After The Den’s Closure, Galerie Hopes to Revive WeHo’s Sunset Strip

A sexy and stylish new restaurant is revitalizing one of the Sunset Strip’s most familiar addresses. Galerie will open November 6 at 8226 Sunset Boulevard, breathing new life into the home once occupied by The Den on Sunset, which shuttered in March after a great 16-year run.

First reported by Rebecca Roland at Eater LA, Galerie is the latest project from Trae Meyer-Whalley and Simon Pompan, with executive chef Gabriel Lindsey (Dudley Market) and partner Ben Ford in the kitchen. The team is promising a California-inspired menu that leans seasonal and local — a mix of fresh seafood, market vegetables, and grilled mains that nod to both modern bistro fare and West Coast comfort cooking. The cocktail program, led by veteran mixologist Dushan Zaric (Employees Only NYC), is built around classic cocktails with contemporary flair. Expect updated spins on mid-century favorites alongside creative zero-proof options.

Guests will step through a red velvet curtain before arriving on a bright marble patio, lined with cane chairs and wood tables that feel both modern and takes you back in time.  The design team, Jake Santelli and Brandon Quattrone, leaned into textures rather than flash, mixing natural materials, clean lines, and plenty of breathing room. Inside, the space shifts to a warmer vibe, with low lighting, red leather seating, and a DJ booth that hints at the buzzy nightlife energy the owners hope to bring back to this stretch of the Strip.

This artistic energy is exactly what the Strip needs. The Den wasn’t just a bar and grill, it was a community hangout where many of us locals and industry wags shared good times and great stories. Sadly, its loss this spring was just another of too many for WeHo’s once thriving restaurant scene.

Over the past year, the Sunset Strip alone has watched a string of closings that seemed unthinkable a decade ago. Hudson House, and the iconic Chin Chin, on Sunset Plaza, shut its doors after 45 years.  One of the more shocking closures was Le Petit Four, the French bistro that defined dining on the Strip since 1981. They announced their closure in March after community efforts to save it, though it briefly reopened before ultimately closing again.  Other local names and smaller lounges like Rock & Reilly’s and Pearl Bar quietly faded out, many victims of high rents, wage pressures (which lead to higher prices), and ultimately, shifting lifestyles post-pandemic.

That’s why Galerie’s arrival feels hopeful.  Still, the question remains whether a destination concept like this can attract enough business to sustain the high overhead that comes with a Sunset Strip address.  Fingers crossed they can.  For now, though, WeHo has something to look forward to — a cool, new restaurant revitalizing a place on the Strip that’s been too quiet for too long.