Tom Bergin’s was a remarkable success from the start and earned a reputation as a favorite haunt of Hollywood celebrities including Bing Crosby and Pat O’Brien, both personal friends of Bergin, as well as Cary Grant, John Wayne, Lee Majors, Glenn Ford, Kiefer Sutherland, and Julia Roberts. Loyal patrons were memorialized with a cardboard cutout of a shamrock bearing their name, affixed to the wall or ceiling, which became a decades-long tradition at the tavern; by 2018, there were roughly 6,000 shamrocks adorning the interior.

The pub was also known for its signature Irish Coffee, and was one of two iconic West Coast establishments (the other being the Buena Vista Café in San Francisco) that claimed to have first introduced the drink in America.

Tom Bergin’s remained a popular establishment for decades, with Mr. Bergin operating the tavern for 37 years. He retired in 1973 and sold the pub to Mike Mandekic and T.K. Vodrey, who operated Bergin’s for the next 39 years, through 2011. That same year, it was sold to restaurateur Warner Ebbink and executive chef Brandon Boudet, who reopened Bergin’s in 2012 with refurbished interior spaces and a new menu, though it closed once again in 2013 after failing to attract enough customers.

Bergin’s operated again from January 2014 through March 2018 under the ownership of actor and longtime patron Derek Schreck and its abrupt closure prompted concerns that the restaurant could be purchased as a teardown.

Tom Bergin’s reopened on December 14, 2019 under new ownership which is also proposing a new residential development adjacent to the landmarked building.