Soul Kitchen

The story goes like this - Jim Morrison used to eat and drink at a soul food eatery on the border between Venice and Santa Monica named Olivia's. He would write lyrics and poems on napkins, sitting in a booth, or at the long cafeteria style counter (that ran along the right side of the wall) while sipping alcoholic beverages and slowly becoming more and more drunk, until he would pass out and have to be physically removed (dragged) from the establishment. Some of the songs and poems that are now etched into rock and roll history were written here. He even penned a song named Soul Kitchen based on this small, soul restaurant, maybe you heard of it. Sadly, Olivia's closed and a part of history closed with it. Very few people actually know where it used to be but I luckily got to talking with an employee of a surf store named ZJ's boarding shop and he let me in on a little secret. Olivia's used to be located in a small portion of the back of the store. He allowed me to go back and snap a few pics where it was located, now just a surfboard/snowboard repair closet. If only walls could talk, the history they would reveal. This pic shows what Olivia's Soul Kitchen has become today. On a side note, the Malibu legend, surfer Miki Dora also hung out at Olivia's, along with the rest of the doors members and countless other notable musicians, bohemians and artists of the time.