The Dresden Restaurant & Lounge: Hollywood Landmark Since 1954

The Dresden Restaurant & Lounge has been a family-owned Hollywood landmark and staple since 1954, according to its website.

The Dresden offers different service experiences in the dining room and the lounge. The Dining Room serves a fine-dining, white-tablecloth dinner, while the Lounge offers a casual and relaxed, yet classy setting with high-end bar food and finely crafted cocktails. Live music is provided in the Lounge on nearly a nightly basis, with some nights subject to change.

A Hollywood Landmark On and Off Screen

The Dresden has been featured in an array of films, including Swingers (1996), What Women Want (2000), That Thing You Do! (1996), and Anchorman (2004). Television series that have featured the restaurant include Mad Men (2015), GLOW (2018), Aquarius (2015), Hollywood (2020), and No Good Deed (2024).

The Dresden also hosted the longest standing live music act in Los Angeles: Marty & Elayne performed jazz standards every Tuesday through Saturday night for nearly 40 years until their run ended in 2020.

The Dining Room: White Tablecloths and a Decades-Old Menu

The Dining Room offers a fine-dining, white-tablecloth dinner service. The full dinner menu has been beloved for over 70 years.

The menu lists Prime Rib of Beef as the World Famous Specialty for over 65 years, served with a choice of baked or mashed potato and vegetables, priced at $43. The Dresden proudly features Certified Angus Beef for all meat cuts.

Other Dining Room dishes include Garlic Butter Salmon, wild caught and sautéed in garlic and butter, served with mashed potatoes and asparagus, for $34; Calamari Fritti, crispy golden rings and tentacles served with house-made cocktail sauce, for $18; Escargot Bourgignonne, baked escargot served over white wine garlic sauce with bread, for $18; Rigatoni with Meat Sauce, tomato sauce simmered with ground beef, onion, and garlic, for $22; and Lasagne, a three-layer lasagne baked with ricotta cheese and topped with bolognese, for $24.

Larger cuts include a 32oz Tomahawk, hand carved bone-in ribeye, served with mashed potatoes, parmesan-roasted half tomatoes, button mushrooms, and seasonal vegetables, for $121; and Chateaubriand, a 20oz tenderloin hand carved tableside, served with the same sides, for $129. The menu also lists Half-Roasted Chicken Jidori brand, free-range organic chicken, seasoned, pan roasted, and broiled.

The Lounge: Casual Setting, Live Music, and Bar Food

The Lounge offers a casual and relaxed, yet classy setting with high-end bar food and finely crafted cocktails. The full dinner menu is not provided in the Lounge; it is available in the Dining Room only.

Lounge and Al Fresco menu items include a Prime Rib French Dip, made with the restaurant's prime rib, au jus, and French bread, for $19; a Certified Angus Burger with lettuce, tomato, grilled onion, and brioche bun, for $18; a Caprese Sandwich with heirloom tomato, basil, fresh mozzarella, olive oil, balsamic reduction, and ciabatta, for $16; and Baked Mac n' Cheese with penne, a three-cheese blend, and bread crumbs, for $16.

Cocktails include a Stirred Old Fashioned with bourbon, sugar cube, Angostura bitters, and expressed orange peel, for $17; a Vesper Martini with gin, vodka, Lillet Blanc, and expressed lemon peel, for $17; a Margarita with tequila blanco, house curaçao, lime, and agave, for $17; and a Mai Tai with white rum, curaçao, orgeat, lime, and a dark rum float, for $18.

Hours, Reservations, and Practical Details

The Dresden's doors open at 5pm Wednesday through Sunday. Dining Room hours are Wednesday-Saturday 5pm-10pm and Sunday 5pm-9pm. Lounge and Patio hours are Wednesday and Thursday 5pm-12am, Friday and Saturday 5pm-1am, and Sunday 5pm-11pm.

Reservations are highly recommended in the Dining Room. Dining Room reservations for full dinner service can be made via Resy.com. Seating in the Lounge and Patio is first-come, first-served.

For parties of 6 or more or special requests, guests can text or call after 5pm Wednesday-Sunday. The email address is info.thedresden@gmail.com and the phone number is 323-665-4294. For quickest phone assistance, call after 5pm, Wednesday-Sunday.

The Dresden offers a Thanksgiving Day menu. It includes a Traditional Turkey Dinner with dark and white meat topped with turkey gravy, served with bread stuffing, sautéed green beans, yams, and house-made cranberry sauce, for $38; Roast Duckling a l'Orange, slow roasted duckling drizzled with an orange reduction, served with roasted seasonal vegetables and mashed potatoes, for $36; Honey Glazed Ham, finely sliced ham baked and caramelized with honey and spice, served with mac & cheese and green beans, for $35; and Filet Mignon, hand cut 9oz, served with a choice of baked or mashed potato, asparagus, and béarnaise sauce, for $46.

The Dresden offers digital gift cards and accepts inquiries for private events at info.thedresden@gmail.com or 323-665-4294.