French dip icon Cole's is coming back. New menu, new ownership, same Bukowski sign

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Set us as preferred When Cole’s, one of the oldest restaurants in Los Angeles — and rumored inventor of the French dip sandwich — shut its doors seemingly for good on March 29, chef and hospitality entrepreneur Jeremy Fall was one of scores in the city who mourned its closing.After all, he spent years of his childhood living two blocks from the famous restaurant and bar, above his family’s Angelique Cafe.Now he’s leading the charge to reopen the French dip icon that began in 1908 as Cole’s Pacific Electric Buffet and sold carved-meat sandwiches to Red Car commuters, then evolved into a legendary bar that attracted famous poets, gangsters, actors and downtown dwellers including Mickey Cohen and Charles Bukowski.

Since early August, Fall and Sean Maloney, former chief hospitality officer of Mozza Restaurant Group, have been quietly working to revive the historic restaurant, setting it up to live another life as early as next month.The sale has been in the works for more than a year, since before the previous owner, Pouring With Heart hospitality group, announced the end of Cole’s in July 2025, citing financial losses due to the pandemic, entertainment-industry strikes and the rising cost of labor.An outpouring of support from Angelenos helped delay the final closure until this spring.“I grew up downtown, so I was going to Cole’s as a kid,” Fall said.

“Seeing the oldest restaurant close, such a historical landmark, was really sad.It wasn’t this movie-esque spark where I was like, ‘I need to jump and do this.’ But when [Pouring With Heart] reached out I thought about it for a day, and I was like, ‘You know what? Maybe I should just try to see if I can pull this off.’”Fall and Maloney currently hold a temporary liquor license and are awaiting full approval in order to close escrow.

The hope, they...