If there were ever a modern-day Brown Derby in the shadows of Hollywood, it would be Kate Mantilini in Beverly Hills. Just like its “predecessor” during the Golden Era of Hollywood, Kate Mantilini on Wilshire Boulevard was an eatery intertwined with Tinsel town.
A hot spot from the 1920s to at least the 1960s, the Brown Derby was a place where actors dined to be seen, productions turned in scenes for their respective shows or films, and executives met to discuss deals. It was also home to a wall full of caricatures of the stars that frequented the popular restaurant.
Similarly, it seemed Kate Mantilini held the title of icon Hollywood destination restaurant since its opening in 1987.
A pivotal scene in the 1995 film Heat featuring Robert DeNiro and Al Pacino was filmed on location at the Beverly Hills restaurant. Actors such as Billy Wilder frequented Kate Mantilini with so much regularity that his order was probably already put in before he even sat down. The walls of the restaurant were adorned with some of the most memorable moments or personalities of Hollywood history. With major Hollywood companies across the street from Kate Mantilini, such as Brillstein Entertainment Partners, the restaurant’s lunch hour was undoubtedly populated with key film or television executives.
Certainly, with its close proximity to Century City, Kate Mantilini was not too far away for the business enclave’s entertainment executives to wine and dine during lunch or happy hours.
On June 14, Kate Mantilini in Beverly Hills hosted its “Last Supper.” After the final few customers filed out of the dining room last Saturday evening, the restaurant’s servers, cooks, and management team bid Kate Mantilini one last farewell.
Citing irreconcilable differences with the landlord, the restaurant’s owners announced in May that Kate Mantilini would be turning off its lights for good at the corner of Wilshire and Doheny. It might as well been a bitter divorce but without the drawn out legal battle.
One patron, who had one last meal during lunchtime on the restaurant’s final day of operation, said she consistently came to Kate Mantilini because of its friendly community and environment.
“I’ve made friends with the bartender and all of the people who work here,” Judy Strawn, who worked across the street from Kate Mantilini and patronized the restaurant for seven years, told Century City News. “The food is really good and the ambience is great, but I think I will miss the people.”
Strawn added the restaurant was “sophisticated” and “appropriate for its area” but still a “friendly” place to visit.
There is a little bit of silver lining: the Kate Mantilini restaurant in Woodland Hills, which came online in 2003, will remain open.
All hope is not entirely lost for the Beverly Hills location, as there is always a chance the current owners could seek to have Kate Mantilini deemed a historic location. Should such a designation occur, it could breathe new life into the restaurant found by Hamburger Hamlet owners Harry and Marilyn Lewis in 1987.
However, for now, iconic eatery that served Southern California cuisine is officially dark.
