Discover the Story Behind Smoke House in Burbank—still Going Strong after 7 Decades

The original 1946 menu

Whenever you speak to patrons of Smoke House, one of the Valley’s most enduring landmarks, a resounding sentiment comes through: “Once you enter, you never want to leave.” 

Lifelong patrons like Alison Martino, who runs a popular Facebook page called Vintage Los Angeles, can’t imagine Burbank without it. Known as something of an LA historian, she started going to Smoke House as a child with her father, pop and jazz singer Al Martino.

 “That is not uncommon. Generations of parents have passed down their love of the place to their kids and their grandkids,” Allison says. “Very few establishments can claim that. There is Dan Tana’s and Musso & Frank Grill, but there aren’t many other places that remain. So many have fallen by the wayside.”

Allison adds that having a familiar place—one you have history with—makes it feel safe and comfortable. She cautions that no one should underestimate the impact that can have on a person’s life. 

“Look, if they ever decided to shutter the place, I would be the first to lie down in front of the bulldozers. And I wouldn’t be alone. People are that devoted to Smoke House.”

Smoke House opened in 1946, and has only changed hands twice. In a city known more for its fluidity than continuity, one can’t help but wonder about its secret to success. 

Some of it certainly has to do with the restaurant’s proximity to Warner Bros., located directly across the street. Some of Smoke House’s success can be attributed to its classic steak house menu with perfectly cooked prime cuts of meat, crisp wedge salad and, of course, its famous garlic cheese bread. There is also live music on weekends and a charming throwback atmosphere. With four separate dark dining rooms (one, with a sprawling bar, is called “the lounge”) that can seat 300 people,  red leather booths, white tablecloths, and walls graced with photos of showbiz luminaries such as James Dean, Bob Hope, Hedy Lamarr and Cary Grant—the old-school Hollywood vibe just can’t be beat. Today the photos are all bolted to the wall because so many have been stolen over the years. 

Over the decades, the newer guard has also jumped on the bandwagon. The casts of Friends and ER—as well as other Warner Bros. productions—were known to hang out after taping shows.

“I remember Jennifer Aniston pulling in, driving a 1965 Mustang and giving the valet a hundred bucks to take good care of it,” recalls 30-year office manager Sasha Mirzayans. 

ER costar George Clooney, who has his photo on a wall above the circular booth he favors, even named his production company Smokehouse Pictures (cofounded with producer Grant Heslov) after the joint. 

As we dug deeper, we discovered a surprise. That “one never wants to leave” sentiment may have literal connotations: ghosts!

“Did you know Smoke House is haunted?” That question was posed to us by Hector Mier, a decades-long employee. He lightheartedly added, “My cousin Jesse saw a man standing in the back dining room with no shoes on when no one else was on-site.” 

“I remember late one night years ago hearing a loud boom,” Sasha recalls. “And then a single stick of Chapstick rolled down the stairs that lead up to our offices. No one was upstairs at the time. It was unnerving.”

Other sightings by employees include a shadowy figure on the stairs during night shifts, a glass that fell on its own, and the inexplicable whiff of a perfume that was the favorite of a waitress who worked there for 30 years, but is now long gone. 

Mimi, a waitress who has been there for 26 years, whom Hector affectionately addresses as “the new girl,” declares, “I will not go upstairs alone at night. Strange goings-on in the computer room!” As the staff enjoys swapping these ghost stories, it becomes obvious that a camaraderie exists among them—the kind created by a shared history.  

Hector veers off the ghost stories to recount his introduction to Smoke House. He was 17 years old in 1982 when he turned up hoping to land a job. It was Mother’s Day, and two employees had failed to show up. That was his in. “And I never left. Hell, everything I own is because of this place,” he murmurs. 

 Hector goes on to add that his father and uncles started working at the restaurant in the ’60s and ’70s. His brothers were also ultimately employed at Smoke House, along with several cousins, and more recently, nephews. Hector eventually became a bartender, and after 15 years moved on to become a server. Long-term employment is common here. Hector mentions other employees who’ve also been around for decades. “We’re family; no two ways about it.”

Today the staff is a mix of young and old, as are the customers. An old-timer might be at a corner booth having his usual prime rib, while across the room, a TikTok star might be at the bar watching a Lakers game, sipping a Manhattan. According to Hector, the trend among younger customers is to drink cocktails that were popular long before they were born. For example you’ll see 20-somethings drinking Manhattans. In other bar trends, he notes that when he first started working at Smoke House, when someone ordered a martini, it was understood that they wanted gin to be the alcohol. “I’ve never seen a gin drinker drunk,” he notes. Vodka became the thing in the ’80s, and typically the drinks were flowing. “At the end of the night there’d be money all over the bar. I was making $300 a night in tips.” In that pre-Uber era, Hector sometimes ended up driving inebriated customers home. Things changed in the ’90s when tequila started becoming popular. “Some people who drink tequila get very chatty and happy,” Hector says.

As visible as Smoke House is, sitting almost directly across from Warner Bros., it is also discreet—yet another reason why it’s been around for three-quarters of a century. Unlike so many restaurant-bar patrons in Hollywood, Valley people don’t necessarily dine out to see and be seen. They truly want to be low-key. Hence celebrities who show up at Smoke House quickly become part of the scene rather than creating a scene. 

You can see this in particular on Friday nights when Rick Whitfield’s band plays in the lounge. The singer has worked with Branford Marsalis, Ziggy Marley and Joni Mitchell, who sometimes shows up at Smoke House to hear her friend Rick when she’s in town. Mitchell even took over the place earlier this year to celebrate her 80th birthday, just as Bob Hope did to celebrate his 100th, 21 years earlier. “You never know who will show up or what’s going to be going on on any particular night,” Rick says. “That is part of the fun.” 

It is that blend of the present and the past that keeps patrons, some alive and some otherworldly, coming to Smoke House—and never wanting to leave.

This article is an excerpt from a book that Chloe King and Carol Wolper are working on titled Hollywood North, a collection of interviews and stories about the Valley’s role in Hollywood life and lore.