Somebody buy BrianSorensen and kabamn a couple of cold oyster cocktails for guessing the closest intersection and the actual address (respectively) of Al Levy's Tavern in Hollywood, as seen in this photo. It was a tricky one, seeing as there were a number of Al Levy's across town through the years, but the theater next door (now the Montalban) was the giveaway. The waiter-turned-restaurateur remembered as the guy who kickstarted a full-on LA craze for his signature spicy seafood concoction (yes, it was a thing) got his first big break in Downtown; this Hollywood outpost was his last one, opening sometime in 1929. The tavern was damaged by a 1941 fire (this fire??) and eventually became a Mike Lyman's chain, which closed in 1959, according to an LA Times article from the same year.
The Montalban Theater (the CBS theater in the older photo) is visible on the left side of the photo. The location of the old Al Levy's Tavern is underneath that parking garage.
· Hint: Where Could You Get Oyster Cocktails in the 1930s? [Curbed LA]
̭ A food fad that lives on [LAT]