Tam O'Shanter Inn

We have never had a bad meal here ever. We always order the prime rib and it is tender and flavorful! Our choice of seating is always attended to also when we make an online reservation request. Love The Tam!

Been going to the Tam for years even when they changed the name. I remember the creamed corn with the huge corn kernels. Usually got the prime rib but the last time there it was tough and no flavor. I was thinking about the Tam for a birthday but the reviews that I see here it might even be worse that my last visit. I am going to give it a go and post the results. Hopefully it will be the great Tam that I have known

Been going to the Tam O’Shanter since the early 70’s. Have seen it change throughout the years. Some change for the good and some NOT so good. Now is not so good! The Tam is a historical institution. It opened in 1922 as the first Drive-In here in Los Angeles area and possibly the world. Back in the early 1930’s the employees of the Disney Studio ate there so often they called it the “Commissary”. The Disney studio was in Atwater then. Disney took the animators there for dinner the night he introduced them to his idea for the first feature length animated movie SNOW WHITE. The rest is history! You can get the same yummy prime rib at the sandwich bar (called the Carvery) as you do in the restaurant at a fraction of the cost. This is closed on Saturday nights. On the other hand if you WANT to eat in the restaurant for lunch on Saturday it is closed. Only the Carvery is open for lunch on Saturday. You can only order off the limited menu there. When one orders mushrooms as an appetizer you expect whole mushroom caps sautéed in butter with garlic. A few months ago when this item was delivered to our table, instead of the usual mushroom caps it was a goo of tiny diced up pieces. It was obvious this is what they use in other dishes. But now they are trying to pass them off as an appetizer. Bad form but we did not send the dish back. THEN I ordered my usual Toad In The Hole and had high hopes. This is a dish I often enjoyed at the Tam for 30 years and it USED to be dreamy. It used to consist of succulent chunks of sirloin tips in a brown sauce along with onions and bell peppers. This is all served in a bowl of Yorkshire Pudding. Now it arrived and I noticed there were only a few overcooked onions with the meat – no bell peppers at all! The sauce as so salty I almost gagged! I asked the waitress if there had been a mistake made in the kitchen. She said this was the original recipe and this is the way it’s served now. I had her taste the sauce and she agreed it was inedible. Told me if I ordered another dish of Toad In The Hole it would taste exactly the same. REALLY? Shame on the management! Only order the prime rib and you will be safe. Do NOT expect everything there to be at its top form. And NEVER go there during ANY holiday. On all holidays they only serve a very limited menu to accommodate the crowds. And now with quality compromised food is even worse than usual. Longing for the good old days!

This is a great restaurant. My family and I have been going here since the '60s. The food is consistently good. The atmosphere at dinner is elegant but friendly. In the front, there is also a Pub type bar for more casual encounters. It is always a nice choice for special family events and friendly get-togethers.