This nautically-themed restaurant and bar is rich with history—one of its signature free peanuts (aka, the “Astro-Nut”) was smuggled to the moon and back with Alan Shephard on Apollo 14 (and later almost swallowed by Steve McQueen), Marilyn and JFK had a secret rendezvous, the Pentagon Papers were passed to a New York Times reporter at Table 10, weekly jazz sessions included luminaries like Chet Baker and Slim Gaillard, The Beach Boys brawled, The Rat Pack gathered over martinis (the restaurant’s name was an homage to the supper club “Chez Joey” in Frank Sinatra’s film Pal Joey), screenplays were birthed and written by Matt Damon, Ben Affleck and Warren Beatty, and a “who’s who” of celebrities comfortably bumped elbows with beach bums, neighborhood regulars and visitors over the years in this paparazzi-free destination.

Chez Jay was originally founded by flamboyant actor, hot-air balloonist and raconteur Jay Fiondella, who purchased what was then known as the “Dawn Cafe” from its struggling owner for $1. The opening party was a true Hollywood spectacle, with show girls and a circus elephant munching on free peanuts from the bar. Chez Jay is one of the Los Angeles area’s oldest, longest-running, family-owned, independent restaurants. Jay’s mom Alice was also a beloved fixture and partner who ran operations until 1991, while Jay was the flashy promoter. Current Co-Owner Michael Anderson originally joined as a manager in the 1980s and bought into the restaurant with Jay in 2000. After Jay’s passing in 2008, his shares were passed to his kids Anita and Chaz, who remained partners with Michael, until 2019, when Michael’s son Chris bought the Fiondellas out.