thumb|The weekday lunch rush at Philippe's

"Philippe the Original", commonly known as Philippe's ( ) is a restaurant located in downtown Los Angeles, California. The restaurant is well known for continuously operating since 1908, making it one of the oldest restaurants in Los Angeles. It is also renowned for claiming to be the inventor of the French dip sandwich.

The restaurant has been located at 1001 North Alameda Street, on the edge of Chinatown, in the Historical District of Los Angeles, two blocks north of Olvera Street, and close to Union Station, since 1951.

History

Philippe Mathieu emigrated from France to Buffalo, New York, in 1901, moving to Los Angeles in 1903. He opened a deli with his brother, Arbin, shortly after arriving. In 1908 he opened his first Philippe restaurant at 300 N. Alameda Street, where he served roast beef, roast pork, roast lamb, liver pâté and blood sausage. Mathieu's restaurants were in L.A.'s traditional Frenchtown neighborhood, which was razed to build Los Angeles City Hall.

In 1911, the Mathieu brothers opened the New Poodle Dog French Restaurant at 156 North Spring Street. The New Poodle was a white tablecloth restaurant, and after two years, they closed it and opened another inexpensive place at 617 North Alameda. In 1918, Philippe moved the restaurant to 246 Aliso Street, where he first served his French dipped sandwiches. Philippe's claims to be the longest continuously operating restaurant in Los Angeles.

The restaurant is featured in Visiting... with Huell Howser Episode 413.

French dip sandwich

thumb|A Philippe's French dip

The origins of the French dip sandwich have been debated for many years. Cole's Pacific Electric Buffet also claims to have invented the sandwich in 1908. There are three versions of how Philippe's French dipped sandwich originated:

  • In 1951, Mathieu told a Los Angeles Times reporter, "One day a customer saw some gravy in the bottom of a large pan of roast meat. He asked me if I would mind dipping one side of the French roll in that gravy. I did, and right away five or six others wanted the same." He quickly ran out of gravy. "But," he said, "it put me wise." The next day he had a gallon of gravy ready, but so many people wanted dip sandwiches that he still ran out.

In addition to their main attraction of French dip sandwiches, other old-fashioned foods are served, including freshly made soups, beef stew, chili, baked apples, and pickled pigs' feet.