A former Hollywood celebrity haunt on Sunset Boulevard, marred by allegations its owner tortured cats, is eyeing a high-stakes comeback after shuttering in 2025 amid a divorce scandal and financial turmoil.

Horses, which opened in 2021 inside a historic brick-and-mortar space, transformed into an overnight sensation. At its peak, the hotspot was one of Los Angeles’s most elusive reservations — drawing high-profile celebrities including Beyoncé, Jay-Z, Jeff Bezos and Will Ferrell.

Horses posted a sign on its door that it was closing temporarily for repairs and building maintenance due to structural issues from heavy rain in December 2025, . It never reopened. Now, the restaurant has announced its coming to a new location.

“Coming back to a new home on the Sunset Strip,” read the restaurant’s Instagram page.

Unlike many trendy celebrity hotspots where the food is an afterthought, Horses was widely praised for its dishes, according to the New York Times. The menu was a mash-up of decadent French brasserie fare and seasonal California cuisine.

In May 2023, the restaurant’s founding chef-owners, Liz Johnson and Will Aghajanian, became embroiled in an explosive public divorce.

Court filings revealed that Johnson accused Aghajanian of domestic assault and torturing and killing the couple’s pet cats. Aghajanian strongly denied the claims, countersuing Johnson and alleging she was physically abusive toward him and their dogs.

Both Johnson and Aghajanian eventually exited the business and settled their legal dispute.

Chef Brittany Ha, who co-chef-managed the kitchen with her husband, Lee Pallerino, took over leadership of the kitchen. She kept the restaurant running despite a tarnished reputation and declining private event revenue until it closed down in 2025.

The restaurant’s parent company, Horses Holdings LLC, was also hit with nearly $530,000 in State of California tax liens across two filings in December 2025.