restaurantMystery Diners · Season 4, Episode 4 · Aired August 7, 2013
Colombo's Italian Steakhouse
Los Angeles, California
Yes. This one is still open.
What happened after
Old-school Italian-American restaurant/jazz club in Eagle Rock since 1954 (Sam and Ann Colombo); official site and current Yelp reviews (2026) found.
What happened on the show
Vic Parrino traced constant staff arguing at his Los Angeles Italian steakhouse to his own Employee of the Month contest, and to a four-time winner he thought was rubbing it in. Charles Stiles sent mystery diners Grant and Shelby in as a waiter and a customer. As aired, the resentment is real, a passed-over waiter spitting on the winner's car, but the winner, Dayna, is rigging the contest herself, badmouthing coworkers and trashing rivals' tickets the moment they print. The confrontation has Vic trying to fire her, then relenting when she apologizes and agrees to repay part of the prize money. Stiles closes with the contest scrapped in favor of rewarding the whole staff. Given the staging allegations that later attached to Mystery Diners, this competition sting is best read as broadcast rather than as verified.
After the cameras left
Colombo's is a durable survivor with roots the show could never threaten. The old-school Italian-American restaurant and jazz club in Eagle Rock has been going since 1954 and remains open at 1833 Colorado Boulevard, with current reviews on its own site and Yelp in our 2026 check. A room that predates the episode by nearly sixty years was never the fragile business a sting implies. It kept running on its history and its regulars, not on anything a camera crew did in one night.
Sources
Confidence: high. Last checked 2026-07-19.
What is there now
Street imagery via Google Maps. Location approximate.