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It’s been 30 years since Dorothy, Sophia, Rose and Blanche last hung out in their Miami, Fla. kitchen while chatting about life, sometimes bickering and often playfully burning each other with memorable zingers.
While NBC’s Emmy Award-winning show “The Golden Girls” has long been off the air, the ladies’ famous kitchen is cooking again as a new themed pop-up restaurant is opening in Beverly Hills this summer.
“It’s a completely immersive experience that makes you feel like you’re in the kitchen of ‘The Golden Girls,’ eating Sophia’s lasagna and cheesecake just like the girls,” said Andy Lederman, founder of Bucket Listers, the online events company behind the The Golden Girls Kitchen! pop-up restaurant.
Andy Lederman, founder and CEO of Bucket Listers and Derek Berry, director of experiences at Bucket Listers, walk through their Golden Girls-themed pop-up restaurant in Beverly Hills on Monday, July 25, 2022. The Golden Girls Kitchen opens on June 30. (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Derek Berry, director of experiences at Bucket Listers, poses at his Golden Girls-themed pop-up restaurant in Beverly Hills on Monday, July 25, 2022 which includes Blanche’s bedroom. The Golden Girls Kitchen opens on June 30. (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Raspberry Cheesecake at the Golden Girls-themed pop-up restaurant in Beverly Hills on Monday, July 25, 2022. The Golden Girls Kitchen opens on June 30. (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
The Golden Girls-themed pop-up restaurant in Beverly Hills includes Blanche’s bedroom on Monday, July 25, 2022. The Golden Girls Kitchen opens on June 30. (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
Lasagna at the Golden Girls-themed pop-up restaurant in Beverly Hills on Monday, July 25, 2022. The Golden Girls Kitchen opens on June 30. (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
The Golden Girls-themed pop-up restaurant in Beverly Hills seen on Monday, July 25, 2022. The Golden Girls Kitchen opens on June 30. (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
The Golden Girls-themed pop-up restaurant in Beverly Hills is seen on Monday, July 25, 2022. The Golden Girls Kitchen opens on June 30. (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
The Golden Girls-themed pop-up restaurant in Beverly Hills is seen on Monday, July 25, 2022. The Golden Girls Kitchen opens on June 30. (Photo by Sarah Reingewirtz, Los Angeles Daily News/SCNG)
The 75-seat eatery opens Saturday, July 30 and aside from serving some of the dishes the girls loved to eat on the show — including Sophia’s Lasagna Al Forno, The Lanai Miami-style Cuban Sandwich and Blanche’s Georgia Style Cookies — it’s also providing a spot for photo ops with meticulously recreated sets from the sitcom.
“No detail was spared,” Lederman said as he walked around the pop-up a few days before it opened to the public. “If you look at the kitchen, every little detail makes you feel like you’re in the show, all of the decorations, all of the knick-knacks.”
The kitchen is certainly Instagram-worthy. Like on the show, it’s covered in yellow plant-patterned wallpaper and dark wood, from the cabinets to the faux wood paneling on the refrigerator doors. Yellow curtains hang above the sink, while copper and ceramic cookware decorate the walls above the cabinets.
Just don’t try to turn the water on or open the fridge doors because it’s a non-working replica. But that’s not the only selfie hot spot in the building. There’s also a replica of Blanche’s bedroom, complete with the green banana leaf-patterned curtains, bedspread and headboard along with a fluffy pink carpet.
Behind the actual working restaurant kitchen is the pop-up’s executive chef Royce Burke, who will be serving up dishes like The Rose Marie Soup and Salad Combo and Bacon Lettuce Potato Sandwiches. Since the girls always had their heart-to-heart talks over desserts, there’ll be plenty of those on the menu including cheesecakes in flavors like chocolate, strawberry, pumpkin and Oreo.
In keeping with the show’s 1980s Miami setting, the restaurant portion is drenched in bright yellow walls, with small tables covered by pink tablecloths and tacky-but-cool flower curtains hanging on the windows.
The pop-up is a ticketed event with a 90-minute seating limit. Ticket price includes a main dish and a slice of cheesecake, while other sides and drinks are available at an additional cost. The pop-up will also feature a Drag Brunch on select dates. Those tickets are currently sold out, however event producers said more will be added starting in October. The pop-up is expected to be open through at least January 2023.
The show, which ran from 1985-1992, starred Bea Arthur as the sarcastic Dorothy Zbornak; Estelle Getty as her mother and straight-talker Sophia Petrillo; Betty White as the naive, but sweet, Rose Nylund; and Rue McClanahan as the flirty Blanche Devereaux. New generations continue to discover the show in syndication and on streaming platforms. It has also gone on to inspire a myriad of merchandise, themed cruises and convention events.
“This show is just one of those timeless American treasures that has really stood the test of time,” Lederman said. “And this will take you back to those nostalgic times.”
When: 3 p.m.-9:45 p.m. Wednesdays-Sundays starting July 30
Where: 369 N. Bedford Dr. Beverly Hills
Tickets: $39-$79 per person at bucketlisters.com/event/golden-girls-kitchen
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