Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About 109-Year-Old Philippe’s in LA

You’re certainly familiar with Philippe The Original (more colloquially known at Philippe’s around these parts). They’re the corner Chinatown stop

that has endured for more than a century as the creators of the famous French dip sandwich, and their history tells a fascinating story of ever-changing Los Angeles. Now KCET has detailed the finer points of their tale in an awesome piece full of throwback photos and stuff you might never have heard before.

First up, did you know the current managing partner is only 28 years old? Yep, that’s Andrew Binder, and he’s the fourth generation of owner to run the place, says KCET. Not every old school place has an old school perspective, as evidenced by their busy social media presence and online engagement.

You might also not realize just how much beef Philippe’s is going through. According to Binder, the place is pushing around 500 pounds of roasted beef on “a very slow day,” and has been doing that kind of volume for literally decades. The rough recipe for their jus has also been the same for just as long, and comes complete with an overnight simmer and lots of reduction.

And did you know that the current location of Philippe’s is not the first? In 1951 the restaurant actually moved from a previous location that was set to be demolished with the construction of the 101 Freeway, and has been a pre-gaming favorite with Dodgers fans ever since.

Head over to the KCET to piece to catch a ton of other details, from old school photos to a look at their numbers (the place reportedly will do 2,000 French dip sandwiches a day). And yes, they still open daily at 6 a.m., with doughnuts that are better than you’d expect.