Tag: restaurant

WEST HOLLYWOOD—Businesswoman and TV reality star Lisa Vanderpump, known for her role on the Bravo series “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” and “Vanderpump Rules,” recently removed the PUMP logo from the TomTom Restaurant & Bar in West Hollywood.

On Monday, August 3, crews were spotted removing the PUMP sign. Lisa Vanderpump and her husband Ken Todd currently own multiple restaurants such as SUR, PUMP, and TomTom, each located in West Hollywood, with other restaurants located in California and Nevada. 

In 2018, TomTom was originally co-operated with her former SUR employees and TV reality stars, Tom Sandoval and Tom Schwartz. TomTom gained strong recognition from the television show, “Vanderpump Rules.” The bar was listed for sale in March 2026, marking the end of both the Toms’ minority partnership with Lisa and Ken once a permanent buyer is finalized. 

PUMP closed its original location at 8948 Santa Monica Boulevard at the corner of Robertson Boulevard and moved down the street to the Garden Bar near TomTom at 8932 Santa Monica Boulevard in August 2023. PUMP was marketed as a more sophisticated dining experience, while TomTom was known for bar food and drinks. 

While Lisa and Ken are currently looking for a new owner, TomTom is set to continue operating during its regular business hours from 5 to 10 p.m. Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays, 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. on Fridays, noon to 2 a.m. on Saturdays, with operations closed on Monday. 

While the PUMP branding was removed, a “Business for Sale” sign replaced it. The new sign now sits atop the building next to the TomTom marquee.

The listing for TomTom has been marketed by Urbanlime Real Estate and Zacuto Group and is set to include all operating assets associated with TomTom and the PUMP brand. According to marketing materials, the sale includes intellectual property, social media accounts, furniture, fixtures and equipment, goodwill and proprietary operating systems.

It is unclear whether a sale would include a complete transfer of ownership or a simple restructuring of the business.

By Ryley Metten

PACIFIC PALISADES—Alphabet Bar & Grill, a Los Angeles upscale restaurant, will be reopening its doors in Palisades Village next month. This will be the first time the restaurant reopened since the Palisades Fire in January 2025.

Alphabet Bar & Grill is an h.wood Group neighborhood-focused grill rooted in classic Americana dining. Luxury hospitality company, the h.wood Group has partnered with James Beard Award-winning Chef Timothy Hollingsworth to bring the Palisades neighborhood fresh meals in a shopping and dining center hub. Inspired by the iconic Alphabet Streets of the Palisades, the restaurant will focus on offering high-quality comfort food and craft cocktails in a warm and familiar setting.

“Alphabet Bar & Grill takes its name from the historic Alphabet Streets, one of the Palisades’ most beloved enclaves, and honors that spirit of progress while breathing new life into Palisades Village. By uniting the h.wood Group’s signature approach to hospitality with Tim’s culinary vision, we partnered with Caruso to create a welcoming, sophisticated, and intimate space where friends and neighbors can come together once again,” Co-founders of the h.wood Group John Terzian and Brian Toll said in a statement.

In regard to the atmosphere of the restaurant, to amplify the upscale Americana dining experience, Adean Studios’ Alexa Nafisi-Movaghar created a warm-toned, welcoming, and modern restaurant environment. Some of the modern amenities that Nafisi-Movaghar included in her design were green marble counters, gold brass touches, and linen-dressed tables. 

There is a plethora of meals and drinks that Alphabet Bar & Grill will offer; luckily for customers, Chef Hollingsworth made it his mission to incorporate local ingredients. Local produce from the Palisades Village farmers market will be in classic dishes such as rotisserie chicken, seasonal favorites, and indulgent desserts.

“For me, cooking has always been about how we take care of the people we love,” Chef Hollingsworth said in a statement. “With Alphabet, I wanted to bring that personal philosophy to the Palisades, blending thoughtfully sourced ingredients with comforting, classic dishes that become weekly staples.”

Alphabet Bar & Grill will be located at 1033 North Swarthmore Avenue, formerly known as Hank’s, and will open its doors on August 15 in conjunction with the reopening of the Palisades Village. Alphabet Bar & Grill will be open for lunch and dinner; the specific operating hours have not been determined thus far. 

By Ryley Metten

STUDIO CITY—The street tortilla stand by the name of “El Ruso” has opened a permanent taqueria in Studio City. What once began as a taco stand in an alley outside of CVS in Boyle Heights has a chance to attract new customers with a permanent location.

El Ruso started with 19-year-old Walter Soto and Julia Silva in 2016, running a taco stand feeding hungry locals who smelled the fresh food and evolved into one of LA’s best taco trucks over the years. El Ruso evolved into a food truck in Silver Lake.

The former street-cart-turned truck opened the doors to its first permanent restaurant on, July 22 at 5 p.m. in Studio City at the Roadside Taco location on 10628 Ventura Boulevard.

El Ruso is known for Sonoran flour tortilla-wrapped tacos and burritos. Owner Walter Soto told The LA Local that opening their own brick-and-mortar restaurant has been a dream for over a decade, and this location will allow the restaurant to have a consistent menu for the first time.

The new permanent location offers a full bar with inside seating and a patio. The menu consists of the famous flour-tortilla wrapped tacos and burritos with proteins such as al pastor, shrimp, asada, rib eye, and Chile Colorado.

Soto explains that, currently, El Ruso will pause operations as a food truck while they focus on the operations of the new restaurant. He explains to LA Eater that El Ruso’s opening in Studio City is “a new opportunity to be able to give guests pure quality.”

By Ryley Metten

BEVERLY HILLS—San Francisco-based Vietnamese restaurant, Crustacean, is set to close its doors in Beverly Hills on July 31. The location at 468 Bedford Drive in Beverly Hills has been serving Vietnamese-style dishes for nearly 30 years.

Founded by pioneering chef Helene An and her family, the restaurant is part of the House of AN hospitality group, which began with the family’s first restaurant in San Francisco in 1971. Over the years, Crustacean has become quite renowned by celebrities such as Billy Joel and Leonardo DiCaprio.

Some famous dishes on the menu in Beverly Hills include garlic-roasted Dungeness crab, garlic noodles, whole Maine lobster, Wagyu beef, seafood, and more. Crustacean offers a plethora of vegan options and handcrafted cocktails.

Helene’s daughter Elizabeth explained that the restaurant’s abrupt closure was prompted by the building’s owner’s new plans for the property. An plans to continue serving through alternative options such as pop-ups and catering services.

“We thought at the very least we would have a couple months for the transition. Thank goodness we have a wonderful restaurant in Santa Monica, Tieto, and so we’re going to do a Crustacean pop-up from now until the end of the year. That’s my plan,” Elizabeth An told Fox 11, Los Angeles.

The An family and Crustacean team are hoping for an extension through September 30. This extension would grant a short-term lease for the restaurant and is currently under review.

A Crustacean Beverly Hills Instagram post reads, “Over the past three decades, Crustacean Beverly Hills has been so much more than a restaurant. It has been a place where life happened. And the greatest privilege of all has been sharing those moments with you.”

By Ryley Metten