Yamashiro’s Owners Say Goodbye to 100 Year Old Restaurant in Heartfelt Letter

The time has come for Yamashiro, Hollywood’s oldest restaurant and a true icon of Los Angeles’ dining scene, to say goodbye. Well, at least the current iteration of 100 year old restaurant will be going away, insofar as most customers have known it.

As previously noted, the final date of service under longtime owner/operators Tom and Jane Glover, plus Carlos and Andre Ulloa, came and went on Sunday. That date capped off a contentious legal battle that for a time left the hillside property very much in limbo, before employees in late May began informing regulars that an agreement had been reached to transfer operations between the Glovers and new Chinese ownership conglomerate JE Group.

That group had long hinted that a new, possibly club-driven tenant could be willing to pony up as much as $100,000 a month for the place, and now the rest of the city waits to find out what names may come out of the woodwork.

In the meantime, the Glovers and Ulloas have left behind a heartfelt letter thanking the many families that have passed through Yamashiro’s doors over the years. They count more than 3.6 million diners in total since their time operating the restaurant, wishing them all the best while passing the torch to those new buyers. The full letter is below.

The official new takeover begins today, though it’ll likely be slow going until a new tenant is announced. In the meantime, take a trip down memory lane with Tom Glover himself as he floats through the property, talking details and mementos of the century-old eatery.