118 E. 6th St.
Los Angeles, CA 90014
(213) 622-4090
http://www.colesfrenchdip.com
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Type of Bar: Café
Food: Yes
Live Music: No
Bar Hours: Sunday—Wednesday, 11:30am-12:00am,
Thursday—Saturday, 11:00am-2:00am
What to Drink: Red Car Named Desire
Why You Should Go: Real, genuine Los Angeles history
(not a lot of that around anymore), superb craft cocktails,
and the tasty French dip.
Cole's P.E. (Pacific Electric) Buffet was founded in 1908 as a stop for hungry getting on and off trains above at the Pacific Electric Building, which was the hub for the Red Car line of trains that shuttled people throughout the LA area up until the 1950's.
Cole's is particularly famous for inventing the French Dip sandwich--though there have been a couple of other locations to claim the same but Cole's story is particularly compelling.
The bar and restaurant closed in 2007, but it was opened again in late 2008 after extensive renovations by the group, 213 Nightlife, that brought Cole's back to its glory. The remodeling brought in decor that matched the era from which the place came, and it really takes visitors back to another age.
Aside from their wonderful food and atmosphere, Cole's is also determined to bring back the classic cocktails, but insisting on the best ingredients and time-tested bartending crafts. They have an extensive menu of traditional drinks as well as variations of those same classics.
As you would also guess, Cole's has been used for a number of film shoots over the years, including series such as Mad Men and a number of Hollywood movies.