Before becoming the Rainbow, the restaurant was the Villa Nova restaurant, which was originally owned by film director
Vincente Minnelli, at the time married to
Judy Garland.
Joe DiMaggio and
Marilyn Monroe met at the restaurant on a blind date in 1952, and later married. After operating for 28 years, Villa Nova closed in 1968, and the building re-opened as the Windjammer, and closed in 1971. The restaurant was founded in early 1972 by Gary Stromberg and Bob Gibson, heads of the PR firm Gibson & Stromberg. They brought in co-owners
Elmer Valentine,
Lou Adler, Mario Maglieri and others, opening in late March with a
Buddah Records party for
NRBQ. On April 16, there was a party for
Elton John. At the time, the word "rainbow" signified peace and freedom. It quickly became known as a hangout for celebrities of all types.
John Belushi ate his last meal (lentil soup) at table No. 16. The pornography actor Ron Jeremy was also known to regularly hang out there in the 2000s and 2010s. For many years, the owner was Mario Maglieri. Producer
Kim Fowley used to hang out at the Rainbow, especially in 1975, when he formed the all-girl group
The Runaways. Actress and musician
Cheryl Smith was given her pseudonym Rainbeaux Smith early in her career as a result of her frequenting the Rainbow; she briefly replaced
Sandy West as drummer of The Runaways at the end of that band's existence. As musical trends on the Strip changed towards
heavy metal in the 1980s, the Rainbow followed suit. Members of
Mötley Crüe,
Poison, and
Guns N' Roses frequented the bar. It was mentioned in a number of songs, such as "Sunset and Babylon" by
W.A.S.P., "Vampire" by
L.A. Guns and "Peach Kelli Pop" by
Redd Kross, and featured in the videos of "
November Rain", "
Estranged" and "
Don't Cry" by
Guns N' Roses and also, although briefly, "Rock Out" and "Stone Deaf in the U.S.A" by Motörhead.
Anthony Kiedis of the
Red Hot Chili Peppers noted in his book
Scar Tissue that he often sat with his father at the club along with members of bands such as
Led Zeppelin and
Kiss. Often the waitresses and bartenders, as well as those who frequented the establishment, were groupies. In
Pamela Des Barres' book ''Let's Spend the Night Together'', the author commented that as a barfly in the early 1980s she met a number of celebrities including
Billy Idol. On January 18, 2017, the Rainbow was inducted into the
Hall of Heavy Metal History for introducing the world to new heavy metal acts. On August 21, 2023, a lawsuit was filed by two women against the Rainbow Bar and Grill. The women alleged that employees knew that pornography actor
Ron Jeremy sexually assaulted women including themselves, there, and allowed him to do so. On April 15, 2025, it was announced that a global settlement was reached with at least nine women who were suing the Rainbow Bar and Grill. Jeremy himself was found not
competent to stand trial in his related criminal matter, but many of Jeremy's accusers were awarded financial compensation by the restaurant. On November 5, 2023, Mikael Maglieri, who was the second-generation owner of the
Whisky a Go Go nightclub and Rainbow Bar and Grill, died. ==In popular culture==