Zumel’s lime, meanwhile, is stacked with two inches of meringue and a thick graham cracker crust.
“Retro seems to resonate with people like apple pies, lime pie or anything to do with childhood memories,” he says.Ĭooley leaves creativity to Zumel throughout the year, apparent in the Halloween cookies that line the murder scenes with sufficient red food coloring and sweet, twisted human body parts formed from pastry dough. So if anyone desires a slice of Zumel’s seasonal lime pie on the dance floor, that’s quite a possibility. “I’m making a nasty bread pudding,” Zumel says. Zumel joined The Abbey 10 years ago and produces the aforementioned desserts with apple pies, berry chips, unicorn bars with fruity pebbles, butterscotch pudding and tiramisu. Turnover is low, including longtime pastry chef Alan Zumel, whose creations are some of the restaurant’s bestsellers – alongside the insanely strong martinis. And some of its 275 employees have worked there for decades. Throughout the changes – which included the sale and takeover of his business from SBE in 2007 – the Abbey’s dessert production remains constant. Cooley has enlarged the property five times with distinct vibes in every corner, from the striking chapel hall to the laid-back escape of the dance floor called Within, or dining in the garden they lovingly call Abbey Road. He continued to move outward, acquiring Here Lounge and transforming The Abbey into the cultural idol of Los Angeles that it is now. Its owner was supportive and allowed Cooley to expand.
from day one i had a queue at the door.Īfter spending three years at the old Bossa Nova location, Cooley moved directly across the street and into a 1,500 square foot space that was once a pottery store. When people say you can’t do it, it’s even more of a challenge. He asked me how I was going to make money selling coffee and some cakes on Robertson, ”Cooley says. Cooley, even then, envisioned a queer-positive space with desserts. Owner David Cooley opened the original Abbey in 1991, in the now empty former space of Bossa Nova. But the massive 12,500-square-foot Abbey Experience – with, in its modern iteration, four full-service bars, DJ booths, dining rooms, and go-go dancer podiums – had humble beginnings. cocktails or the perpetual happy hour aficionado. There is a huge bakery tucked away inside the abbey, with a tempting display of red velvet cakes, cheesecakes, apple pies and ding dongs ready for club hoppers, brunchers, hobbyists. The iconic club, restaurant and bar turned 30 this weekend, with festivities taking place on Robertson, just south of Santa Monica Boulevard, with cocktails and a lesser-known menu item that kicked off the whole crowd. Perks include a heated saltwater rooftop pool and private dining area surrounded by nature, which also serves as a hummingbird and butterfly sanctuary.When you talk about West Hollywood nightlife the conversation starts or ends with The abbey. An all-suite boutique property with six categories and sizes to choose from, the 79-suite Petit Ermitage is located in a slightly more discreet, even leafier part of WeHo (read: off Santa Monica and Sunset Blvds) and embraces an artsy, bohemian vibe with Paris-meets-Morocco design influence.Bonus: want a bath? Try an in-room bath ritual from Ole Henriksen Spa. street artist RETNA and creative director Guerin Swing, while fitness fans will enjoy the rooftop outdoor heated pool and cocktail bar, daily fitness classes, yoga mats (provided in every room), and fresh Italy-via-SoCal and Mediterranean-influenced cuisine at restaurants Viale Dei Romani and poolside Olivetta, respectively. The backyard features an installation collaboration by L.A. Iceland-born designer Gulla Jonsdottir spotlights custom decor and grey and brown tones and sophisticated textures throughout the utterly contemporary property. The 105-room Kimpton La Peer opened in WeHo's Design District in 2018.
Embracing nature and cool, earthy tones for its design, rooms feature floor to ceiling windows, reclaimed wood, organic cotton, and bare concrete, while a rooftop pool and foliage-nestled cocktail lounge, indoor cocktail bar Juniper (which uses herbs and ingredients from an on-site organic garden in its craft libations menu), and Chef Chris Crary's SoCal fare 1 Kitchen restaurant rank among the properties' highlights. Indeed, the hip, sustainability-forward luxury brand 1 Hotel opened its 286-room 1 Hotel West Hollywood in 2019 on Sunset Boulevard, making it the brand's first West Coast its first West Coast hotel (other locations include South Beach Miami and the Brooklyn Bridge New York).