"MessHall, a summer-camp-themed restaurant at the top of Hillhurst Avenue in Los Feliz, is a pie-in-a-jar place." Jonathan Gold wrote that in the Los Angeles Times in November 2012, about ten weeks after the restaurant began serving dinner. He did not mean it as praise. He went on to point out that the menu told diners the building began as Willard's Chicken Inn, a fried-chicken restaurant opened in 1929. The menu left out the longer runs in between, including a Brown Derby.
Fourteen years later, Messhall Kitchen at 4500 Los Feliz Boulevard has announced that it will close on October 17. It shared the news on social media, thanked its staff and the community, and invited guests to raise a glass during its final month. It did not give a reason. As of today, Sunday, October 4, that leaves thirteen nights.
The goodbye is real. Still, for close to a century the building on this corner has shown a habit that no single tenant has. The restaurants keep changing, and the room stays.
Five Names on One Door
Eater LA laid out the building's history when Messhall arrived in September 2012. Put in order, it looks like this:
- 1929. Willard's Chicken Inn opens at the top of Hillhurst.
- About a decade later. The site becomes a Brown Derby, part of the chain owned by Bob Cobb, who created the Cobb salad. Eater described the Derby as a "celebrity magnet."
- 1960. It reopens as Michael's of Los Feliz.
- 1992 to 2009. Louise's Trattoria and The Derby nightclub share the building.
- September 2012 to October 17, 2026. Messhall.
Even the names carry over. When the Times printed Gold's review, it had to run a correction. The 1960 restaurant was Michael's of Los Feliz. Pierre's Los Feliz Inn was a different place, a short walk south at 2138 Hillhurst Avenue. The nightclub that ran here into 2009 was called The Derby, a name taken from the tenant two generations before it.
Looked at this way, the runs follow a pattern. Willard's lasted about ten years before the Derby took over. Michael's held the room from 1960 until 1992, which is the longest stretch on the list. Louise's and The Derby lasted seventeen years. Messhall will end at fourteen. Every tenant was eventually replaced, and every replacement was another restaurant.
What Messhall Kept
Messhall did not tear the room down and start over. Bill Chait was a partner. He also owned the small Louise's chain, so he was reworking a space his own company had run. The Times later added that Bob Serritella should share the credit, identifying him as chief executive of LT Acquisition Corp., the company that owned the restaurant.
According to Eater, the redesign kept the original steel and exposed beams from 1929. It set exposed brick, polished steel, and reclaimed wood around them, with shared tables, booths, and seats at the bar. Gold described stylized merit badges on the old walls, a mosaic of metal cafeteria trays, and glassed-in fire pits on the patio. He liked the fire pits and compared them to something out of Dwell magazine.
The opening chef was Keith Silverton, who came from Dominick's and Water Grill. His menu was farm-to-table regional American comfort food. Erik Lund of Rivera ran the cocktails, which leaned toward brown liquors and craft beers that changed every week. LAist reported that dinner service began on September 10, 2012. The plan at opening was to add breakfast, brunch, lunch, and an outdoor coffee bar later.
Brunch, lunch, and dinner all made it onto the menu, and the concept is still described as regional American. Recent coverage lists daily specials, oysters, a Mess Burger with cheddar and caramelized onions, smoked baby back ribs, pulled pork sandwiches, grilled salmon, and catfish. It also mentions the covered patio, the bar, and the communal-style seating. In other words, the summer-camp concept settled into the comfortable neighborhood room that each tenant here seems to become over time.
Thirteen Nights
This part is short because the facts are short. The last service is Saturday, October 17. The announcement invites guests to come in for a drink during the final month, but it does not mention a farewell event, a closing menu, or a last-call special. The responses What Now LA collected showed sadness and gratitude, and several people mentioned friendships that grew between staff and regulars. For details on the final weeks, check Messhall's Instagram, @messhallkitchen, where the closure was first announced.
If you'd rather not deal with parking on the boulevard, LADOT's Observatory/Los Feliz DASH line runs every day of the year. One of its scheduled stops is Los Feliz Boulevard at Hillhurst, right at the door. The Griffith Observatory's website says DASH service runs from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. and can be delayed on Greek Theatre concert nights.
The Places That Stayed Put
A few blocks from the corner, the long-running places are businesses that have stayed in one spot, which is the reverse of 4500 Los Feliz. Each of these opened before Messhall did and is still open:
- The Dresden, 1760 N. Vermont Ave. The family-owned restaurant and bar dates its history to 1954. Its website lists service Wednesday through Sunday.
- Yuca's, 2056 Hillhurst Ave. "The Hut" is a few blocks south of the boulevard. The family dates its opening to April 1, 1976.
- Little Dom's, 2128 Hillhurst Ave. It opened in January 2008, four years ahead of Messhall.
All three appear in The Infatuation's Los Feliz guide from July 2026. The Dresden opened twenty-five years after Willard's and has never moved. On the corner above it, the Brown Derby gave way to Michael's, Michael's to Louise's, and Louise's to Messhall. Over the same years, the building at 4500 Los Feliz Boulevard has had five different restaurants.
The newest name on that guide sits halfway between the two. Wilde's, a British-California bistro at 1850 Hillhurst Avenue, opened on October 30, 2025. It turns one year old less than two weeks after Messhall serves its last meal.
What Comes Next, and What Isn't Known
No successor has been announced for 4500 Los Feliz Boulevard. No one has reported on the lease, the landlord, or a new concept. We also couldn't confirm whether the building has formal historic-landmark status. That leaves the corner without a next name for now. The last time it was empty, Louise's and The Derby closed in 2009 and Messhall did not open until 2012.
Elsewhere in the neighborhood, a new project is underway. Café Maghreb is preparing the former Savyon Cafe space at 5158 Hollywood Boulevard. It plans a North African-inspired supper club with a shop for Moroccan goods. Founder Majda Belaroui is working with Maati Zouitina. A planning filing asks for permission to serve alcohol, but no opening date has been announced.
For more on the neighborhood, see our Los Feliz neighborhood guide and our earlier piece on the architectural styles that define Los Feliz. The 1929 steel at the top of Hillhurst has been through five restaurants so far. Its next tenant is still unknown, and Messhall's last night is October 17.
At Carey More, we pay attention to the rooms in this neighborhood that last longer than any one tenant. Subscribe for Exclusive Listings, and we'll let you know when the corner at the top of Hillhurst has a new name.
