By 
In the fall of 2021, this chef-owned restaurant opened on Sunset Boulevard. After seeing that the owners of my favorite places — Zen, founder of AWAN in West Hollywood and Armen of Mini Kabob in Glendale — had been there, I had to check it out. I just can’t believe it’s taken me this long! But before we get into the food, let’s take a dive into the history of this place.
The space was formerly a British pub called Ye Coach & Horses that graced Sunset Boulevard for over 70 years before permanently closing in 2010. According to Vanityfair.com, Alfred Hitchcock and Tim Roth frequented this place. Ye Coach & Horses also saw Quentin Tarantino and Tim Roth in the early 90s developing ideas for the movie Pulp Fiction.
In the past decade, Ye Coach & Horses passed down to new ownership and was called The Pikey. Just like Ye Coach & Horses, it stayed loyal to the English-tavern theme. Unfortunately, The Pikey did not survive the pandemic and permanently closed mid-2020.
In the fall of that same year, chef-couple Liz Johnson and Will Aghajanian visited the vacant space for the first time. At the time, they were both running the kitchen at Mimi, a French bistro located in NYC’s West Village. A year later, Horses opened its doors.
First and foremost, Liz and Will did a commendable job in revamping the space. After seeing photos of Ye Coach & Horses and The Pikey, I could see that the space looked a little bit rundown, lifeless and overall unappealing to me. However, if you’re a fan of dive bars, I could understand the allure this place had.
The revamped space boasts an interesting juxtaposition of vintage and modern: unexpected color combinations and dark-stained wood panels loyal to the space, paying homage to the original horse theme.
Natural lightning is an integral part of the aesthetic of any space, which is why Liz and Will also created a section called The Sunshine Room. Here, rays of natural light shine through a skylight window, a stark contrast from the old, dimly lit space. In the back of the restaurant, there’s a section with horse paintings by artist Kacper Abolik.
Even the restroom, with its navy blue stalls and mosaic floor will make photos of your hanging purse look straight out of a fashion photoshoot. Before entering the restroom, there’s a racing horse in motion projected onto the waII.
Will shared with Resy.com: “It feels very lived-in already. It doesn’t feel like a box space that’s fancy and we built out. It has a character and soul, and we didn’t want to take that away. You can feel the energy of people hanging out here for decades. We thought of it as an extension of our home. We knew this is a special place, that it has a story.”
Rightfully so, when I first walked in I could feel the history of the place. It was almost like being in a historical Iandmark. I was also surprised by how big the space was. As someone who has driven by this place countless times, I never expected it to be such an ampIe space.
The menu draws from French cuisine with a California twist. From the moment I sat down, I could sense the camaraderie among the staff. On my second time, I was sat at the bar facing one of the kitchen countertops. I couldn’t see all the kitchen activity, but I was able to watch one of the chefs, Brittany Ha, placing the dishes ready to be served. I would love to be a fly on the wall and watch the inner machinery of this place! I didn’t care so much about which celebrity I might have seen, but rather the dynamic between the chefs.
Liz shared with the NY Times: “We’re a chef-heavy kitchen”. She also said that all the chefs contribute to new ideas all the time: “I can’t stress enough that it’s like a big collective: We’re all coming to these decisions collectively. The answer is never ‘no.’ Have I worked somewhere like that? Never.” On an interview with Resy.com, Will said: “We’re all collaborating on everything together. It’s awesome. We taste everything, we’re all talking about food, and how to make every dish better. There’s no ego.”
The portions are big! You definitely get what you pay for, so make sure to come hungry. Also, for being such an acclaimed restaurant, the prices were moderate. Both times I went there, my total was less than $60 for two menu items.
I checked in with the host and she sat me at the bar right away. There were more people who, like me, also dined at the bar by themselves. No prior reservation is required for one person, so if you really want to try it, going by yourself will be the quickest way. If you’re going with someone else, I suggest you secure your reservation on Resy! The only downside is that they don’t have a phone number, only email. They were nice replying to my reservation inquiry, but it took them a few days to get back to me.
This is what I ordered on my first time:
Off-Menu Herman Vodka pasta
Undoubtedly, this is their most popular pasta. As to why it’s off-the-menu, the waiter told me that it was initially a dish that the chefs made for their friends. It was so good that word got around and they started serving it to whoever requested it.
The pasta was really good and the sauce was very creamy. Unfortunately, this dish didn’t make a big impression on me. I eat pasta on a regular basis and sometimes if I’m in the mood for vodka sauce, I’ll head over to Whole Foods and buy a high-end vodka sauce and seashell pasta.
Horses has quite a few unique dishes worth going back for, but in my opinion, this isn’t one of them.
Because I already knew how big the portion was going to be, I didn’t order an appetizer. It’s on the heavier side, so unless you’re sharing it with someone, I would advise not to order anything prior. If you’re a pasta lover and you’re curious about it, get it and let me know your thoughts on it! The waiter confirmed that the seashell pasta is made in-house.
