EST. 1940
PRIME STEAKS & SEAFOOD
A Los Angeles Classic since 1940
THE BEGINNING
It started with a kindness
In 1940, Monty Levine was working a wholesale beverage route when one of his customers, who ran a little bar and burger joint on Fair Oaks & California in Pasadena, fell ill. Monty carried him on personal credit until he recovered. Touched by his gesture, the man signed the bar over to settle the debt. That corner burger joint became the first Monty's.
THE BROILER
Built by hand, fired with mesquite
Monty and his wife Libby were known around Los Angeles for the steaks they cooked for friend over a charcoal broiler Monty built himself from bricks and cast iron grating. With a $5,000 loan, they turned the Pasadena storerooms into a dining room and built the kitchen around a larger version of that charcoal broiler. At the time, only one other restaurant in the city was cooking over mesquite. That broiler is still the heart of the kitchen today.
Eighty-Six Years and Counting
THROUGH THE YEARS
1940
The first Monty's
Monty Levine takes over the pasadena burger bar and builds his kitchen around a hand-made charcoal broiler.
Talk of the town
1953
With hall-of-fame jockey Ralph Neves, Monty opens Monty's Talk of the Town near Santa Anita racetrack.
The second generation
1957
Monty's son Larry and his bride Bobbie open an immensely popular branch in Encino.
1963
Into the Conejo Valley
The family grows outward, later including Monty's Los Robles Inn at the Thousand Oaks golf course.
The Westside
1969
Dennis opens Monty's Westwood, later joined by his nephew Michael. The Monty's sign proudly lights Westwood for many years.
Michael joins
1991
The third generation steps in at Woodland Hills, originally run by Larry & Bobbie.
Today
The story continues
Monty's Woodland Hills carries the name, the broiler, and the family forward , three generations and 86 years on
Over the years the booths have held John Wayne and James Cagney, Betty Grable and Morgan Fairchild, Chick Hearn, Steve Yeager, the Eagles, and Snoop Dogg. We're proud of every one of them. But the names we actually run this place for are the ones on the reservation book every week - the families, the anniversaries, the Tuesday regular who doesn't need a menu. Stars are a good story. Regulars are the business.
GOOD COMPANY
From John Wayne to Snoop Dog
TODAY
Still family. Still here
Today the name lives on in Woodland Hills, where Larry and Bobbie opened the doors and Michael's been at it since 1991. What we do hasn't changed in three generations - mesquite-fired prime cuts, a generous pour, and a room that treats you like a regular from the first visit. We're glad you're here.
