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Dining at the Apple Pan - A Los Angeles Institution
Rate it! Votes (6) | Comments (0) By Oliver De La Torre Photos: Oliver De La Torre Posted August 6th, 2007

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, USA -- Long before you make it through the 1940s vintage wooden double screen and wood framed glass doors, the mouth watering smell of sizzling steak burgers blended with the nostril flaring aroma of fresh baked home made pies kick your taste buds into high gear.

As you enter the Apple Pan you are taking a step back into time. That's because the Apple Pan looks exactly the same way it did on the first day they opened their doors back on April 11 1947.

Even though Apple Pan founders Bob and Ellen Baker first bought the lot on the corner of Glendon Avenue and Pico Blvd. in West Los Angeles in 1940, they did not build right away due to World War II. It took Bob until 1946 to construct the one-story white Cape Cod style cottage designed by his wife. Two large picture windows, accented by old fashioned green shutters frame the double wooden and screen front doors. Thick bluish white neon lights outline the sloped roof line. The doors to the restaurant opened in 1947 and has been continuously open six days a week (closed every Monday) ever since.

The restaurant's name is somewhat misleading, as its most famous dish is The Steak Burger, which Bob created in 1927 at his other restaurant located in Hollywood (this establishment unfortunately burnt to the ground in the early 1930s). LA's favorite burger is is served with mayonnaise, the Apple Pan's own relish-type sauce, pickles, lettuce, onion, and upon request, melted natural Tillamook cheese or double Tillamook and Swiss Cheese. You can also get Tillamook cheese on a slice of the Apple Pan's famous homemade pie -- the second part of the equation that makes this one of the City of Angel's most enduring dining establishments.

The menu has pretty much stayed the same since day one -- burgers in addition to Apple pies, Cream pies, and Pecan pies, covered with real whipped cream and baked daily from recipes handed down from Bob and Ellen's grandmothers. The simple coffee shop menu simple also includes Southern Baked Ham served with mayonnaise and lettuce on choice of bread, Tuna Salad, Egg Salad, Grilled Swiss Cheese Sandwiches served with mayonnaise and lettuce on Brooklyn rye bread, and of course French Fries.

The fries are still served on cardboard plates and drinks come in old-fashioned cone shape paper cups set in red plastic holders. The U-shaped Formica counter lined with 25 red backed swivel stools faces an open kitchen where you can watch your steak burger being prepared.

Not only is the restaurant the same since its beginning, so are many of the employees. In the transient world of restaurant workers, most of the Apple Pan employees have been working there for a long time -- the oldest veteran of the restaurant has worked there for an amazing fifty years!

Practicalities
The Apple Pan is located at 10801 W Pico Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90064. It is open from 11:00 AM. till Midnight every day except Mondays. For more information call 310-475-3585. You can call ahead for pick up orders, but for the true Apple Pan experience you'll want to sit in one of those old fashioned swivel stools, chat with the help, and enjoy a steak burger and apple pie with a hefty side order of ambiance.

Oliver de la Torre is a Los Angeles based journalist. When he's not writing, he's busy taking care of his 5 (count them) dogs, who he considers his children.

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