Open since 1919, the Musso & Frank Grill is Hollywood's oldest restaurant, a steak-and-cocktails joint formerly favored by Charlie Chaplin and Raymond Chandler. With its many obscure dishes and individually priced sides (and salad dressings!), the menu can be daunting. However, some dishes are fail-safes. At breakfast, grab an order of crêpe-thin flannel cakes; later in the day, the grilled meats are excellent. And every table gets a half-loaf of house-made sourdough bread, the perfect accompaniment to a dry martini.
Good location, right on Hollywood Boulevard, once you have negotiated all the characters dressed up in dodgy spandex the warm brown decor of this well established restaurant is a sanctuary. At the end of the day it's a very traditional, simple fare, steak joint. I had a small Fillet steak, medium rare and it was perfectly cooked. The sides were excellent and the vegetables not over cooked.
If you've never been before and you're a fan of the classic retro Hollywood vibe, definitely pay M&F a visit. Many of the staff have worked their for decades and the place is decked out in old Hollywood style - from the decorations to the staff's outfits & etc. They make a phenomenal and traditional martini - I definitely suggest grabbing one at the bar if you come by.
I don't always drink martinis, but when I do, I drink them at Musso & Frank. They make a perfect one here, which makes sense because the place has been around as long as the martini cocktail has (or so it seems). There's history here, and you can always get the bartenders to share their own personal stories about M&F's—most of which involve celebrities. I love how the martini comes with a little sidecar for continued sipping, and how the place is so dark that, no matter what time it is outside, it always seems to be cocktail hour inside. What a gem of a place.