How Much Longer Does LA Have to Wait For Loreley Biergarten to Open on La Brea?

So maybe, just maybe, if the world all decides to raise their collective pints at the same time, that Los Angeles outpost of Loreley Biergarten will actually come to life? It’s been about three years since word first spread through the West Hollywood neighborhood adjacent to La Brea that a biergarten restaurant based in New York City was coming, and since then there have been public hearings and bouts of construction and … well, a whole lot of nothing.

So what gives? The construction was approved ages ago and teams have been on site more or less since 2012, basically demo’ing the 1927 property in favor of an indoor/outdoor venue that’s ringed with tall wooden fencing. From an elevated angle it’s possible to peer inside and catch a glimpse of what could be: the open patio, some indoor seating and, yes, even a paved and striped parking lot with room for 20 plus cars.

But in the meantime, massive new mixed-use buildings have either sprung up or gone into their own heavy construction nearby, offering lots of ground floor real estate that’s gently being gobbled up by popular L.A. names. By the time Loreley actually comes around, the boulevard might well be at full saturation.

Of course, Los Angeles doesn’t exactly have much like this concept to compete. Unlike cities like Austin, where outdoor beer halls are all the rage, L.A.’s sunny climate makes it perfect for leafy patios and full dinners but, apparently, unsuitable for lots of communal imbibing over long wooden tables.

Whenever Loreley does happen to land on West Hollywood’s eastern shores, it could help to change that notion. Neighbors were quick to approve the construction all those years ago and have been patiently waiting since, and the ABC license for the location is as active as ever. All that’s left is for the string lights to go up and the doors to open.

Owner Michael Monn hasn’t publicly said when that might take place, but let’s hope the city doesn’t have another Clifton’s Cafeteria on its hands.

Loreley Biergarten
1201 North La Brea
West Hollywood, CA 90038