The Los Angeles Restaurant Where Orson Welles Ate Lunch Almost Every Day

Restaurants

The Los Angeles Restaurant Where Orson Welles Ate Lunch Almost Every Day By Ben Hillin Oct. 19, 2025 9:00 am EST

Los Angeles has no shortage of decadent, elevated restaurants, many of which are (allegedly) the originators of now-classic dishes, such as the Cobb salad from the Brown Derby. However, one restaurant truly served as the hub of L.A. celebrity life: Ma Maison. Luckily, you won't have to read about celebrity eating habits here. Ma Maison was founded in 1973 by a French restaurateur, with backing from the likes of Gene Kelly. In 1975, Wolfgang Puck of canned soup fame (and you know, Spago) joined the team.

A French restaurant using fresh, farm-to-table ingredients in L.A. might seem commonplace now, but in the mid-1970s, such a thing was rare. Before P