Philippe the Original – Chinatown

Get in line at one of the counter stations, order, and carry your tray on paper plates to the long communal tables. Wood shavings on the floor and old newspapers on the walls are part of the deal. The house mustard sits on the tables in squeeze bottles; it used to come in shared jars until health officials made them go. Cheese is optional: Swiss, American, cheddar, Jack or blue.

Philippe's own site says the restaurant has been in Los Angeles since 1908 and at this Alameda Street address since 1951, and that founder Philippe Mathieu came up with the dipped sandwich. Cole's on Sixth Street made the same claim until it closed in March 2026; its new owners plan to reopen it.

Sources: philippes.com (address, phone, open daily 6 am–10 pm, meats and cheeses, "since 1908", Alameda "since 1951", checked 2026-11-02); Discover Los Angeles, Philippe The Original (same address and phone; sawdust floor, paper plates, communal tables; page live 2026-11-02); Wikipedia, Philippe's (counter stations, mustard jars replaced by squeeze bottles in 2008, the invention stories and Cole's rival claim); LAist, "The return of Cole's French Dip", 2026-10-29 (Cole's closed in March, reopening planned).