Brendan Collins Shutters Birch to Focus on New Gig at Santa Monica’s Wilshire

Popular British chef Brendan Collins has decided to close his Hollywood restaurant Birch, and will instead be focusing his time on a big new project out in Santa Monica. The final night of service was Saturday.

The move to shutter Birch, a popular dinner destination for cocktails and British fare — including a true Sunday roast — leaves the Cahuenga space in the hands of one Peter Brill, the name behind places like Tipsy Cow and Big Wang’s. Some city paperwork for the property indicates a possible turn as a new space to be called Elbow Room, but that’s still unconfirmed.

It was always an uphill battle for Birch, doing a more refined dinner setup in a part of town that tends to favor casual food and tourist-friendly drinks. Still, the place had come to mean something to many Hollywood locals since opening in early 2015, especially with the loss of places like Butchers & Barbers down the street.

Instead, Collins is headed over to Wilshire, a more upscale Santa Monica spot with one heck of a patio. The place has been a favorite since opening in 2005, and has helped along names like Tar & Roses owner Andrew Kirschner along the way. Now Collins steps in to run the ship nightly, after a year of running Birch and consulting on projects like Tower 12 in Hermosa Beach. Expect menu changes at Wilshire over the next few months.

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