LA’s Butchr Bar Doubles Doubles as a Wine Bar and Organic Butcher Shop

A break-in shattered Butchr Bar’s massive side window facing Court Street and Glendale Boulevard slightly south of Echo Park hours before its debut on August 16, 2024. The new butcher shop and wine bar’s Aussie owners, Bridgette and Tyson Blackney, watched from their Westside home as security footage showed a man rifling through the space at 4 a.m. before departing with retail items. Tyson sped over, spoke to the police, and installed plywood and cloth to hide the damage. The Blackneys pushed forward and opened Butchr Bar a few hours later.

Located on the same block as Clark Street and sourdough pizza maker Grá, Butchr Bar’s retail arm sells organic, antibiotic-free meats dry-aged and butchered in-house by chef Danny Rodriguez (formerly of Cobi’s in Santa Monica) and sous chef Chianne Mallari. The same team serves small plates, charcuterie, and imported meats flown from Down Under on the wine bar side, which the couple views as an Australian-style restaurant serving an Italian menu. Butchr Bar’s multi-use space feels like a more casual version of Curtis Stone’s Gwen and is reminiscent of the Butcher, The Baker, The Cappuccino Maker on the Sunset Strip and the notoriously shuttered Belcampo Meat Co.

Lunch and dinner menus include bone broths and seasonal charcuterie platters with dry-aged lamb, giardiniera, cheese, boar salami, and Clark Street bread. Salads, a picanha-cut tartare, and fermented tomatoes with herby lemon myrtle, parsley, and hibiscus salt round out the small plates. The tomahawk rib-eye wagyu is priced at $6 per ounce, while the 14-day dry-aged lamb is served with red currant jelly for $35. Grilled pork and lamb sausages are also prepared in-house. Henry Smith (from Clark Street) curated a coastal Californian, French, and Italian list of biodynamic or natural wines available by the glass or bottle.

The Blackneys recruited Tyson’s sister and Pink Jam Trading designer Addy Nuthall to brighten the 1,700-square-foot space with a 30-foot concrete bar, soft rose interiors, and communal tables. Local ceramist Sasha Wachtel’s ‘80s-esque lamps are set on the bar, while platters, plates, bowls, and bone broth mugs are made by Still Life Ceramics. Artisanal touches are placed throughout Butchr Bar, along with family heirlooms and artwork from friends in Australia. T-shirts, housemade jerky, and dehydrated dog treats are available for sale. Butcher Bar will host events and community classes showcasing Rodriguez’s knowledge in the coming months.

The journey has come full circle for the Blackneys since opening Butchr Bar in mid-August, as Tyson hails from a family of Aussie food exporters dating back to the 1920s. “There’s a saying in this business, you’re either born into the meat industry or you’re married into it,” says Bridgette.

Butchr Bar is located at 301 Glendale Boulevard, Westlake, CA 90026, and is open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday.