A much-beloved Westside institution with Ohio-style burgers served in a humble diner-like stand along Pico, The Apple Pan makes consistently good sandwiches and pies. It’s hard to think of a more enduring L.A. greasy spoon.

Dan Tana’s is the quintessential old-school Hollywood hangout. Opened in 1964, the Italian-American haunt serves late every night of the week, with hits like chicken parmesan and steaks. The bar is also a legendary place to grab a drink.

It doesn’t get any more classic than Redondo Beach’s longtime favorite The Bull Pen, now in its fourth location but originally opened in 1948. While the Pen has been in this building since 1978, the menu focuses on prime rib, steaks, and seafood served like it’s still the Mad Men era.

This massive 75-year old Restaurant Row establishment is known for its gleaming silver carts and spinning salads. Choose a cut of prime rib to your preferred thickness, and chow down with Yorkshire pudding and creamed spinach.

The oldest surviving restaurant in Hollywood (since 1919), Musso & Frank remains a popular tourist and locals hub, where stiff drinks (especially the martinis) are a main draw. The Hollywood history of this establishment is too long to fit in this space, with famous customers like Charlie Chaplin, Greta Garbo, Gary Cooper, Marilyn Monroe, and Humphrey Bogart. Literary-types were also regulars including F. Scott Fitzgerald, T.S. Elliot, John Steinbeck, William Faulkner, Raymond Chandler, Joseph Heller, Kurt Vonnegut, and Charles Bukowski.

Koreatown’s classic subterranean bar and lounge has been the site of numerous movies and television shows, including Mad Men and The New Girl, but the menu is strictly Korean anju and soju. Formerly called The Windsor and opened in 1940 from legendary restaurateur Ben Dimsdale, the place took on a Korean bar vibe in 1991, maintaining its look but updating the food and drinks for a modern K-Town crowd.

Opened in 1986 by Monica Lee, Beverly Soon Tofu Restaurant is as old school as it gets in Koreatown. This sundubu, or silken tofu stew, specialist, has been sitting on this Olympic Boulevard spot for decades serving some of the most reliable and affordable versions of this comfort food favorite. 

Prime rib and live jazz have been the The Dresden’s strong suits ever since doors opened in 1954. Most nights are filled with the regular crowd, but every so often a Swingers fan pops in to see how money the place really is.

A traincar-style dining room, nicely appointed and reminiscent of a bygone era, Pacific Dining Car is one of the rare all-night eateries that continues to thrive despite a changing culinary scene. Operated since 1921, the steaks are the main draw, attracting everyone from city bigwigs to the financial set just across the freeway in Downtown.

The specialty here since 1977 is Filipino barbecue with a nod to Hawaiian plate lunches. Whether it’s charbroiled chicken, pork, beef, or a combination of all three, the tender meats at Bernie’s always boast an impressive char. Served on the side is a heap of garlicky fried rice and Thousand Island-dressed iceberg.

Glendale’s long running Tiki-styled steakhouse opened back in 1937, first on Central and most recently with a prime Brand Boulevard location as of 1980. Founder Loyal Damon sold his chain of candy stores to open this Polynesian-designed restaurant, passing on ownership and its famous cocktail recipes to his son Loyal Jr., wife Donna, and daughter Jennie. The menu’s simple and easy to love, with grilled steaks, coconut fried shrimp, and weekend pork ribs all at reasonable prices served in a glorious Tiki dining room.

Opened in 1965 in the heart of Chinatown, Phoenix has now turned into a veritable empire of bakeries, dessert shops, and restaurants across the LA area. But it all started here at this big menu destination with traditional preparations of thousand-year-old eggs, cold boneless chicken, and tangerine chicken. Great for large groups on a budget.

Cielito Lindo has been serving its famous rolled tacos since 1934. The proud tradition continues today as the restaurant anchors bustling Olvera Street in Downtown's northern edge.

The original Tan Cang Newport Seafood, which opened in Orange County in 1989, gained a reputation larger than its signature lobsters for expertly prepared Vietnamese-inflected Chinese fare. After selling the original location, the owner established this similarly spirited restaurant in San Gabriel in 1996. What keeps this place perpetually packed is the house-special lobster, live crustaceans fished from tanks and stir-fried with heaps of chopped chilies, scallions, roe, and garlic.

The epitome of an old-school steakhouse, Dal Rae in Pico Rivera dates to the 1950s and still spins salads tableside, offers live music, and makes a mean pepper steak.