The first restaurant in this chain opened in 1971 in West Los Angeles, specifically in the Palms district on Venice Blvd, just north of Culver City.Versailles serves dishes including "Moors and Christians" (as black beans with white rice are called), ropa vieja (a stringy beef stew), eastin lechón (suckling pig with sliced onions),[1] as well as beef tongue, sautéed ox tail, halibut in garlic sauce, and roast chicken in Mojo sauce.[2] In a guide to law schools, the Versailles near UCLA is called a favorite[3] and restaurant critic Jonathan Gold wrote in Counter Intelligence that "everybody but me" adores the chicken, black beans, avocado salad and other offerings.[5] Best Places Los Angeles describes several of the dishes as very good, and calls the chicken with garlic sauce a must, giving it two stars and noting "garlic lovers gather at Versailles, where they often wait in line for a table to order the signature Cuban chicken ... at this casual, dark, divish Havanah style restaurant ..."[6] Meals are commonly served with rice, black beans and fried plantains.[6] British actress Helen Mirren described an ideal weekend in Los Angeles as going to the beach and having dinner at Versailles.
