What Happened to Animal After Best Thing I Ever Ate? (Los Angeles, CA)
Best Thing I Ever Ate, Season 1 Los Angeles, California Closed 2023
Current status
As of October 2026, Animal has closed — confirmed via Wikipedia, July 11, 2026.
What the source shows: Google Places matched the wrong business (a city animal shelter); Wikipedia and Tasting Table instead confirm the restaurant Animal, at 435 N Fairfax Ave, closed permanently on 2023-06-17. How we decide a status →
- Episode Season 1, Episode 3
- Address 435 N Fairfax Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90036
- Website laanimalservices.com
- Show map
© OpenStreetMap contributors © CARTO
What happened after Best Thing I Ever Ate?
Animal appeared in the "Sugar Rush" episode (S1E4), which featured dishes from the restaurant's menu of meat-forward small plates. Chefs Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo opened Animal at 435 North Fairfax Avenue in Los Angeles in 2008, according to Wikipedia (revised 2026-07-11). Tasting Table credited Animal with helping popularize national food trends including meat-heavy small plates and the use of bacon as a dessert ingredient. Wikipedia reports that Animal closed temporarily during the COVID-19 pandemic, reopened in 2022, and then closed permanently on June 17, 2023, after 15 years in business.
Tasting Table also reported that Shook and Dotolo said several of Animal's dishes continue to appear at their other restaurants and catering events. The address matched by Google Places for this record, a city animal shelter also called "Animal," was a name-collision error; the address and coordinates used here were instead confirmed via the U.S. Census Bureau geocoder against the 435 North Fairfax Avenue address reported by Wikipedia.
The episode
Also in Season 1
Season 1: 57 of 88 still open · 4 renamed, moved or under new owners
- Open
- Closed
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Ep 3Choice Market
Open - Open
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Ep 3Father's Office
Open -
Ep 3Hodad's
Open -
Ep 3JCT Kitchen
Closed -
Ep 3Nopa
Open
Nearest open restaurants
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Food Paradise
Open -
Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives
Open -
Best Thing I Ever Ate
Open -
Food Paradise
Open -
Best Thing I Ever Ate
Open -
Best Thing I Ever Ate
Open
Before you go: Businesses change fast. Always confirm directly with the restaurant — call ahead, or check its own current website or social media — before making plans around anything on this page.
Sources we checked
- Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_(restaurant)
- tastingtable.com https://www.tastingtable.com/1521271/los-angeles-animal-jon-vinny-interview/
We work hard to keep every status accurate and dated, but restaurants change fast and our sources aren't perfect. If something here is wrong — a status, a name, an address, anything — tell us what you're seeing and where you saw it, and we'll check it.
Record btiea-0032 · checked by Cal Marchetti.