For decades, the iconic, family-owned Dan Tana Italian restaurant has been a Hollywood hotspot, thanks in part to its long list of celebrity clients.
Opened in 1964 by the late Serbian-American restaurateur and soccer player Dan Tana, the establishment has become a landmark in the heart of West Hollywood.
In honor of Tana, born Dobrivoje Tanasijević, who died in August 2025 at age 90, his two daughters, Katerina and Gabrielle, recently published their posthumous memoirs. Everyone came to Tana's – an American dream come true. The book chronicles his journey from wartime Yugoslavia to Los Angeles, where he befriended film legends Frank Sinatra and James Dean before founding his beloved restaurant.
Although attracting a celebrity crowd was never Tana's intention, the restaurant's timeless red-checked tablecloths and homey atmosphere have attracted generations of high-profile regulars, from Brad Pitt, Fred Astaire, Elizabeth Taylor, Drew Barrymore and Leonardo DiCaprio to Barack Obama, Joni Mitchell, Bob Newhart and John Belushi, according tovanity fair.
The book contains several stories about the celebrities who came weekly.
Tana remembered that OJ Simpson was a regular customer. But after the soccer star was accused of murdering his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and her friend Ron Goldman (charges of which he was eventually acquitted), Tana told him never to return.
The book also tells stories of celebrities who dined at his restaurant in the hours before their tragic deaths.
“A night I will never forget: August 9, 1969. Celebrity hairstylist Jay Sebring, who had dated Sharon Tate, was hosting a party for six at the restaurant,” the memoir reads. “In the middle of dinner, someone called him. He paid the bill and left. I think he then met up with Tate and several friends at another restaurant and then they went to [Roman] Polanski's house. Hours later, Jay and the others were brutally murdered by three members of Charles Manson's family.
Tana further recalled witnessing Belushi's deadly cocaine addiction firsthand, writing, “Belushi was also a regular customer whenever he was in town. People would routinely set up mirrors on their tables or at the bar and snort lines of cocaine, with Belushi being one of the most open about it.
“Belushi declined [Robert] “De Niro and Harry Dean invited him to join them for dinner, but he had a steak delivered to his bungalow at the Chateau Marmont Hotel, where he died of a drug overdose later that night.”
Despite the star power Dan Tana attracted, Katerina said her father always welcomed everyday customers.
“Once our father came from London and saw a celebrity at every table,” Katerina said. vanity fair.
“He turned towards [maître d’] Guido and said, 'Next time you come here, you'll be fired, if that's the case, because I want real people here.' Those people will come one day and not come the next. They will follow each other and are fickle. I want real people, I want doctors, I want lawyers, I want businessmen.'”
