Clifton's Pacific Seas, Los Angeles, CA (restaurant)

Got this from Facebook.

Clifton's Brookdale, the oldest surviving cafeteria in Los Angeles, has been undergoing a painfully long rehabilitation on Broadway—in 2010, Andrew Meieran of the Edison began work to restore the cafeteria's famous forest-themed hall; add a Polynesian restaurant and bar, an Art Deco bar, and a soda fountain; and otherwise return the cafeteria to the height of 1930s and '40s kitsch, but with all the complicated mixology of the 2010s. The opening date keeps getting pushed back and back (and Meieran's PR people aren't big on talking), but there's a bright new neon sign that things are wrapping up: last week, the huge sign was installed on the building's facade (which was covered with metal grates from the 1960s to 2012), and over the weekend it was switched on; this is the first sign of neon on Clifton's in "at least four to five decades," according to broker/blogger Brigham Yen.

The sign somewhat mysteriously says "Living History — Clifton's — Established 1932," but Clifton's Brookdale, the second in a chain of eight Clifton's, opened in 1935. (The Clifton's chain opened in 1931; the reference might somehow be to the Boos Brothers Cafeteria that preceded Clifton's in the Broadway space, although that opened way back in 1913.) The latest word is that Clifton's will reopen later this year.

Nice! The terrazzo mosaic on the sidewalk looks great, too!

Now I'm totally confused. Are they opening a "Seven Seas" or the "Pacific Seas" ???

Read article...... http://www.lamag.com/citythinkblog/cliftons-cafeteria-coming-back-life-long-last/

Any news on when they're re-opening?

On 2015-09-03 15:32, SoCal Savage wrote:
Any news on when they're re-opening?

http://touch.latimes.com/#section/-1/article/p2p-84259761/

"Opening date is set for late September, probably an unannounced soft opening sometime during the third week, followed by an official ribbon-cutting scheduled for Sept. 21."

Gotta say I am getting excited for this!

This is not the Clifton's that still exists. The Pacific Seas closed decades ago. The Clifton's Brookdale is the establishment that is being remodeled and will include a bar in homage to the old Clifton's Pacific Seas. It would be tidier from a historical context to direct these posts to that thread on TC.

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=19060&forum=2&hilite=brookdale

This has been discussed previously.

DC

Spotted this cool multi-photo postcard from Pacific Seas.

It includes the signature poem by York.

DC

I love that poem so much that I had Lake Tiki make a sign with it that hangs on the front door of The Below Decks!

Finally open to the public (they say) this Friday, November 4.

http://laist.com/2016/10/31/cliftons_pacific_seas.php#photo-1

On 2016-11-01 09:02, The Below Decks wrote:
Finally open to the public (they say) this Friday, November 4.

Dang, I will miss it cuz I have a 12:30pm flight out of John Wayne Airport that day and I can't stay over. Have fun!

Lets hope the dress code police let us in with aloha shirts and Bacardi/Absolut/Jagermeister didn't buy out ALL the bars in this place...

:/

Open to the Public Nov. 12th is what I heard.

The press keeps throwing out dates.

P.S. And, I'm a "Thatcher" . lol!!!

Is that like a "Wanker" or a "Tosser" ?

On 2016-11-02 01:06, GROG wrote:
Is that like a "Wanker" or a "Tosser" ?

Margret to you Grog! :wink:

KCET article on Clifford Clinton

KCET: Clifford Clinton: The Man and His Cafeteria Shaped Food and Politics in L.A.

On 2018-03-07 10:45, King Bushwich the 33rd wrote:
KCET article on Clifford Clinton

KCET: Clifford Clinton: The Man and His Cafeteria Shaped Food and Politics in L.A.

Clifford was quite the humanitarian.

T.V. Show Eye on L.A. visits Clifton's to discuss cocktails with cocktail blogger Caroline Pardilla

Eye on L.A.: Caroline Pardilla Picks Pacific Seas at Clifton's

Page also has a visit with Charles Phoenix!

Mrs Mai Tai has wanted to visit The Broad in Downtown LA for some time and I have wanted to visit Clifton’s Pacific Seas for some time so we made a two-fer.

I had heard nightmares of the “particular” procedures to get into Pacific Seas, including the dress code. On this particular Thursday this seemed loosely enforced but we were prepared. We entered at opening and were asked what were we’re interested in and were promptly given explicit instructions to how to get to Pacific Seas. No doubloons. No feeling random walls for speakeasy entrances. Go up, then up again. Then left and left again, press into the mirror (see photo 10 in this set). Then through a maze of rooms not unlike the queue at a Disneyland attraction. Finally the bar!

