TV Restaurants

What Happened to Animal After Best Thing I Ever Ate? (Los Angeles, CA)

Closed verified

As of September 2026, Animal has closed — confirmed via the business's own closure notice, July 11, 2026.

Primary source
Wikipedia ·
Secondary source
tastingtable.com ·

Last verified

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.

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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.

Featured on Best Thing I Ever Ate

Season / episode
Season 1, Episode 3
Original air date
Not confirmed
Episode title
With Bacon
What was featured
dishes from the restaurant's menu of meat-forward small plates
Role
Featured restaurant
Name on the broadcast
Animal

Frequently asked questions

Is Animal still open in 2026?

As of September 2026, Animal has closed — confirmed via the business's own closure notice, July 11, 2026.

What happened to Animal 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. As of September 2026, Animal has closed — confirmed via the business's own closure notice, July 11, 2026.

Is Animal permanently closed?

As of September 2026, Animal has closed — confirmed via the business's own closure notice, July 11, 2026. We publish a closure only with a dated source behind it, and we say plainly when it has not been independently confirmed.

Where is Animal located?

435 N Fairfax Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90036. That is the address on the record as of September 7, 2026.

What season and episode of Best Thing I Ever Ate featured Animal?

Season 1, Episode 3 of Best Thing I Ever Ate. The episode is titled “With Bacon”.

Is Animal still using the Best Thing I Ever Ate menu or branding?

Animal appeared in the "Sugar Rush" episode (S1E4), which featured dishes from the restaurant's menu of meat-forward small plates. 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
435 N Fairfax Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90036
Venue type
restaurant
Official website
laanimalservices.com

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

  • Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_(restaurant)
  • tastingtable.com — https://www.tastingtable.com/1521271/los-angeles-animal-jon-vinny-interview/

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