You’ll never see a Boeing 747 with the area coming and going over the Proud Bird restaurant in Los Angeles. It was a once-in-a-lifetime moment. But a short drive from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to the dining spot will prove a boon to hungry observers of the plan, whether they’re interested in the planes flying overhead or the fighter jets stationed at the Proud Bird.
The Proud Bird is a historic aviation-themed restaurant located just across the street from LAX. It’s an airplane spotter’s paradise, as a plane lands at LAX every five minutes, causing a noise similar to that of an airplane. carrier. The restaurant’s expansive grounds on Aviation Boulevard are filled with a dozen genuine planes and reproductions, from the Corsair in the parking lot to the DC-3 and A-4 Skyhawk with the Blue Angels insignia on the back.
In recent years, Proud Bird, a 15-minute taxi ride from LAX, has grown from an old, empty, full-service food spot to a food hall full of families. Still, he has stayed true to his original project of a restaurant. a place that will pay homage to aviation with a front-row view of the planes arriving at LAX.
The Proud Bird opened in 1967, the brainchild of restaurateur and former World War II B-17 co-pilot David Tallichet, founder of Specialty Restaurants Corporation.
After years of declining service and revenue, the dining spot was remodeled to become a more modern food corridor in 2017. Giant windows offer a strangely soundproof view of planes and cargo planes landing on parked planes. If you like the roar of jet engines, there are outdoor tables and even some fireplaces for cold days.
A Curtiss P-40 Warhawk fighter jet hovers over the main food corridor where diners order and pick up their food at various stations. After more than a year of renovation, the Proud Bird dining spot is back in Los Angeles. Diners now order food from food stations, adding poultry and waffles, barbecue, Asian and Italian burgers, and you can dine with perspectives of vintage aircraft on display on the aft deck, as well as planes arriving at LAX. (Photo via Scott Varley/Digital First Media/Torrance Daily Breeze (Getty Images)
The Proud Bird now offers six other dining concepts, adding Bludso’s Bar-B-Que (brisket, smoked poultry, pulled pork), poultry and waffles, farmers market and soup, tasty burgers and home-cooked dishes, as well as Asian and Italian. There is a pizza oven for freshly made individual pizzas.
There’s also a kids’ menu, which includes favorites like ice cream, poultry steaks, grilled cheese, pizza, each for $8, plus soda and chips. The playground and slide were packed. An artificial turf domain in which a game of impromptu soccer, fitness and gymnastics was played, while children burn energy to stock up on fast food.
The Proud Bird has tried to entice families with a playground and more interactive exhibits, such as pressing a button and spinning a propeller. On the day of my layover this month, it was paying off.
The Proud Bird, at 11022 Aviation Boulevard, Los Angeles, is open Tuesday through Thursday, Sunday from 11:00 a. m. to 11:00 a. m. 7:00 p. m. , Friday and Saturday 11:00 a. m. M. A 9:00 p. m. The phone number is (310) 670-3093.
The restaurant also has a Starbucks that prepares frappuccinos, coffees, and teas requested by travelers. Those looking for something more powerful can find it in the giant square bar.
The “Mile High Club” offers traditional and aviation-themed drinks, such as Window Seat, Boarding Time or Frequent Flyer Old Fashioned. The nostalgic Amelia is made with Bombay Sapphire gin, new lemon juice, basil and tonic.
Daniel Romero prepares a pizza for visitors to put in the oven at Proud Bird. After more than a year of renovation, the Proud Bird dining spot is back in Los Angeles. Diners now order food at food stations, adding poultry and waffles, barbecues, burgers, Asian and Italian, and you can dine with perspectives of vintage aircraft on display on the aft deck, as well as planes arriving at LAX. (Photo via Scott Varley/Digital First Media/Torrance Daily Breeze Getty Images)
The bar even offers airport travelers happy hour fares on layovers throughout the day; Simply show your boarding pass.
But enough of the food. In Proud Bird, it’s all about airplanes.
In addition to the colorful parade just above, from Spirit yellow to white to FedEx blue, the Proud Bird has two complete historic aircraft.
