Which LA Restaurants Are REALLY Haunted?

Yamashiro, haunted or not?

By Lesley Balla

'Tis the season for regaling everyone with ghost stories around some of our more historic haunts around town. There are some old places around Los Angeles, for sure, and ones with storied pasts - just think of all the celebrities who've died here. Surely some of them have stopped (back) for a martini or two? Well, maybe not celebrities, but there are plenty of drinking and dining spots that are said to have a few ghosts running around.

According to Richard Carradine, the club president and co-founder of The Ghost Hunters of Urban Los Angeles is often pegged for info around Halloween. He once told Good Food that the historic Yamashiro restaurant at the top of Hollywood has a few phantoms, including the original property owner, Thomas O. Glover, and his wife, whose ashes are rumored to be buried in the inner garden courtyard. Carradine also says La Golandrina on Olvera Street has a few ghosts, and that people have seen spooky shadows cast on the walls at Edendale Grill in Silver Lake.

James T. Bartlett, author of Gourmet Ghosts - Los Angeles, a new guide to ghosts, murders and mysteries at bars and restaurants across L.A., penned a piece for Squid Ink claiming the former owner of the Basement Tavern in Santa Monica might be behind the flickering lights and footsteps heard in the bar. He also has some great stories on his website of stories that didn't make it into the book, including mobsters who dined at Burbank's Smoke House before getting gunned down, unverified ghost stories at Tom Bergin's and El Compadre. The Formosa Cafe is another spot that tends to feel spooky, as is the Biltmore Hotel, where Elizabeth Short was last seen in 1947 before her murder became known as The Black Dahlia (and now has a drink named after her).

The Queen Mary is known as one of the most haunted places in America, but our favorite story has to be of the bartender who has her own personal ghost friend - Bruce, who just happens to look like Kevin Spacey. Apparently Bruce is smitten with Leslie Schirmacher and likes to be a prankster.

Do you believe in ghosts? Have you seen them in your favorite dining room or old watering hole? Let us know in comments!