The Magic Castle
Building · Hollywood Hills
7001 Franklin Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90028
Highlights
Exclusive magician clubhouse with Victorian charm & intimate parlors
Exclusive magician clubhouse with Victorian charm & intimate parlors
"To call The Magic Castle merely a restaurant would be doing it an injustice. It’s a private club, home to the best magicians on the planet, with a restaurant that’s better than you’d expect. Getting into this massive Victorian mansion in Hollywood takes some effort (you need to secure an invite from an actual club member), but once you’re inside, you’ll embark on a night of up-close magic, strong old fashioneds, and mechanical owls that’ll talk back to you. The fairly traditional steakhouse menu (think jumbo shrimp cocktails and beef wellington) isn’t going to melt your mind, but that’s what the magic is for." - nikko duren, brant cox, sylvio martins
"If you spend a night roaming around The Magic Castle and don’t see a supernatural event, you’re just unlucky—or perhaps even more egregious, you're a non-believer. This members-only magicians club is located inside a giant and legitimately haunted Hollywood mansion. Evenings include everything from sleight-of-hand magic to séances to Old Fashioneds that’ll have you believing anything you want. It’s one of our favorite places for a night out in Los Angeles, and even if the American food isn’t anything special, you’ll be more than satiated with celestial anticipation." - brant cox
"A private, members-focused magic clubhouse that opened in the early 1960s, this storied venue seats roughly 150 guests within about 24,000 square feet and is known for formal evening dress requirements (such as sports coats); it has served as a model for exclusive magic clubs while weathering public scrutiny in recent years." - Ashok Selvam
"To call The Magic Castle merely a restaurant would be doing it an injustice. It’s a private club, home to the best magicians on the planet, with a restaurant that’s better than you’d expect. Getting into this ancient Victorian mansion—it was built in 1909 as a private residence for one of Hollywood’s first real estate tycoons—takes some effort (you need to secure an invite from an actual club member), but once you’re inside, you’ll embark on a nostalgic-filled night of up-close magic, strong cocktails, and mechanical owls that’ll talk back to you. The fairly traditional steakhouse menu (think jumbo shrimp cocktails and beef wellington) isn’t going to melt your mind, but that’s what the magic is for." - brant cox
"There’s restaurant escapism, and then there’s a night at The Magic Castle. The famed members-only club and restaurant occupies a hilltop Victorian mansion overlooking Hollywood where you’ll find mechanical owls, secret passageways, and a nightly lineup of the world's most skilled illusionists. The place is famously tricky to get into (you’ll need an invite from a member) and absolutely nothing from the dinner menu will wow you, but that’s beside the point. All that matters are sleight-of-hand tricks, disappearing coins, and the sweet relief of not seeing a single phone (photography is strictly forbidden)." - brant cox, sylvio martins, cathy park, garrett snyder
