Legendary Los Angeles restauranteur Dan Tana has died at the age of 90.
The business owner was the visionary behind the iconic Santa Monica Boulevard eatery that bears his name – a glamorous hotspot where A-listers from both classic and contemporary Hollywood have long mingled.
Tana passed away in his hometown of Belgrade, Serbia, on Saturday, according to the LA Times. His cause of death remains unclear.
His death was confirmed by LA historian Alison Martino, who manages the eatery’s Facebook page and announced the news in a heartfelt post.
‘The great Dan Tana has passed on. We all know that he created a very magical place. Our beloved little yellow house will forever feel his presence,’ the post read.
‘Dan started out working for La Scala and The Villa Capri in the 1950s. It was working for those classic eateries that encouraged him to open his own! And he did just that.
‘He was always proud of where he came from and what he accomplished, a former soccer star from Yugoslavia.
‘Dan had wonderful stories about Marilyn Monroe, Joe DiMaggio, James Dean, Frank Sinatra, and Sammy Davis.’
Legendary Los Angeles restauranteur Dan Tana has died at the age of 90 (pictured left)
The business owner was the visionary behind the iconic Santa Monica Boulevard eatery that bears his name (pictured) – a glamorous hotspot where A-listers from both classic and contemporary Hollywood have long mingled
The post also revealed that Robert Urich’s character in the show Vega$ was actually named after Tana.
‘This man is a legend, and as you know a legend never dies,’ the post concluded.
Today, his longtime friend Sonja Perencevic owns the restaurant, lovingly maintaining it just as it has been since 1964.
‘Dan lived a wonderful life, and we will keep Dan Tana’s in his memory forever,’ Perencevic said in a statement relayed by Martino, according to the LA Times.
Long before becoming one of California’s most celebrated restaurateurs – whose restaurant attracted stars like Cameron Diaz, Harry Dean Stanton, and Rick Yorn for decades – Tana had already made his mark as a professional soccer player in Canada.
After immigrating to the US, he pursued acting – landing his first role in the 1957 World War II drama, The Enemy Below.
While still searching for acting gigs, he took a side job washing dishes at Hollywood’s legendary Villa Capri – unknowingly stepping into the career that would define his legacy.
Tana eventually worked his way up to become the maître d’ at the iconic La Scala in Beverly Hills – an influential role that propelled his rise in the culinary world.
Tana (right) passed away in his hometown of Belgrade, Serbia, on Saturday, though his cause of death remains unclear (pictured: Sonja Perencevic left)
Before long, he opened Dan Tana’s in West Hollywood, aiming to create a welcoming spot where Hollywood’s biggest stars could dine, drink, and unwind late into the night, as reported by the LA Times.
‘There was not a decent restaurant serving until 1am,’ Tana told the Hollywood Reporter in 2014. You had to go to a coffee shop.’
Dan Tana’s wasn’t an instant celebrity magnet, but that changed when acclaimed actor Richard Burton, a seven-time Academy Award nominee, started showing up regularly – putting the restaurant on the map.
In the 1970s, the nearby Troubadour music venue began using Dan Tana’s as a meeting spot to book major acts – one of the most notable being Elton John, whose presence drew massive crowds and boosted the restaurant’s star power.
It didn’t take long for the restaurant to become a cherished West Hollywood staple, where celebrities gathered night after night under the warm glow of its neon green sign and classic red-and-white checkered tablecloths.
‘I’ve been coming here so long, it’s part of my whole lifestyle,’ Harry Dean Stanton told the Hollywood Reporter in 2014.
Cameron Diaz developed a lasting attachment to the spot after having her first meal there at just 16, often returning over the years to meet with her managers and soak in the restaurant’s iconic charm.
‘It was the first restaurant I ate in in Los Angeles. I’m 42 now, and it has not changed,’ Diaz told the outlet. ‘It feels like you walked right into the moment it was conceived.’
Tana fondly remembered Drew Barrymore’s parents bringing her to the restaurant as a baby – so young, in fact, that they changed her diaper right at the bar.
‘We are still serving my original customers – and their children and grandchildren,’ he told the outlet over a decade ago.
Known for its low-key charm and discreet service, Dan Tana’s ultimately became the go-to hideaway for Hollywood’s elite – where stars and moguls slid into its classic red booths away from the spotlight.
Legends like George Clooney, former Lakers owner Jerry Buss, and heiress Nicky Hilton are just a few of the high-profile regulars who even have menu items named in their honor, according to LA Times.
The menu’s signature dishes named after these famous patrons include: Coleman’s 18-ounce New York steak, Jerry Weintraub’s veal parmigiana, Clooney’s veal cutlet, and Buss’s favorite shrimp scampi.
But diners aren’t drawn by the high-class cuisine.
Rather than the regional Italian fare that’s long dominated Los Angeles dining, Dan Tana’s serves up timeless classics like creamy fettuccine Alfredo and hearty chicken Parmesan.
Since Tana sold the restaurant and retired to Belgrade, many iconic LA spots – like Greenblatt’s Deli, the Original Pantry Cafe, and Papa Cristo’s Greek Grill & Market – have closed their doors.
Yet Dan Tana’s has stood the test of time, thanks in large part to its ability to offer a warm, old-world charm that continues to captivate diners, Martino said, according to LA Times.
