Horses Restaurant Shutters After Hyped 2021 Opening

What has galloped off into the sunset on Sunset? Horses.

The popular restaurant at 7617 Sunset Boulevard closed its doors on Dec. 24 with no sign of reopening, L.A. Taco reported. A sign on the door that day stated, “Closed this evening due to necessary repairs.” The restaurant’s ultimate fate is yet unclear, but its employees are talking like Horses is a goner, and the space is listed as “temporarily closed” on Google.

Horses opened in October 2021 in a space with a decades-long history as Hollywood hotspot Ye Coach & Horses and later as British restaurant The Pikey. In 2023, Horses made headlines for other reasons as the husband and wife who owned and operated the restaurant, Will Aghajanian and Liz Johnson, went through a contentious public divorce. In May that year, Aghajanian faced allegations of animal abuse and murder after Grub Street detailed legal claims by Johnson that her husband killed their cat and abused more than a dozen animals in the past.

Horses line cook Mikey Panneton is among the back-of-house staff that is sad to see the demise of the restaurant. “Coming to Horses felt like the grass really was greener,” he told L.A. Taco. “I got along with everyone. Expectations were clear, everyone worked hard, and the menu was focused. We all learned together.” Panneton said there was “no divide” between front of house and back of house staff and they were “just a team that cared.”

General manager Steve LaFountain echoed a similar sentiment. “It’s always been about the team and the community that [Chef] Brittany [Ha] and I have built. The culture of Horses is the glue that makes the experience so special. Bridging the gap between [front of house] and [back of house] is so crucial to a healthy work environment and is the reason that we have such an amazing following of regulars.”

Ha, who has been a part of operations since the restaurant opened, said the decision to shut down was “to protect staff from further damage.” L.A. Taco cited anonymous sources alleging bounced checks dating back months through the closure.

Horses might have gone back to the stables for now, but the staff would like to see a return in the future. “I hope this isn’t the end and that we can all come back,” Panneton told L.A. Taco.

— Chris Malone Méndez