LUCY’S DINING GUIDE

The Restaurants & Eateries of the Lucyverse ~ Part 1

Eating out brought Lucy to a wide variety of dining spots: Sit down resaurants, diners, cafés and lunch counters are all here – in Lucy’s Dining Guide!  

The Corner Drugstore ~ “Fred and Ethel Fight” (1952) /  “The Gossip” (1952) / “Redecorating” (1952)

Drugstores of the time frequently had lunch counters serving light fare such as ice cream sodas, milk shakes, egg creams, pies, and coffee.   

In “Fred and Ethel Fight” Ricky orders a peanut butter and jelly sandwich while  Fred orders a grape juice. 

The drugstore is seen again in “The Gossip” Fred drinks coffee and Ricky just reads the newspaper. In “Redecorating” Fred orders a double malted from soda jerk Hazel. 

Jubilee Club aka The Roof Garden ~ “Lucy Changes Her Mind” (1953)

The restaurant specializes in steaks, roast beef, and chops (”Pork chops, huh?”) as well as…

…breadsticks!  Lucy not only can’t decide where to sit, but what to order. 

WAITER: “Now, let’s see if I’ve got this straight. Lamb chops for you, sirloin steak for you, pork chops for you, pork chops for you… and a new eraser for me.”

Corner Coffee Shop ~ “Lucy and Fred Are TV Fans” (1953)

Lucy and Ethel duck into a corner coffee shop to make a phone call. The special of the day is Franks & Potato Salad and Tomato Soup. 

The menu board says they serve such diner fare as waffles, corned beef, French dip, Pork & Beans, plate lunch, toasted cheese, pie, and cake. They serve a variety of  sandwiches: Roast Beef, Ham & Cheese, Grilled Cheese, and Ham & Lettuce. Don’t forget cigarettes! 

French Restaurant ~ “The French Revue” (1953) 

Since nobody speaks fluent French, they all end up bluffing and stalling, finally requesting four orders of “closed on Sundays.” The only English on the menu is ‘Acme Printing Company’ (a Union shop, according to Fred). 

WAITER: “La specialite de la maison: un petit roti, des petits pois,”

Translation: “The specials of the house are small roast meats, peas, and some sort of fried potatoes.”

Italian Restaurant on 39th Street near 8th Avenue ~ “Equal Rights” (1953)

Ricky and Fred order meatballs, spaghetti, pizza, and coffee, with Fred ordering a green salad as well. Lucy and Ethel order steaks with spaghetti on the side. Lucy wants hers medium rare; Ethel orders hers well done. Ricky and Fred shave at the table to teach the girls a lesson about equal rights.

WAITER: “Something more for you? More coffee, dessert … after-shave lotion?”

When Lucy and Ethel can’t pay their half of the bill, they are forced to wash dishes, giving viewers a look at the restaurant’s kitchen. 

Bill’s Place / Little Bit of Cuba / Big Hunk of America ~ “The Diner” (1954)

The gang purchase a neighborhood diner but can’t agree on how to run it.  

The Little Bit of Cuba special is a hamburger patty smothered in Tabasco sauce and mashed banana between two tortillas.

RICKY: “We’re gonna have arroz con pollo, frijoles, paella, everything.”

Big Hunk of America serves up hamburgers, coffee, hot dogs, hotcakes, and of course pie!

Fred shares some diner lingo. 

• “Adam and Eve on a raft – wreck ’em!” (scrambled eggs on toast)
• “Walk a cow past the stove and don’t cry over it!” (a rare hamburger without onions) or – as Ricky interprets it – “Bring the bull in the ring and laugh in its face!”
• “There’s a gambler in the house!” (hash)

“The Diner” and the “The Black Wig” (see below) had their filming and broadcast order switched so that set for Bill’s Diner ended up becoming the set for Tony’s Restaurant. The wooden ice boxes were used in both sets, as well as in “Equal Rights” (see above). 

Tony’s ~ “The Black Wig” (1954) 

When Ricky doesn’t recognize Lucy with her new wig, she arranges a date with him at Tony’s, a small Italian eatery, bringing along a disguised Ethel as a date for Fred. The telltale signs of Italian American cuisine are the checkered tablecloths, breadsticks and chianti bottles. The waiter at Tony’s is played by Louis A. Nicoletti. 

One Oak Café ~ “First Stop” (1955) 

Driving through Ohio on the way to Hollywood, the gang are famished and forced to stop at One Oak Café. Their outdated menu offers such mouth-watering fare as steak sandwiches with French fries and coleslaw, roast beef with baked potato, and fried chicken with biscuits. 

Unfortunately for the foursome, all he has are stale Swiss cheese sandwiches wrapped in wax paper, which he buys from a salesman when he comes around.

The Hollywood Brown Derby ~ “L.A. at Last!” (1955)

The real-life Hollywood Brown Derby was founded by Wilson Mizner in 1926 on Wilshire Boulevard. Its distinctive exterior resembled a large brown derby to attract tourists and passing motorists. A second location on North Vine Street (not shaped like a derby) was opened in 1929. Due to its proximity to movie studios, it became the place to do deals and be seen. Its walls were decorated with hundreds of celebrity caricatures all drawn by resident artist Jack Lane. They are faithfully reproduced on the “I Love Lucy” stage, as are their distinctive derby-shaped wall sconces. The restaurant was destroyed by fire in 1987 but was licensed to the Walt Disney theme parks.

William Holden orders a Cobb salad and coffee. The Hollywood Brown Derby is the ‘birthplace’ of the Cobb Salad, which was said to have been hastily arranged from leftovers by owner Robert Cobb for theater owner Sid Grauman. One story says that it was a chopped salad because Grauman had just had dental work done, and couldn’t chew well!

