Having been born and raised in Missouri I'm puzzled by The Bear Pit's claim to serve 'Missouri style' barbecue (I've never had it so dry) but I definitely give it an A++ for ambiance. Its worth the trip to see the bear murals and Hamm's beer 'panoramic rippler' signs. This place is always packing 'em in.....
The building at 10825 Sepulveda Boulevard started life as a Tip's barbecue and in the early-1960s Ben Baier partnered with Don Carrow (of Carrows) to open Baier Pit Barbecue. The name changed to The Bear Pit in the mid-1960s and the restaurant branched out across the Valley to 21377 Roscoe (Canoga Park), 132 N. Glendale (Glendale) and 1001 W. Victory (Burbank). When the fourth location (on W. Victory) opened in 1978 it was being touted as a prototype for 21 Bear Pits that the new owners (Bert, Jerry and Shirley Schatz) hoped to open within two years. That never panned out. The Sepulveda location is the original and last of the chain still open.