Pacific Seas is a “order at the bar” bar. We grabbed a menu to review then ordered our first round of a Mai Tai and a Chi-Chi. I also had the Navy Grog. None of my drinks were awesome (the Mai Tai is made only with Appleton Signature rum, not terrible but not very bold either) though Julie thought the Chi-Chi was pretty good. The Navy Grog was boozy for sure, following Don the Beachcomber’s recipe.

Music in the bar was a no-show until about 30 mins after opening. I never appreciated music in a bar until I didn’t have it. Once the music came on it was what I would call modern lounge. Definitely exotic leaning but contemporary music. And it was a couple settings too high on the volume side. At least it wasn’t thumping... Decor here is A-MAZING. Museum quality. Seriously awe-inspiring and immersive. If you haven’t visited it is worth a visit. The downstairs lounge has a forest theme and is also very interesting.

Cliftons is an amazing space but does present some obstacles, some of which we didn’t experience when it was slow on a weeknight. The neighborhood for sure is pretty rough. The temperature inside was quite hot when we visited (kept us from staying longer). Still, worth visiting with the proper mindset.

Photos: https://www.instagram.com/p/BsMxopgAB4R/

I share(d) a lot of the same sentiments. I have no reason to go through the troubles of Downtown LA to return. I heard the drinks were supposed to have improved with a new guy they brought in, but that's not enough to entice me. It was the first drink I ever had to return as the zombie was overpoweringly anise-flavored. The bartender claimed "i like to go pernod-heavy" and I'm thinking "no, do that for your own drink but follow a damn recipe or tell somebody in advance."

The music was an issue for me as well, as it mixed between club, lounge, and cliche. Blasting the Enchanted Tiki Room theme and Elvis wasn't doing it for me. Funny you didn't get a doubloon (I think I still have mine) but the secret isn't exactly secret anymore either.

I forgot to mention. When we were hanging out in front before they opened we looked down in the corner of one of the four glass doors we saw a pile a poo just sitting there.

Lovely...

Between the reviews here and a friend of mine who has chosen 1920/30's Los Angeles as his lifestyle who thinks the current owners ruined Clifton's, I feel kinda' bad about still wanting to see the place.

I’ll be in LA in April, and I too still want to visit, despite all the lackluster things I’ve heard....

Definitely worth visiting at least once.

Hey, I ordered a breakfast burrito yesterday from a place that I know makes horrible breakfast burritos. Undercooked mush. But, I went back thinking "it probably won't be bad this time." It was horrendous.

Sometimes you just gotta see for yourself and put all the curiosities at rest.

Whoops, I think we're talking about the new Pacific Seas in the wrong thread. We should be over here:

Pacific Seas inside Clifton's Brookdale, Los Angeles, CA (bar)
http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?mode=viewtopic&topic=51021&forum=2&start=0

Found this video last fall of home videos from 1956 that includes about 30 seconds of the Pacific Seas exterior just after the 21:00 mark:

https://youtu.be/snpn8aUr2lM

Over a decade ago, Dusty mentioned the segment of the 1995 documentary, Things That Aren't Here Anymore, about Pacific Seas. Turns out that KCET posted that segment to their YouTube channel about a month ago. It even includes Esther York reciting her lovely "Pacific Seas" poem.

Early History of Clifton's Pacific Seas | Things That Aren't Here Anymore | KCET
https://youtu.be/maga2ZM2X-s

Clifton’s is closing down

https://apple.news/AH6pqJVMISRiYqt_yurumcQ https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2026-04-18/weve-lost-our-way-cliftons-operator-gives-up-on-downtown-los-angeles