Lucy and Ethel order spaghetti and meatballs. Fred orders the veal cutlet Marco Polo. In the original script he ordered the turkey Marco Polo, simply because it was the most expensive item on the menu, but the line was cut. Lucy gets spaghetti and meatballs with extra meat sauce, which was a specialty of the house according the the 1949 Brown Derby cookbook. Lucy also orders a tossed salad from the menu which the waiter explains is a mixed green salad with an oil dressing. 

Union Pacific’s City of Los Angeles Domeliner Dining Car ~ “The Great Train Robbery” (1955)

On the way back to New York, the gang takes the brand new Union Pacific Domeliner, which has a dining car with a view. Vivian Vance and William Frawley were sent to the actual train to film location footage, but it was cut before the episode aired due to problems matching the sequence of events with the studio footage. 

ETHEL: “I heard they had wonderful food on this train and I want to get in there before it’s all gone.”

The food served, however, shows up on their wardrobe instead of in their mouths.

La Porte Montmartre Café ~ “Paris at Last” (1956)

In Paris, the gang enjoys sidewalk cafés in all three episodes. 

At La Porte Montmartre Lucy orders Escargot Bourgogne (aka snails) and – much to the chagrin of the chef – covers them with sauce tomate (aka catsup). 

Café Du Monde ~ “Lucy Meets Charles Boyer” (1956)

ETHEL: “Oh, boy, this is good French pastry!”

Café Restaurant Le Plaisir ~ “Lucy Gets a Paris Gown” (1956)

The sidewalk café provides a perfect viewpoint for viewing Jacques Marcel’s models as they parade down the sidewalk after a fashion show. 

Martinelli’s Pizza ~ “Visitor from Italy” (1956)

To keep Mario from being deported, Lucy must substitute for him as a pizza chef.  Lucille Ball learned to throw pizza dough at the real-life Adolino’s Italian Restaurant in Azusa, California.

Hansen’s Café ~ “Off To Florida” (1956) 

When Lucy and Ethel share a ride to Florida with a suspected hatchet murderess (Elsa Lanchester), they make a pitstop at a roadside cafe. 

[The exact name of the café has been blurred out in post-production, but Hansen’s is the best guess by viewers. The establishing shot was likely done in Southern California.]

They want more than coffee – they want HELP!

Meeghan’s Chop House ~ “Lucy’s Night in Town” (1957) 

Before seeing “The Most Happy Fella” on Broadway, the gang goes to dinner. Lucy and Ethel order roast beef (medium) with mashed potatoes and Lima beans.

LUCY: “Everyone should chew their food 25 times before swallowing, just like the animals do, because hot food is bad for the stomach. You also should peel Lima beans to get the most out of them because the nutrients lie underneath the upper epidermis.”

The Westport Country Club ~ “Country Club Dance” (1957) 

Not strictly a restaurant, but buffet fare (rolls, olives, potato salad, pickles, and cold cuts) is served when Grace Munson introduces her beautiful young cousin Diana Jordan (Barbara Eden). 

Snow Valley Lodge Café ~ “Lucy Goes to Snow Valley”

When Lucy is photo-bombing Fernando Lamas by taking over for the waitress, she douses his sandwich with coffee.

HONORABLE MENTIONS 

Schraft’s ~ The famous ‘ladies who lunch’ spot was mentioned in “Lucy Does the Tango” (1957) and “Housewarming” (1957). 

21 ~ Manhattan’s iconic nightspot and restaurant was mentioned in “Vacation from Marriage” (1954), “Mr. and Mrs. TV Show” (1954), “Lucy Wants a Career” (1959), and “Lucy Goes Duck Hunting” (1963). 

ETHEL:“We’ve been to 21 four times. That’s 84!” 

Romanoff’s ~ was mentioned in “The Tour” (1955). The episode opens with Lucy begging Ricky to let her accompany him to Romanoff’s for lunch with Richard Widmark. Romanoff’s became known for their chocolate soufflés, strawberries Romanoff and Noodles Romanoff.

LUCY: “I’ll be as quiet as a mouse. I won’t eat very much, just a little piece of cheese. I’ll even pick up the check for the whole lunch.”

Lindy’s ~ a Manhattan deli and restaurant first opened in 1921 by Leo “Lindy” Lindermann was famous for it’s New York style cheesecake and sandwiches named in honor of celebrities. Ricky takes everyone to Lindy’s when he hears about getting the part in Don Juan during “Ricky’s Contract” (1954) and then again in “Milton Berle Hides Out at the Ricardos” (1959). 

BERLE:“Lindy promised to name a sandwich after me if I gave up my table by the door.”

The Golden Drumstick ~ In “First Stop” Mr. Skinner tells the gang about  a restaurant down the road that serves a turkey dinner with all the trimmings – dressing, cranberry sauce, green salad, and homemade peach shortcake – for only one dollar! But then dashes their hopes by telling them that they went out of business due to the low price.

Don’s Beachcomber ~ In “Lucy Goes to Grauman’s” (1956), Lucy takes stock of her souvenir haul, including chopsticks from the Beachcomber, a South Seas meets Cantonese style venue that exceeded the menu of most standard Chinese restaurants in Los Angeles at the time.

SEEN BUT NOT HEARD

Restaurant au Mont Cenis ~ While Lucy and Ricky lived in their first apartment (Seasons 1 and 2) a painting by Maurice Utrillo “Restaurant au Mont Cenis” (1922) was hung prominently on the back wall of the living room above the piano or the desk. 

The actual print was gifted to Lucille’s costume designer Elois Jennsen and auctioned off upon her death.

Look for Part 2 of LUCY’S DINING GUIDE