Chris and Pitts Closed Its Bellflower Log Cabin After 75 Years

A 1950s log cabin on Artesia Boulevard, wood fire inside, and seventy-five years of family dinners.

Chris and Pitts BBQ has permanently closed its Bellflower location at 9839 Artesia Boulevard after 75 years. The restaurant announced it on Facebook with a line that did the whole job: 75 wonderful years in Bellflower, thank you.

The chain traces to 1949, when Chris Pelonis opened the first Chris and Pitts in Southern California. Bellflower followed and became one of the enduring roadside barbecue rooms in Southeast Los Angeles County, with a rustic 1950s log-cabin exterior and a wood-paneled dining room where meat cooked over a live wood fire. That combination is close to extinct in this part of the county now.

What happened

The company has not given a public reason. But per Los Cerritos Community News, the building went dark temporarily in July, with an owner response to a customer review attributing that closure to repairs needed on the aging structure and directing customers to Downey. The permanent shutdown followed in September. A 75-year-old building is an expensive thing to keep standing.

Where it continues

The Downey location at 9243 Lakewood Boulevard remains open and is now the chain's last. It opened in 1953 as the sixth Chris and Pitts. The company has encouraged Bellflower regulars to head there, where it says it will keep serving the same ribs, steaks, sandwiches and signature sauce.

In its announcement the company said it was saying goodbye to a beloved location, and thanked loyal customers and dedicated employees for decades of memories, friendship and support. KTLA and Hoodline both covered the closure.

What people are saying

The response has been generational, which is the tell for a restaurant that lasted this long. One customer wrote about growing up eating there, then bringing their own kids back after moving away, and noted that their father had washed dishes at the building in the 1940s when it was still a diner. Another called it their first barbecue as a kid in 1980s Southern California. A third wrote that their kids had grown up on the barbecue and the spaghetti.

The Downey location is at 9243 Lakewood Boulevard, Downey, CA 90240.

Follow along with more LA restaurant news, see what else has opened in our guide to new restaurants in Los Angeles, or browse our picks for the best food in Los Angeles.