Top 10+ Restaurants Humphrey Bogart Loved Across The US

Chasen's In Los Angeles

This dearly departed LA restaurant was an all-time favorite among the Hollywood elite during its nearly 60 years of operating — sadly, it closed in 1995. Chasen's was also famous for its chili, which Elizabeth Taylor reportedly loved so much that while filming "Cleopatra" in Italy, she had it regularly shipped to Rome. It seems that fine Italian food couldn't hold a candle to Chasen's menu, at least not for her.

Humphrey Bogart was also a big fan of the restaurant, though he allegedly fought loudly with his third wife, actress Mayo Methot, at their table there. This wasn't the only trouble Bogie found himself in at Chasen's — a widely told Hollywood legend recounts that the actor teamed up with his "Casablanca" co-star Peter Lorre for a drunken heist of the restaurant's safe, before ditching it amid nearby Beverly Boulevard. Though the eatery's namesake restaurateur, David Chasen, considered Bogart as a friend, such shenanigans apparently forced him to kick out the Hollywood icon on multiple occasions. "The trouble with Bogart is that he thinks he's Bogart," Chasen has been quoted as saying. 

21 Club In New York City

This famous Manhattan bar and restaurant had a good run, starting out as a speakeasy during Prohibition, but 21 Club proved to be no match for the pandemic, and it closed down in late 2020. Decades before then, it was a favorite hangout for Humphrey Bogart, and this is where he is believed to have joined Lauren Bacall for their first date — and not all that long afterwards, it's said that Bogie proposed to her here, too. 

During its heyday, and all the way up until it closed, the 21 Club had a lot to offer in terms of ambience. Despite being a former speakeasy, it exuded old-world charm, and it was filled with mementos gifted by American presidents and athletes alike. Other star guests purportedly included Alfred Hitchcock, Sophia Loren, Harrison Ford, and Rod Stewart. And while dining options tended to be pricey, the à la carte selections still included a relatively affordable burger with fries. 

Restaurant La Rue In Los Angeles

We don't know a lot about Humphrey Bogart's visits to Restaurant La Rue, but we can certainly surmise that he and his wives enjoyed visiting, since he was photographed with some of them there (one at a time, that is) on multiple occasions. One photograph puts him in a booth with his third wife, Mayo Methot, as he lights her cigarette. In front of him is a glass of something that, shockingly, might be water. On another occasion, he was captured at La Rue with Lauren Bacall, while apparently talking to journalists and posing for photos after receiving his Academy Award for his role in "The African Queen."

But what of the restaurant itself? It was yet another venture by prolific publisher and restaurateur Billy Wilkerson, who also owned Vendome. Restaurant La Rue served French fare and was particularly popular during lunchtime, though its setting was decidedly upscale given the two crystal chandeliers that dominated the main dining room.