Menus of New Year's Past

Couple at Los Angeles Nightclub, New Year's Eve, 1962. From the Los Angeles Public Library Photo Collection.

What will you eat this New Year's Eve? However we plan to celebrate the new year, Angelenos have a lot of dinner options this December 31st—from buck-fifty street tacos to a $285 tasting menu at Spago.

While I've indulged in the New Year's Day tradition of Hoppin John (my southern friend recommends the recipe in this cookbook), I honestly can't remember a single New Year's Eve meal. Whether your dinner is forgettable party fuel or an Instagram-ready indulgence, you might be inspired by these historical New Year's Eve menus, all from the library's extensive Menu Collection.

If these whet your appetite, be sure to order up a copy of To Live and Dine in L.A., an entire book based around the Menu Collection. And if you hear of another place around town where I can get a lobster for $1.25 this Sunday, please let me know.\

The Airporter Inn Hotel, ca. 1960s

Cafe Montmarte, 1927

The Blue Mill, 1921

The Glen Inn, 1926

Los Angeles History,

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New Year,

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