![]() ![]() Apparently after a night of heavy drinking, Morrison either couldn’t be bothered to teeter to the restroom or in his egotistical, “Lizard King” mindset he thought to make himself even more a legend by standing on the wooden bar and going to town. The darker side to Barney’s is that Barney apparently wasn’t a fan of the gay community, and notoriously put up a misspelled sign reading “FAGOTS – STAY OUT” but apparently no one really heeded it.Īs the Sunset Strip became the place to see bands and Hollywood emerged from its studio system, Barney’s kept with the times, becoming a place for New Hollywood stars like Dennis Hopper, Jack Nicholson, and Steve McQueen, as well as legendary musicians such as Janis Joplin and The Doors, which leads me to that little thing I mentioned earlier, Jim Morrison urinating on the bar. It soon became a beatnik hangout, and West Hollywood was also becoming a center for the gay community. Those moving to sunny Southern California would leave their home state license plate behind, giving themselves a symbolic fresh start, and Barney decided to hang the plates up on the wall.īy 1945 Barney’s was already widely known, and had been written about in several papers and magazines as a place to get a chow down on classic American comfort food, and talk with the “down to earth” owner. In the golden years of Hollywood the likes of Clara Bow, Jean Harlow, Clark Gable, Errol Flynn, Bette Davis, Marlon Brando, and Marilyn Monroe had dined here, but the times were changing. Many drove the Mother Road to California also in search a warmer climate or in hopes to make it as movie star, and they often stopped at Barney’s, where a tradition soon started. Like many, Barney wanted a warmer place to call home, and in 1927 he moved to Southern California, relocating his Beanery to this location on Santa Monica Boulevard, which is also part of historic Route 66. When he returned to his Northern California home he opened up his first restaurant under the name Barney’s Beanery in 1920, doing everything himself. Barney’s was established by John “Barney” Anthony, who served in World War I, dishing up his unique chili burgers and onion soup to his fellow Navy men. Oh, and did I mention Jim Morrison peed on the bar?ĭespite being a Hollywood institution, its roots are in Northern California. Once a humble California Craftsman home surrounded by poinsettia fields it has morphed to become one of the icons of Hollywood history, both of the film and music variety. Hollywood has seen a great deal of changes over its lifetime, and one place that has witnessed it all is Barney’s Beanery. ![]()
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