Beloved French Restaurant Closes in West Hollywood After 36 Years

Cafe D’Etoile, one of West Hollywood’s longest-running restaurants, closed on Monday after a 36-year run on Santa Monica Boulevard between Robertson and San Vicente. The casual French cafe announced the news on its Facebook page, with WeHo Times confirming the closure. The Facebook post cites rising food, drink, and labor costs as the reason for its shutter, saying it was no longer financially viable to stay open.

Wehoville tracked the restaurant’s history, which began as a bar in the 1950s called The Barrel. In the late 1960s, the space changed into a high-end French restaurant called L’Etoile before it was renamed Café D’Étoile in 1983. Current owner Tom Doherty and his brother purchased the restaurant in 1993 for $150,000 using credit cards.

The all-day restaurant was seen as a neighborhood favorite, and locals remained loyal for decades. The sentiments poured in on Cafe D’Etoile’s Facebook page, including one from best-selling author Christopher Rice, who is also the son of notable author, Anne Rice:

Cafe D’Etoile’s Facebook

Cafe D’Etoile’s closure represents a continuous cultural shift in West Hollywood. As incoming high-profile restaurants and bar openings replace longtime restaurants/bars and neighborhood businesses, locals have been suggesting that the neighborhood is losing its gay character.

Cafe D’Etoile’s Facebook page left the following message last night:

Cafe D’Etoile. 8941 1/2 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood, CA

• IT’S TRUE – Beloved Café D’Etoile Restaurant Closes After 36 Years [WeHoTimes]
• Op-Ed Thinks WeHo’s Boystown Is Going Mainstream, And Losing Its Gay Character [ELA]