Genio's Restaurant (Closed)
Burbank, CA
Photo courtesy Tony Craig

The familiar script sign at Genio’s Restaurant gave Olive Avenue in Burbank a longtime invitation to dinner. Opened in 1952, the Cecchini family restaurant became a neighborhood favorite for Italian meals, wedding receptions, and civic gatherings.

For more than five decades, customers had reasons to know their way through the door. Genio’s closed in 2006, and its furnishings and equipment were auctioned afterward, ending another familiar chapter of Burbank dining.

The following didn’t disappear quite so easily. In 2016, more than 210 former customers, employees, and family members gathered for a reunion at the Burbank Elks Lodge. Former kitchen staff returned to prepare dishes from the old menu. Apparently a closed restaurant could still draw a dinner crowd.

UPDATE: Genio's in Burbank, CA closed last year. Everything was auctioned off and the site was to be turned into a social security office. Many thanks to Missy Buettner for update. 03-08

UPDATE: Genio’s closed in 2006 after opening in 1952. Its former site at 1420 W. Olive Avenue was redeveloped as a Social Security office. 10-26

Colonial Kitchen
San Marino, CA
Photo courtesy Adriene Biondo

An old neon marquee gives Colonial Kitchen in San Marino a roadside greeting that fits its name. The traditional exterior carries the theme a little farther, making this Huntington Drive restaurant look comfortably removed from the latest dining fashions.

Its history reaches back well before most of the surrounding postwar coffee shops. The Los Angeles Conservancy traces the business to 1933, while San Marino’s historic survey identifies 1947 as its opening at this address. Either way, the restaurant has had plenty of time to become a neighborhood habit.

Breakfast remains an important part of the attraction. Pancakes, waffles, and familiar American dishes suit a place where customers can settle into a routine rather than study an entirely new menu on every visit.

Colonial Kitchen
San Marino, CA
Photo courtesy Adriene Biondo

Longtime chef Gigo began working here as a teenager and has spent more than forty years in the kitchen. That sort of continuity gives the restaurant something a remodel can’t install. Fortunately, the familiar roadside name still points toward a working dining room.

UPDATE: Colonial Kitchen remains open at 1110 Huntington Drive in San Marino. The longtime restaurant continues serving American breakfast and lunch favorites; it was not permanently converted into offices in 2020. 10-26

Perino's (Demolished)
Hollywood, CA
Photo courtesy Adriene Biondo

Fine dining once received a particularly elegant introduction at Perino’s on Wilshire Boulevard. This was a place of carefully arranged tables, polished service, and celebrity conversations, considerably removed from grabbing a burger at a walk-up window.

From the glory days of Hollywood. Perino's on Wilshire Boulevard was the place where a great Italian meal could be had for 75 cents per person for lunch, $1.50 for dinner. Unfortunately,Perino's is history as of 2004.

Alexander Perino established the restaurant in 1932 at 3927 Wilshire Boulevard. In 1950, it moved to 4101 Wilshire, where architect Paul R. Williams transformed a former market into a Hollywood Regency dining destination. An upswept facade and wrought-iron flamingos at the entrance gave arriving guests something to admire before dinner.

Regular restaurant service ended in 1986, but the interiors continued working for private events and film productions. Movie fans may recognize the dining room from Scarface in 1983. The restaurant could provide a glamorous setting even when the conversation on screen was anything but pleasant.

Perino's (Demolished)
Hollywood, CA
Photo courtesy Adriene Biondo

Perino's, a 30's landmark who's heyday may have come and gone, but is not forgotten. Perino's originally closed down in 1986 and had been at this location since 1950. The site of Perino's is to become luxury apartments.

An unverified tale supplied with its history describes a tuxedoed gentleman watching over the empty entrance during its filming years. Really? Perhaps someone was still checking whether the guests had reservations.

UPDATE: Perino’s closed as a regular restaurant in 1986 and was demolished during the 2004–2005 redevelopment period. Apartments replaced the landmark at 4101 Wilshire Boulevard. 10-26