Hollywood Neighborhood Guide: History and Food

Hollywood is a district of Los Angeles that began as a small farming and residential community in the 1880s and became the center of the American film industry in the 1910s. Today it combines tourist landmarks, entertainment offices, apartment streets and a food scene shaped by the studios and by immigrant communities nearby.

This guide covers the district’s origins, the era that gave it its name, and how food fits in, from long-standing restaurants to the neighborhoods that border it.

Where Hollywood sits

Hollywood lies north-west of downtown Los Angeles, at the foot of the Santa Monica Mountains and the Hollywood Hills. Its main arteries include Hollywood Boulevard, Sunset Boulevard and Vine Street. Neighbors include West Hollywood, which is a separate city, and East Hollywood, which is part of Los Angeles proper. Many people use “Hollywood” loosely to mean the whole film industry, but the neighborhood has its own streets, residents and local businesses.

Early years

The district’s story is generally told as starting with land bought by Harvey Wilcox and his wife Daeida in the late 1880s, with Daeida credited with the name Hollywood. It was incorporated as a municipality in the 1900s and joined the City of Los Angeles in 1910, partly to secure access to water.

How film arrived

Filmmakers found Southern California attractive for its light and varied scenery, and the first studios opened in Hollywood in the early 1910s. Nestor Studios is commonly cited as the first, in 1911. A few years later, Cecil B. DeMille’s The Squaw Man, shot in a barn in 1914, became an influential early feature. By the 1920s, several major studios and thousands of film workers were based in and around the district.

Landmarks from this era still define its image. The Hollywood sign was erected in 1923 as an advertisement for a housing development, and read “Hollywoodland” until the last four letters were removed in 1949. Grauman’s Chinese Theatre opened in 1927. The Hollywood Walk of Fame, with its stars set into the pavement, began in 1960.

Food in old Hollywood

Restaurants played a practical role: studio workers, writers and performers needed places to meet and eat. Musso & Frank Grill, on Hollywood Boulevard, opened in 1919 and is often called one of the oldest restaurants in the district. The Brown Derby restaurants, with their distinctive hat-shaped building at one location, opened from the late 1920s; the Cobb salad is commonly linked to the Brown Derby, though accounts of its invention differ.

The pattern worth noting is the one that continues: diners, grills and cafes built around breakfast meetings and long lunches. Dishes like brunch plates and breakfast staples fit that daytime tradition.

The food neighborhoods around it

Los Angeles food is shaped by migration, and Hollywood borders several communities that matter to it:

• Thai Town, in East Hollywood, was officially designated in 1999 and is often described as the first such district in the United States. It is known for its restaurants and markets.
• Little Armenia, also in East Hollywood, is home to many Armenian bakeries, grocers and restaurants.
• Mexican and Central American cooking appears throughout the area, from taquerias and food trucks to sit-down kitchens.
• Farmers’ markets operate on a weekly basis in and around Hollywood; check the organizer’s calendar for the day and place.

Eating in Hollywood today

Menus shift quickly, and restaurants open, move and close often, so no guide can promise what is current. A useful approach for a visit is to:

1. Decide whether you want a landmark meal or a neighborhood one.
2. Check opening days, since many places close one or two days a week.
3. Read the current menu on the venue’s own channels.
4. Allow time for traffic and parking. Public transit, including Los Angeles Metro rail, serves several Hollywood stops; check the operator for routes.

Reading the district on foot

Hollywood rewards slow walking more than driving. Hollywood Boulevard concentrates the theaters, the Walk of Fame and the souvenir shops, while the side streets and the blocks toward Vine and Sunset show where the older office buildings, recording studios and bars sit. Walking a short loop makes it easier to see the layers: the early twentieth-century storefronts, mid-century signs and newer apartment blocks. Hills and heat can make longer routes tiring, so carry water and plan stops.

Learning more

For an example of one daytime restaurant in the district and the way it described its approach, read the background page, and the home page gives an overview. For history, the Los Angeles Public Library and the Hollywood Heritage museum provide archives and exhibits.

Frequently asked questions

Is Hollywood a city?

No. Hollywood is a neighborhood within the City of Los Angeles. West Hollywood, next door, is a separate city.

When did Hollywood become part of Los Angeles?

It was annexed in 1910.

What food is Hollywood known for?

There is no single dish. Its food culture combines historic grills and diners with the international restaurants of nearby areas such as Thai Town and Little Armenia.

Why is it called Hollywood?

The name is usually credited to Daeida Wilcox in the late 1880s. Accounts of its exact inspiration vary.