Mauna Loa - at the Fred Thompson Building

Los Angeles, California, United States

This location has a long history and is known as the Fred Thompson building. It was built in 1927.

On October 5th, 1962, the site opened as the Mauna Loa restaurant.

Mauna Loa did not last long.

By December 1963 it had become the Garden Room.

On May 6, 1965 it opened as Mouling, featuring Chinese cuisine in the Spanish Village, the Polynesian decor still intact. Mouling had a long run. A Times restaurant reviewer described the place in 1978 as “a slightly ramshackle patio in the old Hollywood style with plenty of Old Hollywood charm.” Mouling closed in April 1980, the equipment and fixtures (including the Polynesian decor) sold at auction.

Most people today associate the Fred Thompson building with its incarnation as the Cat & Fiddle from 1985-2014, although other restaurants have located here since then.