Ye olde Five Crowns in Corona del Mar to mark its 60th anniversary with special menu

A kilted groom and a bride wearing white walked into the English garden at Five Crowns to applause from friends and family on a recent Friday evening. The happy couple’s wedding reception was one of two celebrations happening at the landmark Corona del Mar restaurant that night; upstairs a rehearsal dinner was underway.

Serving the Orange County community for six decades, the Five Crowns is part of the Lawry’s Restaurants Inc. and has long been a place for diners to make special memories and celebrate milestones. This year marks the restaurant’s 60th anniversary and to commemorate the Jubilee year, Five Crowns is offering a special menu, a Jubilee cocktail and partnering with Orange County School of the Arts.

Five Crowns restaurant in Corona del Mar is housed in a 1936 replica of Ye Olde Bell, England’s oldest inn.

(Courtesy of Five Crowns)

“We want to say cheers to 60 years in the community and to an incredible legacy here in Corona del Mar,” said Ryan O’Melveny Wilson, Lawry’s chief executive officer.

Five Crowns is housed in a replica of Ye Olde Bell, England’s oldest inn. The Corona del Mar building was constructed in 1936 by Matilda “Tillie” Lemon MacCulloch. Originally known as the Hurley Bell, the MacCulloch family used it as their home until the 1940s, when it was leased by a series of unsuccessful restaurateurs.

That is, until the Lawrence Frank and Walter Van de Kamp families, who founded the iconic Tam O’Shanter in Los Angeles, bought the old Hurley Bell and the adjoining parking lot for $450,000. They named it the Five Crowns, as it was the restaurant group’s fifth establishment and fifth “jewel in the crown.” The space was remodeled and Five Crowns opened in 1965, counting former President Richard Nixon and former First Lady Pat Nixon, as well as Bugs Bunny animator Chuck Jones among its guests.

Today the restaurant boasts cozy fireplaces, an English garden and a sunlit greenhouse. In Orange County, Five Crowns is known for its prime rib dinners, still served with au jus, Yorkshire pudding and the iconic red London telephone box situated outside. Some staff members have worked at the restaurant for years, witnessing different generations visit it.

Diners enjoy cocktails while dining at Five Crowns in the 1970s.

(Courtesy of Five Crowns)

Wilson himself is the fourth generation proprietor of the Five Crowns and celebrated his own wedding at the restaurant. He began his career there with a kitchen job in 2002 and eventually played a developmental role in the opening of SideDoor, the English-style gastropub within the restaurant. He said he is proud of the menu Five Crowns has put together for its 60th anniversary.

“Our culinary director has done an incredible job,” said Wilson. “He has such a great approach to the technique and training and it was a fun exercise to dig into our archives for recipes.”

The special anniversary dinners will start with a continental Louie cocktail, not unlike the seafood cocktails offered on the original “Bille of Faer” menu in 1965. Crab and shrimp are mixed in Louie dressing, breakfast radish and chopped egg served on little gems with a side of hot toast.

For entrees, guests can choose from Jidori chicken Milanese-style with caviar beurre blanc, dry-aged roast duck with roasted plum, Dover sole Veronika finished tableside, or a 22-ounce, 45-day dry-aged bone-in English rib chop with crisply fried onions and beef fat hollandaise. Additional sides like potatoes O’Brien and green beans with toasted almonds can also be added to the set menu to round out the feast.

For dessert, guests are invited to choose between classic British Banoffee pie or Eton Mess, made with Harry’s berries and meringue cookies.

Dining landmarks, Five Crowns in Corona del Mar, is celebrating its 60th anniversary with a limited-time historical menu.

(Courtesy of Five Crowns)

The anniversary prix fixe menu is available July 10 through 30 and can be enjoyed with the Jubilee cocktail, prepared table side for the celebration. Balvenie 16 French Oak, Drambuie and Cuvée Louis-Alexandre Grand Marnier are paired with housemade Queen Ann tea syrup and bitters, poured over a diamond-cut ice cube and served in a keepsake 60th anniversary glass.

Additionally, Five Crowns is partnering with the Orange County School of the Arts to unveil a new exterior mural celebrating the restaurant’s history and British heritage. High school student artists from OCSA will be selected to create the design and two of the student teams will be awarded a $500 scholarship and dinner for two at the restaurant.

Five Crowns Bille of Faer menu from 1965.

(Courtesy of Five Crowns)

As the recent Friday night went on, Wilson raised a glass of sparkling wine from Sussex, England, marveling at the restaurant’s long success and unwavering popularity.

“Even tonight, we have regular business, a wedding, a bunch of parties and then we are here celebrating the 60th anniversary,” he said.

He says he’s confident the timelessness of ye olde Five Crowns is sure to keep diners returning for years to come.

Five Crowns is located at 3801 E. Coast Highway in Corona del Mar, open Monday through Sunday from 4:30 to 9 p.m. The historical prix fixe menu is available July 10 to 30. For reservations visit lawrysonline.com/five-crowns/