THIS RESTAURANT IS TEMPORARILY CLOSED Pea Soup Andersen's

THIS RESTAURANT IS TEMPORARILY CLOSED Pea Soup Andersen's Restaurant Review:

People hailing from everywhere pull off the 101 freeway at all hours of the day and night to visit this restaurant, but it's more tourist stop than culinary destination. The pea soup, originally concocted by Anton Andersen in the 1920s, is legendary. Andersen's success was no accident --- he was a trained chef who left a prestigious career in Los Angeles. Eighty years later his family-owned eatery has outlasted just about every other restaurant in the state. It now serves gallons of split pea soup every hour. And it's good, too --- worlds apart from the canned variety --- but if you're not usually a fan, we suggest you order something else to round out your meal. Old-school classics like a Monte Cristo sandwich match the dining room, with its rough-hewn beams and chandeliers. Home-style entrées are hearty and mostly satisfying, but ultimately are standard fare. The best bet are the pastries from the bakery next door.