The Bel Air Bar + Grill is located in a building which was built in 1947. The fireplace in the front Dining Room is a remnant of the original structure. Originally the Bel Air Farmhouse, it was also called A Fine Affair for many years, and briefly Las Mananitas. In 1997 three gentlemen renovated the building yet again and opened The Bel Air Bar & Grill. They added the Express Coffee take out in the back, and created a new neighborhood favorite. The concept of an American style menu was just what was needed in a location which is ideally situated as a meeting spot between the Valley and the West Side. The funky patio which once existed where the glass entry now stands, was a favorite place to hold private events. Many customers still ask about the patio. (It was an illegal structure and the City demanded it be torn down.)By the time Susan Lord bought the existing restaurant in 2007 the building was in pretty bad shape so she ran the restaurant while she created the plans and obtained the permits to remodel the building. BABG closed its doors April 2011 and reopened 18 months later in November 2012 with a state of the art kitchen, updated interior design, 35 new parking spaces, and the beautiful Sunset Room for private events. The Express was rebranded as The Shack in the Back. The design for the art glass entry was Susan’s concept, artfully executed by artist Amanda Weil. The images are photographs of bougainvillea blossoms picked just up Bellagio Road.
Susan’s