Horses opened on Sunset Boulevard in October 2021, taking over the space once inhabited by British restaurant The Pikey and before that, beloved rocker dive, former Hollywood haunt, and alleged Bukowski local, 73-year-old Ye Coach & Horses.
On December 24, Horses closed for service and has not opened since. A sign on the door states, “Closed this evening due to necessary repairs."
At its peak, Horses was doing upwards of 370 covers a night. Reservations were nearly impossible to snag. People flipped their Resy bookings secondhand to those desperately seeking them.
Then came the first and most devastating blow to the restaurant's image, after raves and accolades from national critics.
The husband-and-wife team who owned and operated the restaurant went through a messy, highly public divorce. This was shortly followed by a 2023 story in Grub Street, “The Cat That Could Kill Horses,” sending shock-waves through the dining industry with its allegations of animal abuse and murder, casting real doubt on the restaurant’s future.