They also ran a hot club of the day, the Up Disco. Alexander were pioneers of the gay part of West Hollywood, opening their successful bar, The Gallery Room, in 1962. Here’s a little history on Roosterfish taken in part from C.J. It’s was famous as a cool place for both gay and straight locals. Roosterfish was always a down-home place you could go to kick back and enjoy your friends. Which makes the loss of Roosterfish even more disconcerting: Roosterfish was the only gay bar in West LA and now - as the community is growing - there are none. Santa Monica has gotten more and more glamorous (it’s the number one destination for NYC transplants and is emerging as the new West Hollywood as the gay community moves farther into West LA). Roosterfish, a Venice institution, will close its doors after 37 years in operation, another victim of Santa Monica’s gentrification and escalating rents that continues to chase dozens of small mom and pop businesses away. As a result Los Angeles is losing one of its oldest and most popular gay bars.
BY STAFF | Gary Mick, who has been owner and manager of Roosterfish for 25 years, has announced that “The Fish” as he calls it, is calling it quits after all those years.
