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Dan Tana's Namesake Founding Owner Dies at Age 90
Dan Tana transformed a hamburger stand into a famed Italian restaurant that became a go-to for celebrities seeking privacy, attracting generations of patrons, the restaurant said.
- Dan Tana, an actor-turned-restaurateur, died at age 90 in Belgrade, Serbia, with the news announced on his West Hollywood restaurant's Facebook page in August 2025.
- In 1964, he transformed Dominick’s original burger joint located on Santa Monica Boulevard into Dan Tana’s, a New York-style Italian restaurant, and ran it until he sold the business in 2009.
- The restaurant became a celebrity hotspot favored by actors and executives like John Wayne, Kirk Douglas, Jack Nicholson, and was praised by the Los Angeles Times as the place to be seen.
- Current owner Sonja Perencevic, a longtime friend who took over in 2009, has kept the restaurant exactly the same, continuing to serve original customers and their descendants, as affirmed in 2014 by Tana himself.
- Patrons at Dan Tana’s in West Hollywood are invited to leave messages in a guest book honoring the late founder, highlighting the enduring cultural significance of his cherished “little yellow house.
14 Articles
14 Articles
Dan Tana's Namesake Founding Owner Dies at Age 90
Diners at West Hollywood’s iconic Dan Tana’s restaurant are being encouraged to sign a guest book this week in honor of its namesake founder, who has died at age 90. Dan Tana, born Dobrivoje Tanasijevic, died Saturday in his native Belgrade, Serbia, according to a post on the restaurant’s Facebook page. “The great Dan Tana has passed on.” it read. “We all know that he created a very magical place. Our beloved little yellow house will forever fee…
TMZ
Cirrkus NewsRestaurateur Dan Tana Dead at 90
Dan Tana -- a restaurant magnate who founded one of the premier eateries in West Hollywood has died ... the staff announced via the restaurant's social media. The Facebook post says the "great Dan Tana has passed on" ... though his presence will…
Los Angeles Times
DNyuzDan Tana, founder of eponymous L.A. restaurant known for celebrity clientele, dead at 90
The onetime professional soccer player opened Dan Tana's restaurant in West Hollywood in 1964, and it soon became a favorite haunt of movie stars and moguls alike.
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