Place

Tom Bergin’s

Reopened in December 2019, Tom Bergin's is a significant legacy business and one of Los Angeles’ longest-lived bars

Place Details

Address

840 South Fairfax Avenue,
Los Angeles, California 90036
Get directions

Year

1949

Community

Tom Bergin's, 2018.

Overview

Operating near-continuously for 82 years (1936-2018) and reopened in December 2019 following the property’s sale to new owners, Tom Bergin’s is one of Los Angeles’ most iconic and longest‐lived bars.

About This Place

About This Place

Located since 1949 in the distinctive Tudor Revival structure at 840 S. Fairfax Avenue, Tom Bergin’s boasts the second‐oldest liquor license in Los Angeles. The Irish-themed tavern was first opened in 1936 by Tom Bergin, a former entertainment lawyer with Irish roots whose Massachusetts family had operated a number of bars throughout Boston. Inspired by his family’s taverns, Bergin set out “to create an authentic pub, defined by warmth, great food, and exceptional hospitality.”

Tom Bergin’s was a remarkable success from the start and earned a reputation as a favorite haunt of Hollywood celebrities including Bing Crosby and Pat O’Brien, both personal friends of Bergin, as well as Cary Grant, John Wayne, Lee Majors, Glenn Ford, Kiefer Sutherland, and Julia Roberts. Loyal patrons were memorialized with a cardboard cutout of a shamrock bearing their name, affixed to the wall or ceiling, which became a decades-long tradition at the tavern; by 2018, there were roughly 6,000 shamrocks adorning the interior.

The pub was also known for its signature Irish Coffee, and was one of two iconic West Coast establishments (the other being the Buena Vista Café in San Francisco) that claimed to have first introduced the drink in America.

Tom Bergin’s remained a popular establishment for decades, with Mr. Bergin operating the tavern for 37 years. He retired in 1973 and sold the pub to Mike Mandekic and T.K. Vodrey, who operated Bergin’s for the next 39 years, through 2011. That same year, it was sold to restaurateur Warner Ebbink and executive chef Brandon Boudet, who reopened Bergin’s in 2012 with refurbished interior spaces and a new menu, though it closed once again in 2013 after failing to attract enough customers.

Bergin’s operated again from January 2014 through March 2018 under the ownership of actor and longtime patron Derek Schreck and its abrupt closure prompted concerns that the restaurant could be purchased as a teardown.

Tom Bergin’s reopened on December 14, 2019 under new ownership which is also proposing a new residential development adjacent to the landmarked building.

Our Position

Identified as an eligible resource by SurveyLA and one of the oldest-surviving bars and legacy businesses in Los Angeles, Tom Bergin’s reflects the broad history and culture of the city. It is also significant for its architecture and distinguishing characteristics of the Tudor Revival style, particularly rare as applied to a commercial building. Through the efforts of the Miracle Mile Residential Association (MMRA) and the Conservancy, it was successfully designated as a Historic-Cultural Monument in June 2019.

Timeline

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Tom Bergin's (2018) | Adrian Scott Fine
Tom Bergin's (2018) | Adrian Scott Fine / Los Angeles Conservancy