Brown Derby Plaza

Shopping mall · Koreatown ·

Brown Derby Plaza

Shopping mall · Koreatown ·

Restaurants including Boiling Crab and Honey Me.

Information

3377 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90010 Get directions

@eater

391,688 Postcards · 10,991 Cities

How Making Christmas Tamales Is Like Therapy for My Mexican Family | Eater

"Remembered as a famed, historic Los Angeles restaurant where the author’s grandfather worked as a chef after serving in World War II, this establishment is invoked by the family as evidence of his culinary expertise. His role there—particularly his talent for flavoring the slow-cooked pork used in the family’s chile colorado—has become a proud, oft-repeated part of the tamalada lore, lending credibility to their holiday tamale tradition and serving as a touchstone in stories passed down through generations." - Serena Maria Daniels

https://www.eater.com/23989305/christmas-tamales-mexican-family-tamalada

Brown Derby Plaza

@atlasobscura

4,908 Postcards · 2,019 Cities

6 Relics of Forgotten Fast-Food Dynasties

"This iconic California restaurant chain, which launched in 1926, was an early adopter of mimetic architecture—that is, buildings designed to look like other structures, from dogs to igloos to giant shoes. Diners at the Brown Derby were invited to “eat in the hat,” because many of the buildings were made in the shape of giant, dapper caps. The first outpost, on Wilshire Boulevard, quickly became a place to see and be seen. Hollywood heavy-hitters and social climbers tucked in to feast on everything from caviar to burgers and Cobb salads, said to have been invented there. The walls were lined with caricature-style sketches of the famous folks who flocked there. By the 1930s, the flagship hat moved a bit down the block. After sustaining damage in an earthquake, the Hollywood location came down in February 1994. Local preservation groups staged a funeral at the demolition, toting a casket and wearing derbies of their own. Eventually, at the Wilshire location, only the dome remained, tucked behind an otherwise forgettable shopping center. The dome can still be seen today, an easily overlooked relic of the iconic midcentury architecture. The Wilshire dome is not the only remnant of the chain’s legacy, though. Today, Disney World has a replica, and an original sign is in the permanent collection of the Museum of Neon Art, though it spends most days in a warehouse." - ATLAS_OBSCURA

https://www.atlasobscura.com/lists/historic-fast-food-restaurants

ClassicStock / Alamy

Brown Derby Plaza

@eater

391,688 Postcards · 10,991 Cities

LA Barbecue Spot Endorses Up-and-Coming High School Quarterback | Eater LA

"The Cobb salad was created at the now-demolished Brown Derby in what is now Koreatown." - Matthew Kang

https://la.eater.com/2022/7/13/23207084/malachi-nelson-usc-football-slab-barbecue-nil-endorsement-deal-am-intel

Brown Derby Plaza

R G

Google

Deceptive and aggressive parking attendant — avoid Brown Derby Plaza This garage is managed by Supreme Parking Services, and the attendant here (who has apparently worked there for "more than 20 years") is blatantly misleading customers. When I arrived, I specifically asked if they validated for Jjuku Jjuku (the restaurant upstairs). The attendant clearly said “Yes, we validate for Jjuku Jjuku.” He then asked if I wanted valet or self-parking. I chose self-parking after seeing an open spot — and without any explanation, he charged me $22 on his card reader. Later, after my meal, I had my ticket validated as instructed. When I returned, the same attendant refused to honor it, claiming validation only applied to valet. When I pointed out that he had told me otherwise, he became hostile and insulting, even making insulting comments about my family. Totally unprofessional behavior and a clear bait-and-switch tactic to overcharge unsuspecting customers. This is deceptive, unethical, and reflects poorly on both Supreme Parking Services and Brown Derby Plaza. Do not park here unless you want to be scammed. Date of visit: October 18, 2025

steven H.

