- The Tam O’Shanter steakhouse in Los Angeles was a favorite dining spot for Walt Disney and other Hollywood stars, serving as a creative hub for Disney and his team of “imagineers” in the 1920s.
With its steeply pitched roof, central squat tower, and faux-Tudor walls, the Tam O’Shanter steakhouse in Los Angeles looks like something that has stepped clean out of a fairy tale. But this much-loved restaurant, which first opened its doors in 1922 and was originally called Montgomery Country Inn, has been a favorite for a galaxy of Hollywood stars, including pioneering animator Walt Disney.
He ate there so often that the Tam (which was renamed The Great Scot between 1968 and 1982) was nicknamed the “studio commissary” or two good reasons. First, because it was on the doorstep of Disney’s Hyperion Studio and second, the latter didn’t have anywhere to eat. According to the company behind the steakhouse, in the 1920s, Disney and his team of “imagineers” would descend on the restaurant for their lunch and cook up ideas of their own about the movies they wanted to make while they ate. You can still see a colorful cartoon, hand-drawn and signed by Disney himself, inside the Tam, nestled alongside lots of other vintage nicknacks.
Diners can reserve Table 31 — the actual place where Disney sat, ate, and thought up some of his most famous creations. Although the Tam is known for fork-tender prime rib, the two-hour experience includes the chance to eat some of Disney’s favorite foods, such as charbroiled burger steaks and Scotch rarebit, while you learn all about his long-standing connection to the Tam, while a special keepsake is also included. Alternatively, you can order Walt Disney’s go-to drink, named after his seat, the Table 31. It’s an interesting blend of whiskey, bitters, lemon, elderflower liqueur, and apple brandy.
Disney wasn’t the only big name to eat at the Tam O’Shanter
The more you learn about the Tam O’Shanter, the easier it is to see why it was such a draw for creatives — aside from that convenient location. The building was designed in the storybook style by artist and set designer Harry Oliver, and is packed with Scottish-themed and historical items. Back in the earliest days of the movie industry, it was a quaint spot that saw some of the biggest stars of the day drop in for a meal, long before this veteran Hollywood hot dog stand was a twinkle in its owner’s eye…