The Golden Bull Feeds and Enlivens The Canyon for Over 75 Years
General Manager Rich Watson and Asst. General Manager Lily Caffey
By Laurel Busby
News & Information Editor
The Golden Bull is a Canyon institution, a steakhouse, a bar, and a full-on party on weekends after 10:30 p.m.
Opened in 1949, the restaurant on 170 W. Channel Rd. is currently owned by Mark Verge, the founder of WestsideRentals. Verge’s parents lived across the street from the Golden Bull early in their marriage, which was part of why he chose to buy the restaurant.
“It was my mom’s favorite place,” Verge said. “It’s so neat for the Canyon to have that place. I’m not trying to change a thing. It’s just a neighborhood place. A neat, neat place.”
Once part of the Billingsley’s Golden Bull chain of seven restaurants, the Golden Bull dropped the Billingsley’s name after the partners split the restaurants in the 1960s and Trevor Grimm became the sole owner, said Don Cranford, who owned the Golden Bull from around 1970 to 2017. Cranford, 84, first began working at the restaurant in about 1968 as a bartender. Then he became its manager, and eventually purchased the business from Grimm.
Cranford mentioned that throughout its early decades, when prejudice toward the gay community was common, the Golden Bull was a popular watering hole for people, who would visit the nearby gay beach and pop by afterwards for a steak dinner or a drink.
“As Mr. Grimm said, ‘I’m in the food business; everybody is welcome,’” Cranford said. “So many gay people lived in the Canyon in those days, and they made the Golden Bull their home bar.”
Just like today, numerous performers, writers, and other creative people lived in or near the Canyon and also frequented the spot, including actors Steve McQueen, Phyllis Diller, Betty White, and Peter Graves, a former honorary mayor of Pacific Palisades, Cranford said.
“If I gave you a list of everyone who was in there, you could fill a room,” said Cranford, who noted that the staff worked to create a safe and respectful environment for every diner. “We never told other customers if a celebrity was in the restaurant. I didn’t want anyone bothering them while they were having their dinners.”
Disasters, like the recent Palisades Fire, have also been part of the Golden Bull’s history. The building was first erected during 1936, a year when a massive flood swamped the Canyon, Cranford said. Ted’s Grill was the first restaurant on the location, but then it moved to Entrada and an Italian restaurant took its place, before the Golden Bull’s opened just after World War II. Forty-five years later, the 1994 Northridge earthquake caused so much damage that Cranford had to close for two years to rebuild the dining room and repair other damage.
Current General Manager Rich Watson started his job about six weeks before the January fire, and, like other businesses in the Canyon, the Golden Bull has struggled in its aftermath. Initially, the fresh food spoiled because the power was out and staff was barred from the area, so they couldn’t remove it. After they reopened, the number of customers dropped so low that they began closing on Mondays and Tuesdays.
“Obviously, we’re not as busy as we were last year,” said Watson, who represents the Golden Bull in the new Canyon Business Association, which is working to spur the Boca business district’s recovery. “Our staff has been trying to be positive about it, but it isn’t what it used to be definitely.”
With the initial power outage and the street closures, customers were slow to trickle back, although certain menu items remain powerful draws. For example, Watson mentioned that both the prime rib and the Yorkshire pudding have many fans, while the s’mores casserole with Nutella, roasted marshmallows, caramel, and ice cream is the most popular dessert.
Daniel Baker pours a drink at the Golden Bull.
In addition, the Golden Bull’s onion rings have been lauded by the L.A. Times, while Eater.com named the restaurant one of the top steakhouses in Los Angeles this spring. The restaurant also has a unique bartending staff who shift the restaurant into party mode after diners leave on Friday and Saturday nights around 10:30 p.m. until 2 a.m.
Daniel Baker is the “cruise director” of the evening, which thrives on sing-alongs of ‘80s hits with tambourines, drums, and shakers. To begin the festivities, the lights are turned off, and the crowd starts clapping. Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams” begins, and the crowd begins to belt it out.
The night evolves depending on how the bartenders assess the mood. Sometimes, the staff might bring out little karaoke machines or they might swing the bar lights. The music could include Hall & Oates, Madonna, or numerous other ‘80s acts, and the crowd tends to be in their 50s and 60s although younger people also join. Simultaneously, Baker said he works to make newcomers, regulars, and singles feel at home, safe, and welcome.
“People love it,” Baker said. “It’s an ‘80s dance party and disco…. They get to sing and dance and hit drums and get some of the daily angst of life out.”
The Golden Bull’s kitchen is open from 4:30-9 p.m. on Wednesdays and Thursdays, while the bar closes at 10 or 11 unless it’s really busy. On Fridays, the kitchen is open from 4:30-10 p.m., while the kitchen is open from 3-10 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. The bar closes at 2 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Happy Hour is 3-4 p.m. on the weekends and 4:30-5:30 p.m. on weekdays. Contact: (310) 230-0402.
