The Conservatory is closing down, employees confirmed Wednesday.
The popular restaurant and cafe across from City Hall opened in 2018 and has since become a fixture of the neighborhood.
Conservatory is scheduled to close by Jan. 1. They sent out the following press release:
Conservatory West Hollywood (www.conservatoryweho.com) will be closing in the New Year. Conservatory is going out strong though and wants to end its tenure with a fun, festive month so I will be sending you info for a big NYE dinner/party and other events but please find info on the closing below… Let me know if you have any questions and thank you for all the support over the years.
It is with bittersweet emotions that Conservatory West Hollywood owner Paul Kalt, announces that the restaurant will close on January 2, 2023. Kalt, owner of The Kalt Group, a real estate development company, is going to dedicate more time to his many ongoing projects, as well as begin work on some exciting, new hospitality concepts. It has been a pleasure and an honor to serve the WeHo community these past four plus years, and Paul, Executive Chef Victor Munoz and the staff extend a heartfelt thank you to all that have filled the room with your presence, your family and friends, with birthdays, showers, anniversaries, holidays, a cocktail meeting, a cup of coffee at the café, a group dinner by the fire pit, every visit has meant so much and we thank everyone for sharing their time with us. While it is hard to let go of such a special place like Conservatory, the time feels right to end on a good note and leave the space for the next tenant to fill it with memories. We are not going out quietly though… December will be filled with all sorts of festivities, including holiday décor all month, Christmas Eve dinner, special holiday cozy winter cocktails, and a New Year’s Eve party that will have everything from a special NYE menu from Chef Munoz, a DJ to keep you dancing, specialty cocktails and a Great Gatsby theme to bring the new year in with your chosen squad. Please continue to visit us through the end of the year, we will be giving our all with new menus, specials, and leaving how we started, a room filled with a vibrant, social setting and a toast to 2023.
I’m surprised they lasted this long. I have been told by many that they are overpriced, and the staff has a little bit of a chip on their shoulder. Maybe someone will come in with more reasonable pricing and more friendly staff. Heard Joey’s Cafe is also closing. So many restaurants on Santa Monica Blvd. closing. SAD.
I’m sure the NYE bash will be a pip. I heard they’re renting search lights. I’m sure it’ll be seen from space and heard in Brentwood. After all, what’s the city going to do? Close them down?
Let’s hope so—West Hollywood is a place to celebrate New Year’s Eve. Not shake your fist at the sky. Take that to Brentwood.
I have passed that place probably 50,000 times and had no idea what it was and never even noticed it. I can actually remember when that spot used to be a mechanics garage. I’m suspecting I didn’t notice it because of what everybody else is saying in the comments, that it was probably way too lofty for me and there were no signs or anything inviting and I just literally never even bothered to turn my head. That’s why I’m surprised to read this here that there was a nice restaurant there. I’m not trying to be funny or slam… Read more »
I think they will and do have a hard time getting anyone in there since the old Irv’s is, I believe, landmarked and since it was a car repair place for decades I am sure any development would mean major soil mitigation.
Parking lot for Hamburger Mary’s.
The Artist Tree already signed a lease for the space, so finding a tenant wasn’t difficult. Irv’s is in fact landmarked as you mention, so they’ll have to incorporate that space.
Seems as though it might have been financially viable for the owner to sell to The Artist Tree. Will they be serving Irv’s Cannabis or Irv’s Pot Burgers? Seems like it might be a
very subtle inside deal.🙄
Hopefully both—id make a reservation tonight.
After his departure, it will be interesting if Mr. Kalt will reveal the real reason(s) for the issues confronting his business and subsequent closure. Any City constraints?
exactly
Mr. Kalt need only look in the mirror to discover the reasons his business closed. He was a first-time restaurant owner and it was obvious. There is a reason 80% of restaurants close in the first 5 years. Rich guy with a successful business that wants a restaurant to entertain and impress all his friends yet has no idea what he is doing is a story as old as time. I’m surprised Conservatory lasted this long to be honest. It was a totally beautiful space, but the accolades stop there. The kitchen was far too small for the space so… Read more »
Ho Ho Ho! Just looked up the Kalt Group, scary looking team.
