LAReview
Horses
Included In
Like some other restaurants nearby that make a mean martini, Horses is a place where you might feel compelled to use Hollywood as an adjective. But Horses has a special niche amongst its Hollywood peers. It takes some foresight to get a reservation here, but there’s no judgy host or bad food like you'll find at Sunset Tower or Craig's. Horses blasts ’80s music and has red booths like Jones, but you could successfully celebrate a big anniversary here without getting called out for last-minute planning. It’s sorta French like Gigi’s, but with less reliance on butter and more on precious vegetables.
Easily, Horses' most Hollywood trait of all is its scandal. Yes, that one, involving the alleged killing of cats and other atrocities. Now that time has passed and the accused is far removed, the horror story only adds to the restaurant's lore.
If we rode motorcycles, we’d ride one here and make a grand entrance with windswept hair and soft leather boots. Of all of the very-Hollywood spots in LA, Horses has the most edge across the board, the best food, and, yes, the most horses.
You’ll notice horses everywhere, if you look closely. There is a horse etched into the glassware, and onto your coaster. The butter pad comes shaped like a horse, and painted, ethereal horses gallop on the walls and in the skylight. If you’re on a date, you could say something like, “What’s with all the horses?” and then proceed to count them for sport. And for romance.
photo credit: Jakob Layman
But the horses do serve a purpose. Before Horses, this space was a British pub called The Pikey. It was a neighborhood and industry mainstay—the kind of place where you’d wander in for a drink and end up staying for dinner. For several decades before The Pikey, the space was called Ye Coach & Horses. And the Horses people seem to understand the importance of preserving this local hang.
You’ll feel the history of the place as soon as you walk through the front door, which will land you in the main dining room. The same skinny red booths that only seat two are packed, and the worn-in wooden bar invites you to please sit down and order a Vesper. If you’re lucky, you’ll be seated in there, or in the windowless back room where it’s always unclear what time it is and the music is loud enough to block out your to-do list. In the adjacent room, however, where the open kitchen is on parade and the booths are rubber duck yellow, the atmosphere is a little too mellow. And there's also a nice patio with fresh air and one very large tree, but you don't come to Horses for a nature fix. Where you're seated is a crapshoot, and we hope a fun dining room is in your destiny.
photo credit: Jakob Layman
The food does what it needs to do, and then some. You’ll find a tight menu that’s sort of French, and very seasonal California. You could come here and have a downright phenomenal cheeseburger on brioche topped with thinly sliced raw onions and served with fries and an ice-cold bottle of Heinz 51. Or, the in-the-know thing to do is order the off-menu vodka pasta ("The Herman"), topped with sausage crumbles and broiled until crispy. Both of those dishes hit the spot, but you’d be missing out on some of Horses’ more special offerings if you didn't explore a little. Like the sobrassada panino, which packs a punch with cured meat and gooey cheese but is pressed so thin it’s dainty enough for tea time. Or the undeniably cute cornish hen with panzanella, which is a nice change of pace from your standard half-chicken.
The anything-is-possible-tonight feel is alive and well at Horses. Just like The Pikey and Ye Coach & Horses before it, this space lives on as a Hollywood restaurant with good food and better people watching.
photo credit: Jakob Layman
Food Rundown
photo credit: Jakob Layman
Smoked Salmon Lavash With Cress
photo credit: Jakob Layman
Horses Caesar
photo credit: Jakob Layman
Pasta
photo credit: Jakob Layman
Cornish Game Hen
Cote De Porc
Butcher’s Steak
photo credit: Jakob Layman