Cole's Pacific Electric Buffet

Cole's Pacific Electric Buffet, also known as Cole's P.E. Buffet, is a restaurant and bar located at 118 East 6th Street in the Historic Core district of downtown Los Angeles, California, the oldest operating in Los Angeles at the same location since its founding.

Sign in front with claim to being the oldest bar in Los Angeles

Cole's Pacific Electric Buffet
Sign above the restaurant
Restaurant information
Established	1908
Food type	Diner
Dress code	Casual
Street address	118 East 6th Street
City	Los Angeles
County	Los Angeles
State	California
Postal/ZIP Code	90014
Country	United States
Coordinates	34.04478°N 118.24943°W / 34.04478; -118.24943
Website	www.colesfrenchdip.com

Cole's was founded in 1908 by Henry Cole on the ground floor of the Pacific Electric Building, which served as the main terminal for the Pacific Electric Railway. Cole's unique table tops were made from the varnished doors of retired Red Cars of the Pacific Electric Railway. The tables were removed as part of the 2007-2008 renovation and were reportedly relocated to the developer's nearby corporate headquarters above Clifton's Cafeteria.

The restaurant claims (along with Philippe's) that the first French dip sandwich was served at Cole's in the same year. Some have suggested that Philippe's is the original, as the sandwich was named "French" dip because of the original proprietor Philippe Mathieu's French heritage.^[1] According to carvers at Cole's, Henry Cole first dipped the French bread in jus at the request of a customer who had had recent dental work. The French bread was too hard and it hurt this customer's teeth, so Henry dipped the bread in order to soften it. Other customers, with perfectly good teeth, saw Henry dip the bread and requested that he do the same for them - and thus the French dip was born.^[2]

Henry Cole was later arrested in 1942 by the Federal Government for fraud.^[3]

Cole's was designated a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument in 1989.^[3]

The location resembles the bar from Who Framed Roger Rabbit, complete with reference to “French dip” on menu.

Inside Cole's in November 2016.

The restaurant shutdown for major remodeling on March 15, 2007. The restaurant's new corporate owner, Pouring with Heart's Cedd Moses, was quoted in the Los Angeles Downtown News, saying the restaurant would reopen in time for its 100th anniversary in January 2008.^[4] The project was delayed,^[5] and Cole's finally reopened in December 2008.^[6] The ownership announced on July 7, 2025 that the restaurant would close on August 3, 2025, with no plans to reopen. The closing date was later moved to September 2025 due to a high influx of customers following the July 7th announcement. ^{[7] [8]}

Gallery

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