‘We’ve lost our way’: Clifton’s operator gives up on downtown Los Angeles

The proprietor of Los Angeles’ legendary Clifton’s has given up on reopening the shuttered venue. It’s just too difficult to do business in downtown’s historic core, he says. Andrew Meieran bought Clifton’s on Broadway in 2010 and poured more than $14 million into repairs, renovations and upgrades, adding additional bar and restaurant spaces in the four-story building. In 2018, he found that demand for cafeteria food was too low to be profitable, and he pivoted to a nightclub and lounge concept called Clifton’s Republic, featuring multiple dining and drinking venues. Meieran has tried elaborate themed environments, such as a tiki bar and forest playgrounds, and renting out the location for big events to spark more interest. It was never easy, but during and since the pandemic, the neighborhood has grown increasingly unsafe as downtown has emptied of office workers and visitors. Vandalism has been rampant, with graffiti appearing on the historic structure almost daily. Vandals would use acid or diamond glass cutters to deface the windows, often cracking the glass. It would cost Meieran more than $30,000 each time to replace the windows. Insurance companies either stopped offering policies that covered vandalism or raised premiums by as much as 600%, he said. There has been continuous crime in the area, he said, including multiple assaults on people in front of his building. He last shut the venue last year, hoping things would improve and he could come back with a business that could work. Now he has given up. Someone else may take over the space or even the name of the historic spot, but he is done trying. “We’ve lost our way,” Meieran said. “I want to get up on the tops of the skyscrapers and yell that people need to pay attention to this.” The disenchantment of a business leader who used to be one of downtown L.A.’s biggest backers shines a spotlight on the stubborn safety concerns, rising costs and thinner foot traffic that have made it increasingly difficult for even iconic businesses to survive. The once-popular institution dates back to 1935, when it was a Depression-era cafeteria and kitschy oasis that sold as many as 15,000 meals a day when Broadway was the city’s entertainment hub. It served traditional cafeteria food such as pot roast, mashed potatoes and Jell-O in a woodsy grotto among fake redwood trees and a stone-wrapped waterfall reminiscent of Brookdale Lodge in Northern California. It’s not the only once-prominent destination that has failed to find a way to flourish in today’s market. Cole’s, one of L.A.’s most famous restaurants and often credited with inventing the French dip sandwich, closed last month after a 118-year run. “The bigger problem for us and the rest of the industry is the high cost of doing business,” said Cedd Moses, who used to operate Cole’s and has backed many other bars and restaurants in historic buildings downtown for decades. “That’s what is killing independent restaurants in this city.” Clifton’s opened and closed repeatedly during the pandemic and, more recently, after a burst pipe caused extensive damage. Meieran opened it for special events such as last Halloween, but it has otherwise been closed. Police are woefully understaffed and hampered by public policy, said Blair Besten, president of downtown’s Historic Core Business Improvement District, a nonprofit that arranges graffiti removal, trash pickup and safety patrols in the area. Businesses and residents in the area would like to see a bigger police presence, but there have been protests against that by people who are not from downtown, she said. “People are starting to see the fruits of the defunding movement,” she said. “It has not led us to a better place as a city.” The Los Angeles Police Department is making progress downtown, Captain Kelly Muniz said, with violent crime down more than 10% from last year. “While we’re working very hard to solve crime, to prevent crime, there are still elements such as trash, open-air drug use, homelessness and graffiti,” she said. “We’re swinging in the right direction.” Retailers have been opting out of downtown L.A., said real estate broker Derrick Moore of CBRE, who helps arrange commercial property leases. Brands have headed to more vibrant nearby neighborhoods such as Echo Park and Silver Lake. “A lot of operators are just electing to skip over downtown,” he said. “They’re leasing spaces elsewhere, where they feel they have a greater chance at higher sales.” While some businesses are struggling, many downtown residents say their perceptions of safety are improving and that the area is regaining some vibrancy. “A lot of people live here. I think people forget that,” Besten said. “We’re all surviving. It’s just hard for all the businesses to survive.” A green shoot for the Historic Core is Art Night on the first Thursday of every month, when 50 or 60 locations, including permanent art galleries and pop-up galleries in unused storefronts, display art to map-toting visitors who come for the occasion. They often end up in Spring Street bars, which more typically thrive on weekend nights but are still a draw to downtown. “I think nightlife will thrive downtown, since bars attract people that don’t mind a little grittier atmosphere,” said Moses. “Our sales are hitting new records at our bars downtown, fortunately, but our costs have risen dramatically.” Clifton’s former backer, Meieran, says he doesn’t think things are going to bounce back enough to warrant more massive investment. He has sold the building, and the owner is looking for a new tenant to occupy Clifton’s space. He still controls the Clifton’s name. While there is still a chance he could let someone else use the name Clifton’s, Meieran is done for now — too many bad memories. “There was a guy who was terrorizing the front of Clifton’s because he decided he wanted to live in the vestibule in front, and he didn’t want us to operate there,” Meieran said. “He would threaten to kill anybody who came through.” He doesn’t believe official statistics that show crime and homelessness are way down in the area, and he doesn’t want to restart a business when criminals can so easily erase his hard work. “What business that’s already on thin margins can survive that?” he said.