On the outside of the front are 3 life-size replicas of commemorative aircraft of Allied aircraft from World War II, a Supermarine Spitfire, a North American Mustang P51 and a Gull-winged FGD1 Corsair.
Each is painted to constitute a historic aviation organization or individual. The Spitfire is the Eagle Squadrons, American volunteers who went to England to fight the Nazis before the United States entered World War II.
The P51 Mustang carries the unique red tail of 332 Squadron, the outstanding Tuskegee Airmen, the Army Air Force’s first black fighter pilot squadron. The Proud Bird has hosted many occasions to celebrate the Tuskegee Airmen and has a personal dining room named after him. There’s also an on-site dining exhibit that celebrates their accomplishments.
Vintage aircraft are still on display at the front and rear of the Proud Bird. After more than a year of renovation, the Proud Bird dining spot is back in Los Angeles on Thursday, June 29, 2017. Diners now order food at food stations. adding poultry and waffles, barbecue, burgers, Asian and Italian food and you can dine with perspectives of vintage aircraft on display on the aft deck, as well as planes arriving at LAX. (Photo via Scott Varley/Digital First Media/Torrance Daily Breeze Getty Images)
The Corsair is a memorial dedicated to all pilots in the U. S. Marine Corps and Navy. The U. S. Navy flew the F4U and FG-1D Corsair. The monument purports to depict the aircraft piloted by Captain Lou Lenart, USMC. Leinart flew a similar aircraft to combat Japanese kamikazes. and World War II shield floor troops.
Later, Lenart served as a volunteer pilot in the State of Israel’s War of Independence in 1948. He commanded the only 4 aircraft of the fledgling Israeli Air Force, painstakingly acquired Czech-made ME-109 fighters, in a marvelous attack on the advancing Egyptian army. The attack halted their advance just 16 miles from Tel Aviv, with the loss of a pilot and his plane.
In the parking lot, the Proud Bird is another herd of authentic or breeding aircraft. These come with a reproduction of the Bell X-1, the first supersonic rocket aircraft introduced from a “mothership” aircraft.
There’s a Soviet MiG-15, a Lockheed P-38 fighter, a Grumman Avenger TBM, one of the first Lockheed P80 Shooting Star fighter jets, a Douglas DC-3, and the Vietnamese-era Douglas A-4 Skyhawk attack aircraft, painted in Blue Angel Colors.
A Douglas DC-3 bearing the mid-1940s markings of Los Angeles’ first airline, Western Airlines, was featured in a static demonstration at the Proud Bird restaurant through the West Coast chapter of Delta Pioneers. The aircraft was used in the past at Lake Elsinore for skydiving, but had not flown for several years and was restored, painted and trucked in to sign up for the other aircraft to be displayed at the restaurant. A modern Mexican Airbus A320 flies over the DC-3 with the latest technology at LAX. (Photo by Scott Varley/Digital First Media/Torrance Daily Breeze via Getty Images)
Many aircraft were built in Southern California or have other local connections. The Bell X-1 advanced over the Mojave Desert and flew over the sound barrier through a guy with the “good stuff,” the legendary fighter and control pilot Chuck Yeager.
Richard Bong was awarded the Medal of Honor for destroying 40 Japanese aircraft with his Lockheed P-38 and the Proud Bird. Assigned to flight tests just before the end of World War II, he died in the crash of his Lockheed P-80 in Los Angeles.
And, of course, there are references to pioneering pilot and Los Angeles resident Amelia Earhart.
There’s no doubt that LAX, once called “nine terminals connected through a traffic jam,” has become more attractive to passengers in recent years. But if you’re near the airport or stuck there for seven hours, if the kids are restless and hungry, a visit to the Proud Bird might be the best solution.
After more than a year of renovation, the Proud Bird dining spot is back in Los Angeles on Thursday, June 29, 2017. With a logo, new in-house and exclusive dining options, Proud Bird has just opened its doors. Diners now order food from food stations, adding poultry and waffles, barbecue, Asian and Italian burgers, and you can dine with perspectives of vintage aircraft on display on the aft deck, as well as planes arriving at LAX. (Photo via Scott Varley/Digital First Media/Torrance Daily Breeze (Getty Images)