Damon’s

The Space

Walk past the unassuming storefront on Brand Boulevard and you step into a different world. Bamboo covers the walls. Palm fronds hang from the ceiling. An outrigger canoe dangles overhead. A large saltwater aquarium casts blue light across one wall while fish dart between coral. Hawaiian murals show surfers and palm trees in bright tropical colors.

The main dining room sprawls across the back, lined with tiki hut-style booths and standard tables. Rattan chairs and tiki torches complete the look. It feels like a 1950s supper club that never changed. Some of the decor shows its age—frayed edges on the bamboo, water spots on a few murals—but the place is clean and the lights stay dim enough that you notice the atmosphere more than the wear.

The Food

Damon’s menu centers on steaks and prime rib. A 16-ounce bone-in New York runs around $50. Top sirloin costs less. Every dinner includes your choice of soup (the split pea is excellent, the clam chowder gets good reviews too) or a big house salad with tangy dressing, plus one side and the garlic toast everyone raves about.

The steaks arrive cooked correctly most of the time. They’re not dry-aged prime cuts like you’d find at a high-end chophouse, but they’re solid USDA choice beef at about a third of the price. The prime rib comes in hefty slabs with au jus and horseradish. The kitchen also does BBQ—pulled pork, beef brisket, ribs—served with coleslaw and beans.

Non-beef options include pan-roasted pork chops with black olive mashed potatoes, grilled mahi mahi, coconut shrimp, and fish and chips. The portions are large. The twice-baked potatoes are popular. So are the onion strings you can add to your steak for a few dollars.

The Bar

The tiki bar serves the cocktails that keep people coming back. The Mai Tai is the signature drink—rum-forward, not too sweet, served in a tall glass. The Chi Chi is their take on a piña colada. The Blue Hawaii looks tropical and tastes like vacation. Happy hour brings the prices down even further, which explains why the bar fills up after work.

Beer and wine are also available. The wine list is basic. The bartenders pour heavy. Weekends get loud and crowded.

The Experience

Service moves at a good pace. The staff includes longtime employees who remember regulars and their usual orders. They’re friendly without being pushy. Food arrives within 20 minutes of ordering unless the kitchen is slammed on a Friday night.

The restaurant fills up for dinner service, especially on weekends. Reservations help. Walk-ins might wait 30 to 45 minutes around 7pm. The crowd skews older—lots of families celebrating birthdays and anniversaries—but younger groups show up for the tiki bar and the prices.

Noise levels run moderate to loud when the dining room is full. Conversations at your own table work fine. Hearing someone across a booth gets harder. The music stays in the background.

What to Know

The location on Brand Boulevard makes Damon’s easy to reach from anywhere in the San Fernando Valley. Parking can be tight. A metered lot sits directly behind the building with a four-hour limit. Street parking along Brand requires quarters. A parking structure at California and Orange is a short walk away.

The restaurant opens at 3pm every day and serves until 10pm. Lunch service ended years ago despite what some online listings say. Weekend brunches happen but call ahead to confirm.

Groups can book the private Tiki Room in back, which seats up to 50 people. The restaurant handles special occasions well and will work with you on cakes and decorations if you call ahead.

Wheelchair access is good. The restaurant accepts all major credit cards. Corkage runs $10 if you want to bring your own wine.