Sunset Strip’s New Power Dining Spot Leans Heavy Into Ice-Cold Shellfish

A Dallas-based restaurant group opens an East Coast-style seafood spot in West Hollywood

On the border of West Hollywood and Beverly Hills is a newcomer called Hudson House, located on the Sunset Strip a block west of Doheny Drive, on the corner that shifts from high-rise office buildings and into the residential section of WeHo. The new hotspot is right next to SoHo House, Lavo, and Prince Street Pizza.

Hudson House comes from Vandelay Hospitality as the group’s first entry into the LA market. It’ll be interesting to see how it fares in LA, as a different restaurant with the same name already exists in the South Bay. The Dallas restaurant group owned by Hunter Pond is banking on a clubby East Coast-style menu with some local ingredients and flavor. Hudson House goes big on its open raw bar featuring oysters, seafood towers, sushi, and shrimp cocktails. Appetizers go heavy on big salads, cauliflower bites, and a Nantucket chowder using freshly shucked clams.

Overall it’s an unfussy and familiar menu serving traditional American fare. Of course, there’s a fish of the day along with crab cake and maple-plank salmon. Sandwiches include a lobster roll with fries, a Rutherford club sandwich, and a double-layer cheeseburger. Expect a substantial martini menu, along with frozen Bellinis, and some non-alcoholic options like the one made with yuzu, cucumber, basil, and honey.

When Hudson House opens next Monday, January 30, expect an interior that transports one to New York City or Boston with heavy dark wood accents, plaids, and leather booths. But outside, it’ll be hard to forget this is still West Hollywood, with plants placed strategically to help shield diners from the hustle and bustle of Sunset Boulevard.