Five Crowns still king of the steakhouses

On Christmas Eve, diners arrive early in the morning outside Five Crowns restaurant in Corona del Mar. They are looking to secure their place in line for the traditional -- and crowded -- meal.

Tommy Martin, an employee since 1968, remembers when similar lines formed each Saturday evening.

“We were the only restaurant in town for years,” said Martin, who is the wine captain. “That was wild. Even on a regular weekend, we’d do 800 or 900 people.”

Over time, competition for diners has increased in Corona del Mar. Five Crowns has undergone a few renovations but has maintained the same menu theme and English ambience.

“I don’t think that will ever change. That’s part of what we are,” said Chris Szechenyi, the general manager.

The building at 3801 E. Coast Highway was erected in the 1930s. An East Coast woman named Matilda MacCullouch owned the land and opened an inn called Hurley Bell. It was a hideaway for a number of Hollywood celebrities, including Howard Hughes.

A number of restaurants opened on the ground floor of the building, but they all failed. When Richard Frank bought the property in the mid-1960s, he decided to open a steak restaurant and model it in the style of Ye Olde Bell, a well-known inn located in Hurley-on-Thames, England, about 30 miles west of London.

Frank brought photos and other mementos gathered from his trips to England, and an interior designer went to work. Thus was Five Crowns born.

The fireplace and original dining room from Ye Olde Bell were incorporated into the main dining room for Five Crowns. Dining tables outfitted with pewter plates were used, as were yard-long glasses for ale.

Martin, a Corona del Mar resident, had just moved to Southern California from New York in 1968 when he landed a job at Five Crowns.

“I saw the telephone booth outside,” Martin said. “I walked in and said, ‘I’m English. They have to have something for me.’”

Many of the employees at Five Crowns have worked there for decades. Margo Brask, the restaurant’s sales and marketing manager and Dennis’ wife, will soon celebrate her 40th anniversary with the company.

Five Crowns, now owned by Lawry’s Restaurants Inc., hired entertainers to lead sing-a-longs in its early days. The restaurant also had a piano bar.

Much of the interior décor has stayed consistent, although there was a major renovation in the late 1970s. Many of the rooms still have their original names.

And the stories live on.

“People say they’ve seen a ghost in the upstairs rooms,” Martin said. “I haven’t seen anything.” Longtime executive chef Dennis Brask said the menu has become more varied in recent years and more of the food is made in-house. The restaurant is still known for prime rib and other meats, as well as for its extensive wine list.

Szechenyi said renovations to the kitchen and restrooms are in the works. Both he and Martin said they don’t expect the feel of Five Crowns to ever change.

“It’s been pretty consistent around here,” Martin said. “We seated hundreds of people on Christmas Eve, and I knew most of them.”

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