Oldest Restaurant In LA County To Shut Down After Nearly 140 Years

A Santa Clarita eatery known as the longest-running restaurant in Los Angeles County plans to shut its doors after nearly 140 years in business.

The Original Saugus Cafe, located in the Saugus neighborhood of Santa Clarita, will close for good on Sunday. The restaurant was first opened in 1888, according to its management.

"For 139 years, Saugus Cafe has been more than just a restaurant it has been a place where memories were made, stories were shared, and generations came together. We are truly honored to have served this community for so long," its owners wrote in a social media post.

Its owners have not said why they're closing the eatery and noted "future plans for the building are currently unknown."

The Santa Clarita area's status as an early filming location meant that Saugus Cafe ended up serving the likes of John Ford, D.W. Griffith, Doug Fairbanks, Mary Pickford and Charlie Chaplin, the Santa Clarita Valley Signal reported.

Former president Theodore Roosevelt ate at the restaurant at one point.

One of the oldest restaurants in the city of Los Angeles — Cole's, which claims to have invented the French dip sandwich — also plans to close in January. The eatery announced it would close in 2025 after 117 years in business, but has delayed its shuttering longer than planned.