Google

Terrible experience with the parking services here. I parked here to eat at the boiling crab, which the valet driver asked twice if I was on the waiting list. In which both times I responded Yes I am. Then he proceeded to say that I pay when I come back with the stamp. All is fine up until here. I come back with a takeout from boiling crab. And got my ticket stamped, the person, I assumed was the manager, demanded that I show him the receipt. I said you guys did not ask for a receipt, only asked for a stamp. He then lied to my face saying that he was the one that parked my car and said I needed a receipt. Then the actual valet driver that parked my car came up, and I confronted him, in which he lies to my face that he told me I needed a receipt. I said I can go upstairs and get a receipt, he said not acceptable, pay $20. A piece of joke, I escalated the situation and he then said if you paid, then you should have credit card receipt. Thats called a credit card statement not a receipt. Hire more english speaking workers and stop hiring unprofessional idiots. Employees are trained to lie and to suck as much money as possible from customers. Never park here.

Google

I had an unfortunate experience at this parking facility. There appears to be an individual loitering on-site attempting to deceive or scam visitors. I strongly recommend avoiding this parking garage for your own safety and peace of mind. After attempting to address the situation, I found the response from the parking service to be dismissive and lacking in basic professionalism and problem-solving ability. Given the lack of proper management and apparent security issues, I chose to leave rather than escalate the situation further. This place does not meet the standards one should expect, and I advise others to look for alternative parking options.

CHRISTOPHER Z.

Google

Parking workers were extremely rude and unprofessional. I didn’t get parking validation from the restaurant, so I was ok with paying for 1 hr. But Dorian (the parking attendant) refuses to let me pay the hourly rate but instead asks for the daily rate ($20). I had my parking ticket which shows that I was only there for 1 hr, but Dorian insists on making me pay the daily/lost ticket rate. My friend had to run back to the restaurant and get the validation so that we could leave. Restaurant was good, just don’t park in the parking lot.

Shi L.

Google

Scammers. Do not park here. Will charge you $20 without having a validation ticket. Misleading price.

Nathan S.

Google

Had the worst experience with the parking and paying with a validated ticket. I had eaten at the plaza with sum friends and got a validation for the parking ticket. As I was paying for the ticket which was initially agreed as $5, another security worker came and harassed me and demanded the ticket is $20. I refused and he aggressively told me to show my receipt and demanded I showed him on my phone which I was not going to do at a random security guard who was being very rude and aggressive towards me. My friends, who I ate dinner with, have paid for my meal and I had no receipt but I literally had a bag of leftovers of the food with the restaurants name on the bag and I showed the security guard but he refused to believe that I ate at the restaurant at the plaza. So I ended up having to pay the $20 as they literally would not believe the evidence in front of their eyes. I honestly would have been fine to pay but with their aggressive and unprofessional attitude it really left a bad taste in my mouth. I DO NOT RECOMMEND EVER COMING TO THE BROWN DERBY PARKING LOT. Just go for the street parking.

Bruno S.

Google

I had a very unpleasant experience with the parking service at Brown Derby Plaza during lunchtime yesterday. The parking gate was open, so we assumed parking wasn’t being monitored since it wasn’t peak time. When it came time to leave, we were confronted by a parking attendant named Dorian (if that’s even his real name), who aggressively demanded we pay $20. The issue wasn’t the money, but Dorian’s behavior. He was rude, cussed at us, and even accused us of lying. He, along with another individual named Jorge, acted like they owned the parking company. After calling the number posted for the parking company, I found out that neither of them was the owner. The actual owner reviewed the security footage and verified my restaurant receipt, he told us he would have just let us go. However, despite this, Dorian refused to let us leave without paying the $20. It felt malicious, like he was intentionally trying to extort money from us. I advise future visitors to be extremely cautious when dealing with the parking service here. I hope the management takes steps to prevent others from going through the same treatment.

Jo “Mac” V.

Google

Place is ok but the parking area outside so many cars parked in the middle