Philippe The Original, Downtown diner in Los Angeles, United States.
Philippe The Original is a counter-service diner in downtown Los Angeles, known for its French dip sandwiches, wooden communal tables, and sawdust-covered floors. Carvers stand behind long meat counters, slicing roasted meat and dipping the bread into hot broth before handing each sandwich directly to the customer.
The restaurant first opened in 1908 and quickly became a gathering spot for workers and residents near the old city center. When freeway construction forced a move in 1951, it relocated close to Union Station, where it has stayed ever since.
The name Philippe refers to Philippe Mathieu, the French immigrant credited with creating the French dip sandwich here over a century ago. Today, visitors still order at the same long counters where carvers slice meat and assemble sandwiches in plain view.
Service moves quickly at the counters, but lines can grow long during the midday rush and early evening, so arriving just before or after those times helps. Seating is at shared tables, and guests are expected to sit alongside people they do not know.
The French dip sandwich is said to have been invented here by accident in 1918, when Philippe Mathieu reportedly dropped a roll into roasting pan drippings. The recipe has stayed almost unchanged since then, which is why the bread and broth still look and taste the same as they did generations ago.
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