Cafe La Maze History
Our long and interesting History begins in 1935 when the founder and name sake of Cafe La Maze, Marcel Lamaze, who was a Legendary and influential Restaurateur & Maitre D in the Los Angeles area during the Golden Age of Hollywood, founded the Original Cafe Lamaze in 1935. 9039 Sunset Boulevard was the address. Hollywood, CA. Marcel was well connected with the Hollywood crowd, and the Hollywood location was a Movie Star Hangout. Marcel was a close friend of Jimmy Durante, and he enjoyed playing poker with the Marx Brothers. Marcel would then receive numerous requests from his powerful Hollywood friends to scout a second location near the Mexican border.
Since the repeal of Prohibition, Caliente in Tijuana, Mexico has been a popular hangout for Hollywood types. Marcel suggested that the current location, which was built in 1940 as a pit stop for the Hollywood crowd and a last chance to gamble in the restaurant's hidden gambling room located above the restaurant, be visited. Legendary actors such as Bing Crosby, Clark Gable, Errol Flynn, and Johnny Weissmuller attended the grand opening of the new Cafe La Maze National City. Cafe La Maze’s atmosphere mirrors the “Golden Era of Hollywood” as portrayed in many of the old classic films of the 1940’s & 1950’s.
