Without a velvet rope or block of tofu in sight, Philippe the Original has been bringing posh and pauper together to dine on sawdust floors and paper plates since the fortuitous birth of the French dip sandwich in 1908. Legend credits this gloriously unceremonious joint for the invention of the now-classic deli staple: French immigrant Philippe Mathieu purportedly dropped a customer’s — coincidentally, a police officer named French — sandwich in the roasting pan, sparking a trend among the local police force, followed by the city, thus popularizing the savory meat on a toasted roll that has kept this Chinatown institution on the maps for over a century.
Cash only. Beer and wine available. Serving breakfast, lunch and dinner 6 am–10 pm daily.
Zagat 2011: 22 food rating (very good to excellent)
Los Angeles Times: * (good)
James Beard Foundation: America's Classics Award, 1999
“... The meat is moist with an almost sensual flavor. ... Even the pie is shockingly fresh, belying its earlier appearance inside a glass cafeteria case. ... Mostly your tablemates are people from Los Angeles. ... All of this makes Philippe’s the place you’d want to be when the world ends."
— LA Weekly
“Philippe's is not the kind of sandwich to eat on the run: It demands the ceremony of sitting down at table with fellow Angelenos. … In a city where there's such disparity, Philippe's is the democratic middle ground.”
— S. Irene Virbila, Los Angeles Times
Without a velvet rope or block of tofu in sight, Philippe the Original has been bringing posh and pauper together to dine on sawdust floors and paper plates since the fortuitous birth of the French dip sandwich in 1908. Legend credits this gloriously unceremonious joint for the invention of the now-classic deli staple: French immigrant Philippe Mathieu purportedly dropped a customer’s — coincidentally, a police officer named French — sandwich in the roasting pan, sparking a trend among the local police force, followed by the city, thus popularizing the savory meat on a toasted roll that has kept this Chinatown institution on the maps for over a century.
Cash only. Beer and wine available. Serving breakfast, lunch and dinner 6 am–10 pm daily.
Zagat 2011: 22 food rating (very good to excellent)
Los Angeles Times: * (good)
James Beard Foundation: America's Classics Award, 1999
“... The meat is moist with an almost sensual flavor. ... Even the pie is shockingly fresh, belying its earlier appearance inside a glass cafeteria case. ... Mostly your tablemates are people from Los Angeles. ... All of this makes Philippe’s the place you’d want to be when the world ends."
— LA Weekly
“Philippe's is not the kind of sandwich to eat on the run: It demands the ceremony of sitting down at table with fellow Angelenos. … In a city where there's such disparity, Philippe's is the democratic middle ground.”
— S. Irene Virbila, Los Angeles Times