Roosterfish WeHo Is Up for Lease. Here's What We Know.
The Rainbow District spot got a disco-ball makeover this spring. Now the space is back on the market.
By Richard Bravo ·
The corner of Santa Monica and Robertson might be about to change again.
The space at 8948 Santa Monica Blvd, home of Roosterfish WeHo, has been listed for lease, WeHo Times reported on Sept. 15. The listing is with CityStreet Commercial and pitches the property as a prime restaurant and retail opportunity, playing up its spot right next to The Abbey and Chapel, its heavy foot traffic and how walkable the block is. No asking rent has been made public.
Before anyone starts planning a farewell party: nothing says Roosterfish is closing. A lease listing is just that, a listing. Businesses sometimes test the market, bring in partners or sublease part of a space while they keep operating. For now, there's no closing date and no official word from the owners.
How long has Roosterfish WeHo been open?
Roosterfish WeHo opened on Dec. 13, 2024, so it has been on the corner for less than two years. The name has a much longer history.
The original Roosterfish opened on Abbot Kinney Blvd in Venice in 1979. Its founders named it after a game fish they came across on trips to Cabo San Lucas. With its aqua-blue building and fish-headed rooster mural, it became one of the Westside's best-loved gay dives. Rising rent closed it in 2016 after 37 years. The community fought to bring it back, and it reopened for good during Venice Pride in 2018. It's still pouring on Abbot Kinney today.
The history of 8948 Santa Monica Blvd
Long before the disco ball, this corner went through several lives. The building dates back to 1945, according to commercial property records, and it sits on the southeast corner of Santa Monica and Robertson, one of the busiest intersections in WeHo's gay district.
1945
The building goes up on the corner of Santa Monica and Robertson.
2006
The Voodoo Room, a neo-tiki bar and restaurant with a giant tiki at the entrance, a patio fireplace and tropical cocktails, opens in February and closes within the year.
Late 2000s
Java Detour, a coffee and tea shop, takes over the corner.
2013
Lisa Vanderpump and Ken Todd open PUMP Restaurant, a sister spot to SUR known for its olive trees and famously good-looking staff.
2020
A Ferrari crashes into PUMP's entrance during Sunday brunch.
July 2023
PUMP closes after about a decade. Facing a new 10-year lease at a reported $80,000 a month, the owners walked away.
Aug. 2023
The building's owners sue over PUMP's liquor license, delaying the next tenant.
Dec. 13, 2024
Roosterfish WeHo opens with pizza, pasta, cocktails and no cover.
Spring 2026
New ownership gives the space a big makeover.
Sept. 2026
The space is listed for lease.
PUMP made this corner famous far beyond WeHo. Thanks to Bravo's Vanderpump Rules, fans came from around the world to take photos under the olive trees, and plenty of the show's drama played out on its patio. When Roosterfish moved in, its owners kept the olive trees, saying they bring good luck. This year's makeover includes a room called the "Olive Grove."
Moving in wasn't easy for Roosterfish. After PUMP moved out, the building's owners sued PUMP over its liquor license, and the fight was part of a long delay before the WeHo location finally opened. Once the doors finally opened, the WeHo location leaned into food, with pizza, pasta and small plates alongside the cocktails.
The spring glow-up
This year brought a change in ownership and a big redesign. In May, co-owner Jordan Nova told WeHo Times the plan was to keep the Roosterfish legacy alive while giving the space a new nightlife feel: the classic mural, a five-foot disco ball, new lighting and LED screens, a raised DJ booth and '70s-inspired bathrooms.
"I'm really rebranding this as the living room."
His idea was a bar that moves you from room to room: the patio, then a groovy, disco-heavy "living room," then an "Olive Grove" with deep house, all meant as a laid-back alternative to the members-only clubs and celebrity hotspots.
That's why the lease listing, just a few months later, has people talking.
What it means for the Rainbow District
WeHo's gay nightlife corridor has been changing fast, with restaurants and bars along Santa Monica Blvd opening, closing and swapping owners at a steady clip. A corner this visible, next door to The Abbey, won't sit quiet for long, whether Roosterfish stays, shrinks or moves on.
We'll update this story as soon as we hear more.
Roosterfish WeHo FAQ
Source note: Lease listing first reported by WeHo Times. Additional history from LA Weekly, LA Magazine and the Los Angeles Blade.