peanuts are classics at Chez Jay. Photo courtesy of Chez Jay. Jay Fiondella opened Chez Jay in 1959 and his mother, Alice, helped him run it. Michael Anderson describes Fionella as a character who attracted celebrities, searched for sunken treasure, and was a hot air balloon enthusiast. The lore of the opening night party includes fitting a baby elephant through the door. Fed peanuts and flanked by showgirls, the elephant left a dent in the bar that exists to this day. NASA astronauts were patrons. When Alan Shepherd returned from the Apollo 14 expedition, he handed Fiondella a peanut from the bar that he smuggled on board in a film canister. With the Rand Corporation positioned behind the restaurant, rumor has it that Daniel Ellsberg passed the Pentagon Papers to a Washington Post reporter at Chez Jay. "Do the math," says Michael Anderson. "He would come in, the Washington Post would come in, and they would be at Table 10, the private table." Astronaut Alan Shepherd (right) hands Chez Jay founder Jay Fiondella a peanut that he carried with him on Apollo 14. Photo by Anita Fiondella & Fiondella Trust. Christopher Anderson, who attended Santa Monica High School then moved to Florida to pursue a career in golf, eventually returned to help his father run the place when Michael ran into some health issues. "What makes it a great experience when you come to Chez Jay is that someone being there 15 years is still considered almost a rookie," Chris says. Guests in the dining room during the early days of the restaurant. Photo courtesy of Chez Jay. While legacy restaurants like The Original Pantry and Cole's are closing across Los Angeles, Chez Jay endures. "Restaurant business is tough," says Michael. "It's a real tough business. If you don't like it, slash love it, get out. Yeah, I liked it. And he, when I got sick, [Chris] came out, and he saved my life, and he saved the business. And you know, God bless my son." Father and son co-owners, Michael (left) and Chris Anderson. Photo courtesy of Chez Jay.
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