Belisle's Restaurant, Garden Grove (1955-1998)

The late, lamented Belisle's Restaurant. (Photo courtesy Dave of Tustin)

Of all the many beloved defunct Orange County restaurants, few have been the subject of more nostalgia than Garden Grove’s Belisle’s. In its forty-year run, countless thousands visited again and again for the giant-sized portions, vast menu, "home cookin'," and small town, family-run atmosphere. And nothing has quite replaced it.

When the Army drafted Harvey Belisle of Wisconsin, they stationed him in California and uncharacteristically let him do what he loved to do: cook. He served both stateside and in Europe during World War II. Afterward, he and his wife Charlotte made Southern California their permanent home. 

Harvey took jobs in a number of restaurants, and they eventually ended up moving to Orange County. On weekends, they’d go for drives among the orange groves with their children. During those drives, they discovered McClain’s Market & Ranch Drive-In, at the corner of Harbor Boulevard and Chapman Ave. When William and Viola “Vi” McClain put the place up for sale, the Belisles bought it, remodeled it, and reopened the doors in May 1955 as Belisle’s Restaurant. 

An early view of Belisle's. Note the rural surroundings along Harbor Blvd.

Almost immediately, Disneyland – which was under construction nearby – started sending waves of workers down to Belisle’s for lunch. There weren’t many places to eat way out there in the country. But when Disneyland opened to massive success and as Orange County’s population continued its post-war boom, Belisle’s suddenly found itself no longer out in the country, but smack-dab in the middle of one of the busiest spots in California. And although many more restaurants (and motels and other businesses) moved in all around them, Belisle’s popularity only increased.

Their menu was huge, and so were their portions. How large? 

“Desserts larger than your head,” says local writer/humorist Jim Washburn. “They had to discontinue drive-in service because when they hung the food tray on the door, your car would tip over, Flintstones style.”

If a customer wanted something that wasn’t on the menu – no matter how odd or obscure – Harvey would go out of his way to fill the order anyway. And that’s not the only way separated itself from the pack. Inspired by the Madonna Inn in San Luis Obispo, Harvey made pink the signature color of his restaurant. Everything from the walls to the menus to the staff uniforms were pink. Humorous signs were painted in the windows. The place was open all night. And out in front, an employee or two (either very tall or very short,) dressed as chefs and wearing false moustaches, waved to passing cars. 

Famous visitors to Belisle’s included Cesar Chavez, John Wayne, Debbie Reynolds, Johnny Carson, Tommy Lasorda, Roseann Barr, Reggie Jackson, Lou Ferrigno and Don Amece. Al “Grandpa” Lewis from The Munsters was something of a regular. Renown modern architect Philip Johnson also became a regular while he was working on the Crystal Cathedral, just down the street. And in 1990, former president Ronald Reagan stopped by and had the meatloaf.

Reagan at the Hyatt Alicante, Garden Grove, 1990 - Minutes before enjoying meatloaf at Belisle's. (Photo by author)

In the 1960s the Belisles also tried their hand at running another restaurant called Harvey’s Le Connoisseur, and then a nightclub called Harvey’s Gold Street which featured acts from the Righteous Brothers to Chuck Berry to Stan Kenton to Ike and Tina Turner. An extremely short-lived attempt at boosting mid-day traffic by offering a “Topless Lunch” at Gold Street resulted in several arrests, including Harvey's. By the end of 1969, the Belisles had sold their other business ventures and were refocused on just their original restaurant.

In the 1970s, the Belisle’s daughter, Carmen, and her husband, Harry Roos, took over management of the restaurant.

Harvey and Charlotte Belisle with a granddaughter, 1980 (From the Belisle Family Reunion Committee)

Harvey died in 1992 after a long period of poor health.

In 1995, Charlotte Belisle wrote a short autobiography and history of the restaurant, entitled Orange County and Life Before Disneyland: The Story of the World Famus Belisle's, 1955-1995. The book provides a good look at just how much focus, dedication and hard labor restaurant owners put into creating and operating such a busy establishment.

In 1998, Belisle's closed its doors for the last time. Garden Grove's Redevelopment Agency had aquired the property and made the restaurant essentially invisible and somewhat inaccessible to potential customers throughout the extended efforts to redevelop the surrounding land. Ultimately, the project tanked, midstream, and then a second plan to put hotels on the property also fell apart. Belisle's couldn't survive through the chaos of construction, decreased business, and  uncertainty.

Soon, Belisle's was gone and a sign reading "restaurant pads available" was posted, leading many to shake their heads at the pointless loss of such a successful, unique, and beloved business. It was replaced by several chain restaurants that could already be found all over Orange County.

Author’s Note: This post was heavily expanded and updated in September 2024. The original post in 2009 was just a few images along with what were essentially extended captions. Thanks to widespread near-fanatical nostalgia for Belisle’s, this post – as thin as it was on content – remained the most popular entry in the eighteen years of blogging. (42.5K views, as of the update.) Rather than despairing over the public’s preference for nostalgia over history, it seemed the best solution was to sneak more history in with the nostalgia. (A "spoonful of sugar," dontchaknow?) Hopefully, the result is more enjoyable and more worthwhile.  -CLJ