Elina Shatkin
The rumors were true. The beloved Sunset Boulevard bar Ye Coach & Horses, which closed in November after a protracted eviction struggle with landlord Samuel French Books, has new tenants: Jared Meisler and Sean Macpherson, the duo behind Bar Lubitsch and The Roger Room. (Macpherson has also been behind a number of other Los Angeles watering holes: Jones, El Carmen, The Good Luck Bar and both Swingers locations.)
The 73-year-old bar had a number of owners over the years, including a matador in the 1970s who turned it into a Mexican restaurant — while keeping the Coach & Horses name. Meisler and Macpherson are in the very early planning stages. No target opening date yet. They're considering concepts, working to secure a liquor license and interviewing chefs. Meisler promises two things: beer on tap and respect for the bar's history. “This will be a restoration, not a remodel. The most important thing for us is to honor what it was,” he says.
To that end, he's been digging through archival material related to the bar, looking for old pictures he can refer to during the remodel. During the process, he found a Los Angeles Times story from the 1950s about a patron who pulled out a gun only to have it wrestled away from him by his fellow drinkers.
“This is not just renovating it to what it was a few years ago,” Meisler says, “but to what it was decades ago.”
Whatever concept Meisler and Macpherson choose, it will include a full restaurant component. No word on what kind of food or even whether that will be full meals or small plates. It will also be somewhat cocktail-driven.
“From now on, I don't see how I could open a bar that's not,” Meisler says. “It won't be as hardcore as The Roger Room, but there will definitely be quality drinks and knowledgeable cocktails.”
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