I’m sure weho shook this business for as much money as they could… I’d imagine operating a restaurant, or really any business in weho would be a financial struggle.
Either turn it into an affordable dining establishment, absolutely nothing high end, or make it into another bar. Nothing else will last long in that spot.
Weho staff parking lot?
That’s what we should demand, affordable dining!! It’s either super high end or it’s a taco stand. We don’t have a lot of in between.
Maybe another Weho-premium-priced-affordable version of Pollo Loco.
You cannot force that, when commercial landlords keep raising the rent, and it is difficult to survive w/o alcohol sales. Hence the closure of two Subways in the last year. The only thing I think they can do is impose is rent control for commercial buildings.
Demands usually don’t work very well. Try strategy and diplomacy.
It was a joke, lighten up.
West Hollywood, here today, noise, noise, noise and gone tomorrow….unless you are connected through the inner sanctum. Soon it will be a city of Developer and Cannabis owned businesses all breathing their own self-aggrandizing air. It’s so great to be important.
Every time I go into West Hollywood it smells like a marijuana factory — legal or not — is contributing to some of the growing sense of lawlessness in this state. I have to tell you that it’s not only here in West Hollywood, but the smell of pot is everywhere in this goddamn city anymore. Open another weed store-keep citizens stone 24/7 so they don’t know what’s going on most of the time. I see people smoking weed driving all the time, people smoking weed before they go to work, people smoking weed on electric scooters, construction workers getting… Read more »
A lot of people have replaced their alcohol use with pot, but apart from that, people are just more open about use now that it’s fully legal.
I agree about the marijuana thing. It’s ridiculously out of control. And it’s destroying entire cities. Stop it already. I mean, do we need to create textbooks on common sense? I’m fine if you want to stay inside and smoke more pot than Cheech and Chong and Snoop Dogg put together, but we don’t need these stupid shops popping up every three feet, especially in West Hollywood. It’s ridiculous.
It smells like Skunk Cabbage everywhere. Quite frankly I would rather have real skunks wandering around West Hollywood to spray objectionable people.
And this location will be no different. Conservatory will turn into a weed lounge with The Woods dispensary and lounge less than 100 feet away. Pot shops will become the new Starbucks in WeHo with one on every corner. West Hollywood has branded itself as the “Emerald Village” and is keen to be a cannabis destination…all without the consent of its residents, sadly.
Lol leave! No one is stopping you 🙂 plenty of people who can afford nicer places than you live in, and will enjoy the “Emerald Village” and the diverse background of people uniting here to enjoy our forward thinking, energetic local culture.
So sad and unfortunate
I suspect the loonies in the City who think $17 an hour for someone to sweep the floor isn’t enough, are responsible for making it impossible to make money in our City. Maybe it will be replaced with a drug distribution place, like marijuana, cause that seems to be what can make money. Shame on the City, as usual.
Never went. Could see what was in there. Plus, it’s expensive in Weho.
Do you think something affordable will open in its place? Do you live in WEHO and have bargain dining options we should all know about? Seems naive so guessing you do not.
IHOP and Mel’s are two that come to mind. As well as a few places to get lunch at a reasonable price. And yes my husband and I live in WeHo on Hancock near St Victors
Yep, I find myself going out less than less because prices are just too damn high.
Another one closes. Great job West Hollywood.
Will Sepi ask the City to compile a list of all the businesses that have closed in the past two years so we can get a net growth number? I won’t hold my breath!
Yeah, let’s be sure to blame everything on Shepi, and take the council while we’re at it. We happen to have had a thing called Covid, have you not heard of this? Many businesses went under, because they relied much on alcohol sales, or they were crippled by many things related to Covid. Including no indoor dining, County mandates, an inability to find employees to work, the nature of their business maybe not being takeout, and a rise in commercial rents.