Summer is finally here, so it’s time to roll out the barbecues. Beef ribs, baby backs, brisket and hot links are staples of the season, but for anyone who doesn’t want to stand over a smoker for eight hours or more, there is a place that serves up Missouri-style barbecue just like momma used to make. Nestled between Sepulveda Boulevard and California State Route 118, the Bear Pit is a neighborhood classic that proves Southern California is home to fantastic smoked meats, baked beans and coleslaw.
These are not just the nostalgic words of a hungry journalist, however, but a narrative that has been woven into the boulevard for over 80 years.
Although the Mission Hills Bear Pit BBQ that San Fernando Valley residents have come to love opened in 1954, the story actually goes back further to the late 1940s. The first Bear Pit location started as a small shack in Newhall, California after the restaurant’s original owner, Ben Baier, moved from Missouri. With the addition of Bear Pit, there was seemingly a “BBQ boom” across Southern California with Chris’ and Pitt’s, Gus’s Barbecue and Pecos Bill’s BBQ all opening in 1946. Despite the tough competition, Baier’s food quickly grew in popularity, leading him to take his shack 15 minutes up the Interstate 5 to the sleepy town of Dennis Park. He then teamed up with Don Carrow, the man behind the success of Carrows Restaurant.
Fun Fact: Carrows is the sister chain of Coco’s Bakery. Even though Coco’s has unfortunately been disappearing from the San Fernando Valley food scene since 2015, there still remains one in Mission Hills on the other side of the parking lot from Bear Pit, forever linking Baier and Carrow through the success of their beloved restaurants.
From there, Baier used local hardwoods to slow-cook his delectable spareribs, chicken and pork in a brick oven he built and named “the pit.” With this, a small takeout restaurant was established, and the Bear Pit was born in 1954 in Dennis Park, which would change its name to Mission Hills two years later. After its opening, the Bear Pit garnered the attention of country music star and television host, Tennessee Ernie Ford. Despite being named for Tennessee, he loved the Missouri-style barbecue and became an early endorser of the restaurant.
Later on, as the San Fernando Valley grew from a tumbleweed agriculture town into a major city, the Bear Pit grew with it, becoming a landmark of its own. In the early 1960s, the restaurant was sold to Ruben and Bea Gordon who built two more Bear Pit locations: one in Canoga Park, the other in Glendale. Following roughly 15 years of business, the pair then sold the establishment to veteran restaurant operators, Burton and Shirley Schatz. While they kept the original recipes, such as the vinegar-based coleslaw and sweet barbecue bean, the backbone of the menu, they also livened up the flavor profile with new additions to the traditional selection. Barbecue turkey and beef back ribs were introduced along with a sauce of Schatz’s own invention aptly named, Shirley’s New Fashioned barbecue sauce. The condiment became such a hit—almost as popular as the original Bear Pit sauce.
After another 12 lucrative years of serving the community, the Schatz’s decided to retire in 1988. With this, they sold the Glendale and Canoga Park locations, both of which are no longer in operation. Their son, Andrew, bought the company from them and, just like his parents, he continued to spice up the menu, adding baby back ribs and Louisiana hot links to the classic Missouri affair. Despite these additions, he carries on the traditional recipes and still uses the famous “pit” that started it all.
Now, the Bear Pit stands as a nostalgic reflection of a long-gone American dream. A humongous light-up sign stands outside the eatery, welcoming patrons in for a delicious home-cooked meal. Murals of pudgy cartoon bears named Big Daddy, Beanee and Salty are seen preparing BBQ. There is also a pig holding a slab of pork, a pair of bluebirds behind the cashier’s desk and a duck with the words “Long Island” on his chef’s hat. All of these floppy critters that still cover the walls of this family establishment were painted by Disney animators.
Adorned on the slanted wood ceiling are wagon wheel chandeliers, and bear figurines decorate the ledges next to the tan booths with red leather upholstery. Once seated by the hostess, customers hunker down as they prepare for what they came for: some of the best Missouri-style on the West coast. For anyone worried the rustic bear theming stopped at the decor, these fuzzy friends have burrowed into the menu’s featured items as well. The Polar Bear Feast comes with spareribs and a choice of two proteins (beef, pork, ham or turkey) served with three sides. Bear Pit Cubbie’s, Big Bear Burger and Hungry Bear Delight are but a few more of the other adorably themed food options.
No matter what someone orders, everything comes with a tin of one of their three famous sauces, each of which is so good, that customers will, and have, drunk it by the bottle. There is their new Caliente BBQ sauce for those looking for a kick. Shirley’s New Fashioned barbecue sauce is another option for those who prefer a sweeter bite. The original Old Fashioned sauce is a perfectly balanced, slightly smokey yet subtly sweet accompaniment to just about anything. Even though bottles of their signature sauces are no longer kept on the table anymore, customers can still buy a bottle of their favorite sauce to take home.
Even though barbecue gave this place its name, the Bear Pit has become famous for something else entirely: its legendary garlic toast. Expertly baked with a beautifully cheesy exterior that has been smothered in garlic, this carbo-loaded piece of artistry is best enjoyed on its own, drenched in one of Bear Pit’s three amazing sauces or as the bread on a delectable pork, lamb, brisket or turkey sandwich. This journalist highly recommends the turkey sandwich on garlic toast with double bar-b-q beans and an extra side of original Bear Pit sauce. Let the turkey become the vehicle for the sauce and have the bread soak up all the delicious juices from the leftover beans.
Just like their sauce, free bread used to be on the table with the meal, but this is no longer the case. Customers now have to buy it as an appetizer or pay a slight upcharge of about a dollar to have it as the bread for their sandwich. But this expense should not deter anyone from buying the toast as it truly does make the meal.
Despite no longer giving away free sauce or bread, the Bear Pit is still dedicated to serving up delicious down-home meals to the San Fernando Valley community. Over its 70 years of service, Baier’s barbecue dream has found its way into the hearts and stomachs of locals and has sought internet acclaim as a barbecue destination according to Eater Los Angeles.
Although the Bear Pit’s popularity has gone into hibernation, everyone should support this one-of-a-kind restaurant and discover a delicious barbecue-flavored bite of the San Fernando Valley’s history for themselves.
—
Featured Image via Thomas Hawk/Flickr
