An $87 steak buys you red-sauce comfort and the best room in West Hollywood — book a booth to impress clients.
About Dan Tana's
Dan Tana's has not changed since 1964, and that is the entire pitch. Dan Tana, a Yugoslav footballer who came to Hollywood to act and ended up running the best red-sauce room in town, opened it at 9071 Santa Monica Boulevard next to the Troubadour and died in 2025 at ninety having barely touched the formula. The chianti bottles still hang from the ceiling, the booths are still red leather, and the crowd is still a mix of musicians, actors and locals: the Eagles, Joni Mitchell and Jerry Seinfeld have all twirled pasta here. You do not come for innovation; you come because nothing here has been allowed to change.
For the rest of Los Angeles' Italian range, compare the wood-fired cooking at Chi Spacca, the pasta at Bestia or the seasonal plates at Alimento, and see the full Italian guide.
The Kitchen
The kitchen has been run by Mate Mustać since 1969, and consistency, not reinvention, is the whole job. The signature is the chicken parmigiana — a breaded breast fried with a splash of sherry, smothered in marinara and cheese with pasta on the side — at around $44, and it is the dish to order. The other landmark is the Dabney Coleman, a 16oz New York steak named (like much of the menu) for a regular, plainly grilled and roughly $87. That is steakhouse money for cooking a good neighbourhood trattoria would charge half for, which is the honest catch: you are paying for the room and the ritual as much as the plate. Homemade pasta, veal and the chopped salads round it out. Order the parm, not the steak, and you will leave happier with the bill.
The Room
The room is dark, tight and clubby: red leather booths, red-checked cloths, chianti bottles overhead and waiters in red jackets who have often worked here for decades. It runs late, the bar is half the experience, and the volume is loud and convivial rather than hushed. The best booths are spoken for, so book well ahead and dress the part — this is a see-and-be-seen Hollywood night out, not a quiet dinner. Walk-ins wait at the bar, which is no hardship at all.
Best for Impress Clients
A booth at Dan Tana's is the move to impress clients or out-of-town guests who want the real Hollywood-institution night, not a tasting-menu lecture. The clubby, late-running room also makes a memorable birthday or a buzzy first date for anyone who likes a scene.
Not for
Not for a quiet, modern, value-driven dinner — Dan Tana's is a loud, pricey, sixty-year-old red-sauce institution where an $87 steak buys the room and the ritual, not novelty. If you want cutting-edge Italian, Bestia is ten minutes east and half the nostalgia.
Frequently Asked
What is Dan Tana's known for?
Dan Tana's is a red-sauce Italian-American institution in West Hollywood, open since 1964 and known as much for its scene as its food. The signature dishes are the chicken parmigiana, around $44, and the Dabney Coleman New York steak, around $87, served in a dark, clubby room of red booths and chianti bottles next to the Troubadour.
Who is the chef at Dan Tana's?
The kitchen has been led by Mate Mustać since 1969, hired by founder Dan Tana and responsible for the consistency that defines the place. Dan Tana, the Yugoslav-born footballer who opened the restaurant in 1964, died in 2025 at ninety; the room and the menu he built have barely changed since.
What should I order at Dan Tana's?
Order the chicken parmigiana — breaded, fried with a splash of sherry, smothered in marinara and cheese, around $44 — which is the dish the room is built on. The Dabney Coleman steak at roughly $87 is the famous order but the weaker value. Homemade pasta, veal and the chopped salads round out a deliberately old-school menu.
Is Dan Tana's expensive?
Yes. A New York steak runs about $87 and the chicken parmigiana about $44, which is steakhouse money for red-sauce cooking. Part of what you pay for is the room, the ritual and the history rather than cutting-edge food. Treat it as a special-occasion, see-and-be-seen night rather than everyday-value Italian.
Do I need a reservation for Dan Tana's?
Reservations are strongly recommended and the prime booths book up well in advance. The restaurant runs late and the bar is part of the experience, so walk-ins can wait there for a table. Dress the part — it is a classic Hollywood night out next to the Troubadour.
Reserve a Table
Reserve at Dan Tana's
Book well ahead for the prime booths; the room runs late and the bar takes walk-in waits.
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Practical Information
Address9071 Santa Monica Boulevard, West Hollywood, CA
NeighbourhoodWest Hollywood
CuisineItalian-American
PriceChicken parm ~$44; NY steak ~$87
Dress CodeSmart; dress the part
SeatingDark, clubby room of red booths; bar seating
ReservationStrongly recommended
