Quentin Tarantino didn’t just set Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019) in 1969 Los Angeles. He brought 1969 back to the streets, dressing real Hollywood landmarks in period signage and filming in restaurants and theaters that have been serving Angelenos for decades.
That’s what makes it such a great movie for location hunting: many of the places Rick Dalton, Cliff Booth and Sharon Tate visit are still open, and you can sit in the same booths.
Musso & Frank Grill, Hollywood Boulevard
Rick Dalton’s lunch with producer Marvin Schwarzs (Al Pacino), the meeting that sends Rick to Italy, takes place at Musso & Frank Grill. Opened in 1919, it’s the oldest restaurant in Hollywood and has fed generations of writers and stars.
The red leather booths and the bartenders in red jackets look exactly like they do in the film. Order a martini and you’re in the scene.
Hollywood Boulevard, Turned Back to 1969
For the film’s night drives, the production re-dressed stretches of Hollywood Boulevard with period storefronts, marquees and cars, turning the clock back half a century. Watching Cliff cruise down the boulevard in Rick’s Cadillac, you’re looking at the real street, just wearing a 1969 costume.
The Cinerama Dome, Sunset Boulevard
The geodesic Cinerama Dome on Sunset Boulevard, which opened in 1963, shows up with a period-correct marquee. It’s one of the most recognizable movie theaters in Los Angeles. It has been closed to moviegoers since 2020, but the dome is still easy to see from Sunset.
The Bruin Theatre, Westwood
One of the film’s most touching moments: Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie) slips into a matinee of The Wrecking Crew to watch herself on screen and hear the audience laugh. That scene was filmed at the Bruin Theatre in Westwood Village, a classic single-screen movie house across the street from the Fox Theatre.
El Coyote, Beverly Boulevard
Sharon Tate and her friends’ dinner on the film’s final night was shot at El Coyote Mexican Café on Beverly Boulevard. It’s a real piece of Hollywood history: the restaurant has been serving since the 1930s, and its dark, festive dining room barely needed set dressing.
Casa Vega, Sherman Oaks
When Rick and Cliff need a drink, they head to Casa Vega on Ventura Boulevard in Sherman Oaks. The low-lit, red-booth Mexican restaurant has been a Valley institution since 1956 and still draws fans who want a margarita where Rick had his.
Corriganville Park: The Spahn Ranch Set
The Spahn Movie Ranch scenes were filmed at Corriganville Park in Simi Valley, a former movie ranch where Westerns and TV shows were shot for years. The production built its Spahn Ranch set there. Today the park is open to the public for hiking, and you can still find traces of its movie-ranch past.
Why These Locations Matter
Tarantino’s film is a love letter to the Hollywood he grew up loving: the theaters, the restaurants, the boulevards. Visiting these spots lets you step into that love letter, and most of them are real businesses you can support today.
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood Locations FAQ
What restaurant is in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood? Several: Musso & Frank Grill on Hollywood Boulevard, El Coyote on Beverly Boulevard, and Casa Vega in Sherman Oaks all appear in the film, and all are still open.
Where did Sharon Tate watch The Wrecking Crew in the movie? At the Bruin Theatre in Westwood Village.
Where was Spahn Ranch filmed? At Corriganville Park in Simi Valley, where the production built its Spahn Ranch set.
Hear the Stories Behind Hollywood’s Locations
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood is about the people behind the movies as much as the movies themselves. If that’s your kind of story, ride with Leo, who has spent decades interviewing those people, on the Film Freak Movie Locations Tour.
