The Bungalow Private Dining
Elevate Your Next Celebration by Creating a Unique and Unparalleled Dining Experience – in Our Bungalow, Poolhouse or the entire Clubhouse.
Our Namesake
Who Is The Arthur J?
A product of the Great Depression, a wartime navigator, and a born restaurateur — the man whose name and spirit set our table.
The Man Himself
Arthur J. Simms
Arthur J had an insatiable appetite for living each day with gusto. Armed with a big personality and a penchant for risky endeavors, he was — as everyone, including his children and grandchildren, called him — simply “Arthur J.” This is the steakhouse that carries his name, and the warmth, generosity, and showmanship he brought to every room.
He came home from the war and walked straight into the restaurant business — and never really left it.
Introduced to hospitality through his father-in-law’s Chicago coffee shops upon his return from military service, Arthur J had a gift for making people feel like regulars from the very first visit. He understood that a great restaurant is never only about the food — it is about the welcome, the room, and the feeling you carry home.
He chased that feeling across a lifetime of rooms: a stint overseeing the legendary MGM commissary in Hollywood, the opening of Ben Frank’s on the Sunset Strip in 1952, The Kettle in Manhattan Beach in 1974, and Mimi’s Café in 1978. Each one was built on the same instinct — feed people well, treat them like family, and give them a reason to come back.
That instinct became a family trade. Today his sons and grandchildren carry it forward through the Simms Family Restaurants — and at The Arthur J, Chef-Owner David LeFevre channels Arthur J’s spirit into a wood-fired steakhouse built for this neighborhood. The massive J&R grill, the well-built martini, the framed faces on the walls: all of it is a tribute to the man who taught a family how to host.
Pull up a chair. You’re among family now.
The Kitchen Today
Chef-Owner David LeFevre
David LeFevre is the chef-restaurateur behind some of Manhattan Beach’s most celebrated restaurants — M.B. Post, Fishing with Dynamite, RYLA, AttaGirl, and The Arthur J — several of them recognized in the MICHELIN Guide. He built The Arthur J around the things he loves most: live fire, the best beef in the world, and the generous, unpretentious hospitality of a true neighborhood restaurant.
See Our GrillThe Heart Of The House
Our Grill
We believe in the time-honored tradition of live wood cooking — our steaks over a hot fire and smoking embers. That’s why we had our grill custom made by J&R Manufacturing in Mesquite, Texas. The best beef in the world — USDA Prime, True Japanese Wagyu, and Black Angus, wet- and dry-aged and bone-in — cooked over smoking white oak by our Grill Master. The interaction between great meat and a live fire has defined our past and is at the heart of everything we do.
