TV Restaurants

Who Runs Sante La Brea Now? Kitchen Nightmares Update (Los Angeles, CA)

New owners verified

As of September 2026, Sante La Brea operates under new ownership — confirmed via Yelp, September 2026.

Primary source
Yelp ·
Secondary source
wirtshausla.com ·

Last verified

What the source shows: The North La Brea Avenue address that housed Sante La Brea now operates as Wirtshaus, a German restaurant and beer garden under different ownership. A Yelp listing shows reviews and an Oktoberfest event current to September 2026, and Wirtshaus's own website independently confirms current operation. A separate Yelp listing for Sante La Brea itself is marked permanently closed as of a July 2026 update, and fan-maintained summaries state Sante La Brea closed and was sold in 2011.

  • Season / episode Season 2, Episode 11
  • Original air date
  • Address 345 N La Brea Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90036
  • Current name Wirtshaus

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What happened after Kitchen Nightmares?

Sante La Brea was a vegan and health-food restaurant on La Brea Avenue in Los Angeles, open for roughly a decade under owner Dean Hamoui, when it appeared in the eleventh episode of Kitchen Nightmares season 2, airing November 20, 2008. Hamoui worked long hours across multiple roles at the restaurant alongside his sons Arthur and Sammy, and was carrying substantial debt. Gordon Ramsay sampled a turkey patty melt, a tofu dish he found unappealing, and a blackened salmon that had not been properly refrigerated; a kitchen inspection turned up additional spoiled food alongside imitation meat and seafood products in the freezer. Ramsay focused much of his intervention on Hamoui's habit of taking over every task rather than delegating, at one point having a police officer briefly handcuff him so he could not physically intervene in others' work, and worked separately with the kitchen staff on new menu specials built around fresher ingredients. During the relaunch, head chef Aurelio walked out mid-service over unpaid wages, a dispute Ramsay defused by paying part of the amount owed out of his own pocket; service ultimately recovered and finished strong.

Ramsay revisited the restaurant for a follow-up episode that aired in April 2010 and found that Hamoui had retired and returned to his native Syria, leaving the business to Arthur and Sammy, according to fan-maintained Kitchen Nightmares summaries; those same accounts state that Sante La Brea closed and was sold in 2011. A Yelp listing for the restaurant is marked permanently closed as of a July 2026 update. The address, 345 North La Brea Avenue, now operates as Wirtshaus, a German restaurant and beer garden under different ownership; Wirtshaus's own website and a separately and currently updated Yelp listing both show active operation as of September 2026, including a planned Oktoberfest series that month. No connection between Sante La Brea's ownership and Wirtshaus's current owners has been identified.

Featured on Kitchen Nightmares

Season / episode
Season 2, Episode 11
Original air date
Episode title
Sante La Brea
What was featured
Vegan/health-food restaurant; an overworked owner and imitation-meat dishes
Role
Featured restaurant
Name on the broadcast
Sante La Brea

Frequently asked questions

Is Sante La Brea still open in 2026?

As of September 2026, Sante La Brea operates under new ownership — confirmed via Yelp, September 2026.

What happened to Sante La Brea after Kitchen Nightmares?

Sante La Brea was a vegan and health-food restaurant on La Brea Avenue in Los Angeles, open for roughly a decade under owner Dean Hamoui, when it appeared in the eleventh episode of Kitchen Nightmares season 2, airing November 20, 2008. As of September 2026, Sante La Brea operates under new ownership — confirmed via Yelp, September 2026.

What is Sante La Brea called now?

Now: Wirtshaus (formerly Sante La Brea). As of September 2026, Sante La Brea operates under new ownership — confirmed via Yelp, September 2026.

Where is Sante La Brea located?

345 N La Brea Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90036. That is the address on the record as of September 7, 2026.

What season and episode of Kitchen Nightmares featured Sante La Brea?

Season 2, Episode 11 of Kitchen Nightmares, first aired November 20, 2008. The episode is titled “Sante La Brea”.

Who owns Sante La Brea now?

As of September 2026, Sante La Brea operates under new ownership — confirmed via Yelp, September 2026. We name individual owners only where a source we cite names them.

Did the makeover last at Sante La Brea?

The episode first aired November 20, 2008. Our most recent check was September 7, 2026 — 18 years later —: As of September 2026, Sante La Brea operates under new ownership — confirmed via Yelp, September 2026.

Is Sante La Brea still using the Kitchen Nightmares menu or branding?

Ramsay focused much of his intervention on Hamoui's habit of taking over every task rather than delegating, at one point having a police officer briefly handcuff him so he could not physically intervene in others' work, and worked separately with the kitchen staff on new menu specials built around fresher ingredients. Anything newer than our last check on September 7, 2026 may not be reflected here.

Every status on this site carries a confidence label and a date, and names the source it rests on. Read the Editorial & Corrections Policy for what each label means and how quickly we act on corrections. The questions above are generated from this record's own published fields — we never publish a question we cannot answer from the data.

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Visit info

Address
345 N La Brea Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90036
Venue type
restaurant
Official website
wirtshausla.com

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