Clancy’s Crab Broiler closes its doors
After 40 years of serving the catch of the day in downtown Glendale, Clancy’s Crab Broiler has gone out of business.
The red-brick seafood house that was at the corner of Central Avenue and Salem Street quietly shuttered in recent months, despite posts on social media stating that it was just undergoing a remodel.
Commercial Realtor Lynn Fields confirmed the closure and said there’s already a number of interested parties, including restaurateurs and developers who want to convert the property for other uses.
The news was somewhat of a surprise for Judee Kendall, chief executive of the Glendale Chamber of Commerce, which has held numerous events at Clancy’s.
She said the recession was likely tough on the seafood eatery. But things looked even slower than usual in the months leading up to the closure with the absence of a line forming out the door.
Inside, ropes, antique diver masks and other nautical-themed decorations abounded. Kendall described the interior as a “home restaurant.”
“When I heard about [the closing] I was talking with our chairman of the board, and I said ‘now where are going to get our fish and chips?’” Kendall said. “It was a comfortable place. It was just always there.”
Clancy’s first opened its doors in 1975 and moved to the Central and Salem location in 1983. It was a joint father-and-son venture between Jack and Jeff Williams — the latter owns several other Glendale restaurants such as Black Cow Café and Star Café.
Jeff Williams told the News-Press in 1999 that he wanted to open Clancy’s because there was a small offering of specialty seafood spots in the San Fernando Valley.
He did not return phone calls this week for comment.
City of Glendale spokesman Tom Lorenz said there still aren’t that many seafood options locally.
The fish and chips at Clancy’s was also a favorite for Lorenz, who started dining there in the early 1980s, when he was a rookie cop.
Lorenz said Clancy’s was one of the last remaining longtime establishments of Glendale, along with two other spots just around the corner in downtown.
“If you were looking for a particular type of atmosphere with seafood, it was Clancy’s, [for] jazz, it’s Jax [Bar and Grill], Hawaiian-themed with a good mai tai, it’s Damon’s,” he said.
Jeff Williams also owns Jax.
While Clancy’s was never an official hangout for city employees, it did often serve as the setting for occasional meetings outside City Hall and for lunch breaks.
Fields said the Clancy’s property is still up for sale.
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Arin Mikailian, arin.mikailian@latimes.com
Twitter: @ArinMikailian