Here's another article with more details on the Clifton's sale:

A New Chapter for Downtown’s Legendary Clifton’s

Chris Nichols - Apr 10, 2026

https://lamag.com/dining/a-new-chapter-for-downtowns-legendary-cliftons/

Clifton’s Cafeteria was a place where generations of Angelenos celebrated milestones with free cake. It was place to meet up with a huge group of friends with no reservations necessary and a cheap place to grab a big plate of sometimes mediocre steam table food. All that and it resembled a rocky clearing in a vast, dark forest with a stream running through the middle. Gathering places that are popular, luxurious and cheap have nearly gone extinct. Much has been said of our “K-shaped” economy with the top and bottom growing as the middle is squeezed out of existence. Clifton’s was accessible to all.

These are the arguments this writer made to Clifton’s most recent owner Andrew Meieran, who spent millions unsuccessfully trying to reinvent the ancient and iconic restaurant for the 21st century. “Clifton’s has always been a passion project and a labor of love,” Meieran tells Los Angeles. “I never made money off of anything in that project. It never came close. I spent more than I should have restoring it and trying desperately to keep it alive. It was a rude awakening for me.”

Meirean, a writer and film producer, spent $4 million to purchase the sprawling 32,000 square foot enterprise from the descendants of founder Clifford Clinton in 2011 and began four years of work transforming the dilapidated landmark into a multi-story nightclub filled with taxidermy, burlesque dancers and tropical drinks with little umbrellas. In 2022, he sold the renovated building to the Robhana Group for $8.6 million. He has stayed on as a consultant and plans to license the name and intellectual property to his new landlords.

Downtown-based Robhana is led by Robert and Robin Hanasab. Their real estate portfolio features landmarks like the Oviatt Building, Tom Bergin’s Irish Pub and the Variety Arts Center sprinkled in amongst drab office buildings and supermarkets in the Valley. Preservation professionals we spoke to off the record seem to think the brothers are not a threat to their historic buildings, but are also not likely to spend millions restoring them.

President and CEO Robert Hanasab once tried to demolish a Brentwood home designed by pioneering Black architect Paul R. Williams before neighbors, including Disney chair Bob Iger, teamed up to have the house declared a Historic-Cultural Monument. The Hanasabs also run a film location company renting out their buildings and once had a chain of fast casual restaurants called Cabbage Patch that were definitely not hip nightclubs. They refused to comment for this story.

The doors of Clifton’s have been mostly closed for the last year with the exception of special events around holidays. Last Halloween, the Hanasabs threw their first event in the space, which does not appear to have turned the tide. On April 1, they applied for the transfer of the venue’s multiple liquor licenses. Meieran is staying on as a consultant.

Is Clifton’s closed for good this time? “I wouldn’t say it’s gone,” Meieran says. “It’s been a difficult, trying environment. I don’t have to explain how difficult 7th and Broadway is. For business to succeed it has to be relatively predictable and consistent. One day we would have a curfew, one day would be a riot and one day you’d have your door smashed open. We had staff members who were assaulted. People stay away.

Fans online plead with Clifton’s to bring back the cafeteria or to just let them inside to marvel at the beautiful spaces he created in the former upstairs offices. “You need X number of people plus utilities and cleaning and security just to open the doors,” Meieran says. “It’s literally just math. Forget about whether you have sales or how many drinks or show tickets you need to sell. It’s a huge number.”

During the era the Clinton family ran the chain, Cliftons expanded all over the county. Their location in Century City featured a replica of the art deco Los Angeles Stock Exchange, while the West Covina store paid tribute to Charles Dickens, and the plant-filled dining room was called “The Greenery.”

Meieran agrees that a community was fostered in the vast dining rooms, where groups like the Los Angeles Science Fantasy Society fed young minds like Ray Bradbury and Ray Harryhausen while they ate. He says these stories are the enduring legacy of Clifton’s rather than their cuisine. “It was a place to be nourished in a creative spiritual way,” he says. “Not just being nourished by meatloaf.”

Is there a new Clifton’s in the future? “Clifton’s had 12 locations at one point. There are certainly more opportunities in other places other than that location,” Meieran says. “I believe in the brand, the concept and the legacy but that was never tied to one specific place.”

[ Edited by leevigraham on 2026-04-24 02:58:46 ]