Time To Bite Down On The Best – And Wettest – French Dip In Los Angeles!
You are looking at a legendary “French Dipped Sandwich”, thanks to the iconic LA restaurant “Philippe The Original!”
As a fan of classic eateries, I always wanted to make my way to Philippe The Original, which is located about a mile from the Los Angeles downtown Union Station, where LA’s subways and Amtrak trains depart. Since I had a meeting downtown, I decided to finally try one of Philippe’s legendary sandwiches.
More Than One Hundred Years Dipping!
Philippe The Original has a long history feeding Los Angeles. As their website explains:
“Philippe The Original is one of the oldest and best known restaurants in Southern California. Philippe’s was established in 1908 by Philippe Mathieu, who claimed the distinction of having created the “French Dipped Sandwich.” One day in 1918, while making a sandwich, Mathieu inadvertently dropped the sliced french roll into the roasting pan filled with juice still hot from the oven. The patron, a policeman, said he would take the sandwich anyway and returned the next day with some friends asking for more dipped sandwiches. And so was born the “French Dipped Sandwich,” so called either because of Mathieu’s French heritage, the French roll the sandwich is made on or because the officer’s name was French. The answer is lost to history.”
They also have pork dip, ham dip, turkey dip, even lamb dip sandwiches!
This is a beautiful picture of a lamb dip from LA Weekly – but I decided to order up a traditional “beef dip” – so I got in line and perused the menu:
Along with your choice of meat, you have to decide if you want a “single dip”, a “double dip”, or order it “wet.”
Order Your Sandwich “Wet!”
Yes, the sandwich is best served wet!
Here’s how it works: you can order the “double dipped” beef, which means that both toasted buns are dipped in au jus sauce…a single dip would just be the bottom bun, and “wet” is to put the entire bun and sandwich in!
It’s a delicious aspect of the sandwich that cannot be forgotten!
I always go “wet”, because the au jus is delicious! I got a side of macaroni salad, which was also delicious and very filling!
I got some swiss cheese on my French dip, and ordered it on a french roll, and it was a great tasting meal!
A great bite of LA food history to be sure…but how would it taste in New York?
There’s my tease for you – because I tried to make this iconic LA sandwich in The Big Apple! Review to come soon!
And if you want to have one of LA’s best submarine sandwiches, I’ve also got you covered!
My son turned me on to this big bite – click here for more details!
And now that I am in New York, I walked across 100th street to try an iconic East Harlem sandwich:
Click here to find out what it is and why it has such cultural significance:
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I hope this post made you hungry, and bravo to Philippe’s The Original – may you serve forever!
Categories: Bite Eat Swallow, Bite! Eat! Repeat!, Eat This!, Food, Food Travel, Recipes, Restaurants, Travel, Wacky Food
Bite! Eat! Repeat! 
Looks good!
It’s one of LA’s oldest restaurants in a city that has far too few of those…thanks for commenting, always great to hear from you!
I’ve read about Philippe The Original before. It always surprises me that it’s an “LA thing.” A French Dipped Sandwich sounds like an east coast or midwest specialty. Whatever the case, it looks absolutely amazing.
Great point, it’s not in line with the other food in the city…on the other hand, like so many cities, you can find virtually anything…I just love that it’s still open – there are so few iconic restaurants in the city
A most interesting idea to dip a sandwich.
Yes, it’s messy but delicious!
*smiling* Am trying to imagine how ‘messy’ this would be to ear ! A newbie idea for me . . . shall go back and read your story again . , ,
It is a bit messy but delicious! I think most go with only the top bun “wet” so it holds together better…I went all in and yes, it made me reach for quite a few napkins!