How Dive Bar Chez Jay Became a Celebrity Hangout and Santa Monica Icon

What was it like growing up here?

You know, it’s just always been a cool place. A lot of locals, a lot of fun people. It was always interesting because as a kid I would go see a movie and then I’d meet the movie stars in person. They were just so different inside this place, so friendly and normal. That was a cool way to grow up.  

What’s the story behind the peanuts?

The gentleman who founded Chez Jay is Jay Fiondella. He was a very eccentric guy that was not afraid to have a good time and did things his way. The story is he acquired the lease here for $1 (it used to be a breakfast joint called the Dawn Cafe). Since he was a big actor he got to know a lot of people, and on opening night he brought in an elephant in with a bunch of showgirls. The elephant was able to get into the building and people were like, what do we do now? He said: “let’s feed the elephant peanuts.” That’s where the peanuts started, and it grew from there. 

What made it very well known was back when NASA’s headquarters were down the street, a lot of astronauts would come here. Alan Shepherd famously took some of the peanuts to the moon and then brought them back, and the actress Julie Andrews and a couple photographers were here to witness it. When they filmed  Titanic, one of the guys that worked on the movie put some of them on the ship. From there it just became this legendary thing. Jay would go to the red carpet and he would throw peanuts at people, so it just became this thing where the peanuts traveled around. 

Any notable regulars?

Many loyalists but in terms of celebrities, the people that have been so gracious include Michelle Pfeiffer and David E. Kelley — they had their first date here many years ago. They brought some of their friends in here recently. Channing Tatum comes in and is so nice. Billy Bob Thorton of course came by often throughout filming his show (many scenes from Amazon Prime’s Goliath were filmed here). He was as normal and as cool as they come. He would talk to people from out of town and so on. Super friendly.

What’s the scene like on a typical Saturday night?

It is an absolute melting pot. Because it’s a small place, it cuts through everyone’s “personal boundary era” that we’re in right now. When you walk in here, it’s shoulder to shoulder. I always hit the same line: You’re gonna see a regular, a surfer, someone that’s visiting from Nebraska, maybe a screenwriter and a movie star, or someone that is in a suit that just came out of their conference meeting. And then next to him, someone with long hair that just got off the beach. We have a couple tables where we put up a divider to separate two groups. And it’s not uncommon that two people will sit there and they’re basically sharing the same table with another pair, and then they get to know each other. So on a Saturday night, everyone’s close together. No cell phones. It’s like a time capsule. 

Which tables have special significance?

The one that’s well known is table 10. That’s the only private table. There’s an article on the wall from Jim Mahoney who was the agent for a lot of the Rat Pack and celebrities like Marvin Gaye in that era. They would do a poker night every Sunday and bring the group in to have a couple cocktails. And he, you know, specifically talks about table 10 as being where they would sit. There’s a well-documented story about Daniel Ellsberg and how the Pentagon Papers were handed off in that private booth. And then from there it’s just the host of celebrities and politicians that would come and if they wanted to have extra privacy, they would sit there since you can’t really see into it.

What are the must orders on the menu?

The Butter Steak is our most popular and famous. It’s a 10-ounce New York strip steak with chef Memo’s signature butter sauce melted on top along with fine herbs. For the greatest experience at Chez Jay’s, I recommend coming in on a summer night to have  either clam chowder or a wedge salad to start,  then I would always recommend the filet with a side of horseradish, and finish off with a sticky toffee pudding. You capture the senses. Drink-wise, we’re known for our stiff pours and very economical price and experience. 

Tell me about the recent 66th anniversary event.

In our parking lot we had what I was calling an interactive event. It was outdoors so we brought classic cars in as well as some live music. The staff was dressed in  ‘50s/’60s era garb and we had a little outdoor museum set up that focused on Santa Monica history as well as the history of Chez Jay’s. So people could walk around and read these stories. Some had lived it, and then we also had plenty of younger people who were newer to the neighborhood who came by and absorbed all the history and the fun of this place.

You’ve seen the restaurant from the 1980s until now – how much has it changed?

Basically not at all, except maybe people’s clothing. I like to say: People are always changing. You can count on Chez Jay’s not changing. It’s our goal to preserve the stories and the interior. It’s actually a historical landmark, both the building and also its interior contents. So technically we can’t change anything. But even if it wasn’t a historical landmark, we would keep it the same anyway, because what we love hearing is, “I had my first date here 45 years ago and the place looks exactly the same.”