Sheep’s Milk Cheesecake
The waiter said this was their most popular dessert: “Hannah is our dessert chef, she’s suuuper talented”. Next to me, two friends, who were also dining at the bar, were indecisive about what to order for dessert. The other waiter also highly recommended the cheesecake.
The cheesecake is paired with whatever fruit is in season. That time, it was the Santa Rosa plum. This is definitely not the average cheesecake you will find at Cheesecake Factory. The texture was velvety and very soft. It was chilled, very mild yet decadent in taste.
I didn’t want to write this review without trying the Caesar salad, which was the dish I saw coming out of the kitchen the most, and the burger, which seemed to be everyone’s favorite. After seeing comments on Instagram of people saying they still dream about this burger, I had to try it!
I went back two weeks later. This time, I got there at 5:30 on the dot, which is their opening time. If you get there at 7pm like I did the first time, you can park on Sunset Boulevard very easily. Just make sure you don’t park on Sunset between 5 to 7pm or else you’ll get your car towed! I was lucky to find a metered parking spot on a side street. If you can’t find a parking spot, there’s a valet for $12.
Quick side note: As I was waiting to get in, there was a party of 4 in front of me. In it, was Hollywood’s favorite aesthetician, Shani Darden. I later went on her Instagram stories and saw that she went there to celebrate the birthday of Renee Rouleau, another celebrity aesthetician. I also saw her but I didn’t recognize her. A few years ago, I bought her Rapid Response Detox mask and it worked wonders on my skin! The hostess greeted Shani and directed them to their table in the Sunshine room.
I was promptly sat at the bar like last time.
Caesar salad
After having this, I could see why everyone ordered this as an appetizer. I’m not a fan of Caesar salad dressings. Not only because of the high caloric intake, but because it overpowers the salad ingredients. The Caesar salad at Horses however, was executed brilliantly. When the waiter brought it to me, he suggested adding a little bit of black pepper, which he proceeded to do with a big pepper grinder.
Horses takes a unique approach in the execution of this salad. The soft endive leaves are coated in their creamy house-made dressing with the right balance of garlic and anchovies, topped off with nutty breadcrumbs and cheese bits.
As I’m writing this, I can remember very vividly how flavorful it was. I definitely recommend ordering this as an appetizer.
Cheeseburger and fries
The waiter recommended ordering it medium-rare. WOW! It was truly one of the best burgers I’ve had in my life, and one of the best burgers you will find in Los Angeles, for sure.
Had I been alone in my car, I would have covered the burger in napkins and eaten it with my hands. But because of the place and because I’m a messy eater, I ate it with utensils. The burger was so big that I don’t think eating it with my hands would have panned out.
The meat was cooked to perfection, it was so juicy and fuII of fIavor. The peppered brioche bun was fIuffy, buttery and perfectIy toasted. The pepper on top added a subtle yet sharp kick. Even the sliced onion was so good.
My only gripe was the ketchup sauce. It was a bit hard to get the ketchup out and I had to tap the bottle multiple times. Although Heinz is an American-staple, I was expecting the sauce to be homemade.
The fries were also ridiculously good. I had to leave half of them because by the time I had finished my burger, I was so full! I had a few before I ate my burger, when they were fresh, straight out of the fryer. After I ate my burger, I noticed a slight change in the texture. They were harder and definitely not as good as in the beginning. That’s why I recommend eating a few fries before diving into the burger.
After I finished, I saw the waiter coming out with an armload of burger dishes – definitely a crowd-pleaser!
For dessert, I saw on Instagram a picture of the Sunset Mess. I was curious and thought about ordering it, so I asked the waiter. “Unfortunately it’s not on the menu anymore. We took it off last week”, he said.
The other desserts included gelato, tiramisu and marzipan, but none of those caught my eye, so I didn’t get any dessert that time.
The dishes I want to try next time are the Cornish Game Hen and the Smoked Salmon Lavash with cress. If you don’t want to get the caesar salad as an appetizer, I saw many people ordering the bread and butter to share. The butter has a horse engraved on it and looks beautiful, but unless you go with someone who’s a picky eater and is not in the mood for a salad, then order the Caesar.
Overall, I really liked Horses. The kindness of the staff, the charm of the premises and the great food make for an excellent dinner night in LA. I also read that they’re building an outdoor seating area on the patio!
Have you been to Horses? What was your experience like?
Hours: Wednesday – Sunday 5:30PM – 1AM
Mondays and Tuesdays closed.
Sources:
LA Times: “Inside the egalitarian, ‘chef-heavy’ kitchen at Horses” by Stephanie Breijo
Vanity Fair: “At Horses the Vibes Are as Good as the Food” by Gabe Ulla
NY Times: “A Hollywood Hangout Where the Food Is Actually the Point” by Tejal Rao
