Patrick's Roadhouse is a fun restaurant with big portions and even bigger stories. It was opened in 1973 as Patrick's Place.
The restaurant was built from a 'Red Car' passenger depot that was once part of the famed Pacific Electric railways, but had become a hot dog stand after the Big Red Cars stopped running. It has a great location on the Pacific Coast Highway at the foot of Santa Monica Canyon.
The building was painted mossy green and has a 1940's and shamrock theme and it's full of memorabilia. It's known for its breakfast, burgers, friendly service and its famous regulars. The regulars were a Who's Who of Hollywood but the place has always kept its quirky charm. The food is great and exactly the opposite of what you'd expect in trendy Santa Monica.
One of the regulars was Arnold Schwarzenegger. Since he lives in the area again now, he's probably is still going. Several funny stories from the restaurant involve him. His mother once came into the restaurant and was upset with the food. She went back back to the kitchen and cooked Arnold some huge breakfast she called "Bauer Frühstück," or "Farmer's Breakfast" that was later put on the menu.
Another story was that Arnold was once sitting on a chair there that suddenly broke. He felt bad about it and brought in an iron chair that he had custom-made with a plaque that said "For the Man of Iron: The Terminator.” That's me, sitting in his chair!
I personally have great memories from the restaurant because every time I went there was with my sister, Karen. She took me there as a kid and again took Vivie and I there in 2019. Looking forward to going again with her when Covid-19 is over!
Comments (0)