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Your Guide to Lisa Vanderpump’s Restaurants, from SUR to Wolf by Vanderpump
Take a closer look at the establishments owned by the Vanderpump Rules cast member and her husband Ken Todd.
Among Lisa Vanderpump’s many accomplishments is being a successful restaurateur: Together with her husband, Ken Todd, the Vanderpump Rules cast member has owned over 30 restaurants and bars for over 30 years in the United States and England.
Lisa is personally close to every project. “I walk in and I know every inch of that place,” she recently told Forbes about visiting her establishments. “Every inch has been designed, created by us and, if doesn’t work, it’s all coming back to me.”
Because of that, each locale also has its own unique feel. "Some of it is eclectic, I would say. If you go into Pump, it’s all about hundred-year-old olive trees. Tom Tom has got incredible pieces — almost like [a] romantic industrial [aesthetic]. Villa Blanca is a little more European. SUR is very eclectic again," she told BravoTV.com in 2019.
Although SUR and TomTom are most frequently featured on Vanderpump Rules, they’re certainly not Lisa and Ken’s only current endeavors. They also have three Las Vegas establishments — Vanderpump Cocktail Garden, Vanderpump à Paris, and the forthcoming Pinky's by Vanderpump — and one, Wolf by Vanderpump, set to open in Lake Tahoe, Nevada.
In recent years, however, Lisa has had to close the doors to Villa Blanca (which was featured in earlier seasons of both The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and Vanderpump Rules) and she shuttered Pump in 2023.
Ahead, get a full recap of Lisa and Ken’s most prominent restaurants.
Villa Blanca
This Mediterranean-inspired Beverly Hills restaurant first opened its doors in 2009, and some Vanderpump Rules cast members — including Scheana Shay and Ariana Madix — got their start working at Villa Blanca before transferring to SUR.
"It is quite eclectic, which you do have the luxury of doing in California. You can put together a menu that really reaches out and suits everybody," Lisa explained of the eatery in a 2014 episode of Robert Earl's show Be My Guest.
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Lisa announced in 2020 that the restaurant would be “closing up our doors for good.”
“We will definitely be opening up the other restaurants as soon as the government allows it and they are safe to open,” Lisa explained, also adding that “many of the Villa Blanca staff members will be relocated to these businesses.”
SUR Restaurant & Lounge
“Villa Blanca is where you take your wife; SUR is where you take your mistress,” Lisa once famously explained. Indeed, SUR — which is the focal point of Vanderpump Rules — has seen its fair share of drama. The West Hollywood locale’s moniker is an acronym for Sexy Unique Restaurant — and no one can say it isn’t aptly named.
For this venture, Lisa and Ken joined forces Guillermo Zapata and his wife Nathalie Pouille-Zapata (whom fans will recognize from the show) as co-owners of the eatery back in 2005. (Guillermo first opened the restaurant back in 1998 and brought Nathalie on board after meeting her there in 2001.)
The establishment was the center of some of the show’s most iconic moments, including Pride events and James Kennedy’s See You Next Tuesday DJing gig. Among the popular menu items that patrons order over and over are the Pumptini cocktail and the goat cheese balls appetizer.
Although many Vanderpump Rules cast members have moved on from their serving and bartending positions at SUR, a number still remain today: Charli Burnett was still on staff during Season 10, and James still DJed See You Next Tuesday.
TomTom Restaurant & Bar
TomTom is Lisa’s venture with Tom Sandoval and Tom Schwartz. After much prep work, buzz, and pre-opening fanfare (all of which were documented on Vanderpump Rules of course), the West Hollywood establishment first opened its doors in 2018.
For Schwartz and Sandoval, the ambience of the restaurant was of top importance. "Right when you walk in, you get natural light, double bar stools right at the beautiful bar. As you go deeper in, there are these half-circle private booths. And then as the sun goes down and it gets dark, it reveals this beautiful garden,” Sandoval explained in 2018. "Start at the bar, go out to the garden, meander, and then come back to the half circle."
In the same interview, Schwartz explained the best way to enjoy the atmosphere: "You get a cocktail at the bar, then you sit down by the fireplace, you whisper sweet nothings into each other's ears, then you go to the shot bar, take shots, get the mojo flowing. Then you go to the garden and you fall in love all over again — or for the first time!"
Pump Restaurant Lounge
Vanderpump Rules viewers watched Lisa and Ken open Pump with a lavish party in Season 3. “I’ve been working on Pump for 14 months, so to be opening the doors tonight, I am ecstatic,” Lisa said in an episode interview. “Pump has been more challenging than any other restaurant we’ve opened. We’ve been craning in trees. I’ve been running around all over Los Angeles trying to make this the most beautiful garden in West Hollywood.”
Sadly,TMZ reported on May 4, 2023, that the West Hollywood eatery was shutting down. “It’s with heavy hearts that we announce that the lease at Pump Restaurant is expiring, and we will be closing its doors on July 5, after 10 years of beautiful evenings under our olive trees,” the Pump team shared in a statement to TMZ that was later posted to the restaurant’s Instagram account.
“While we have loved our time operating Pump, to take on another 10-year lease with a huge increase in rent by the landlords is not something we are ready to commit to. After successfully running 37+ establishments for many years, this type of rent is untenable,” the statement read.
The message on Pump’s Instagram concluded: “We will be open throughout Pride month in West Hollywood, to support the local community with one last hurrah, and we look forward to welcoming you all to TomTom & Sur in the months following!”
Vanderpump Cocktail Garden
Lisa and Ken expanded their portfolio to Las Vegas in March of 2019, when they opened the doors to the Vanderpump Cocktail Garden at Caesar’s Palace with a splashy pink-themed event.
A few months later, Saveur named the establishment among the “most Instagrammable restaurants in Las Vegas.”
To bring the locale its unforgettable atmosphere, Lisa worked with “genius” designer Nick Alain on the aesthetic. “It is absolutely a perfect location,” she told BravoTV.com while giving a tour of the spot, seen in the video above. “We’re really happy with how it turned out.”
Among the spot’s unique features: a photo wall with snaps from Lisa’s personal collection, including art of her dogs, moving ocean art on the walls, and exposed piping outfitted with florals to give the place an “industrial garden type of feel.”
Vanderpump à Paris
When Lisa and Ken launched their second Vegas spot, Vanderpump à Paris, in April 2022, they celebrated with a star-studded grand opening bash. The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills’ Garcelle Beauvais was on the guest list, as well as Lisa’s longtime pal Lance Bass.
According to the hotspot’s website, the newest restaurant “features delectable dishes, whimsical and unique cocktails, and a lush, elaborate atmosphere with eclectic, Parisian-inspired design details.”
Pinky’s by Vanderpump
Ahead of BravoCon 2023, Lisa announced that she will be opening her third Las Vegas establishment, Pinky’s by Vanderpump, a restaurant and bar opening in the iconic Flamingo Hotel located on the Las Vegas strip in the summer of 2024.
Pinky’s will feature “distinctive dishes, statement cocktails, and the restauranteur’s signature design aesthetic, according to a press release. Not only will the décor delve into the “art deco style,” but it will pay homage to the “unique history of Flamingo Las Vegas” with the “signature Vanderpump extravagance.” And like all of Lisa’s restaurants, this one will feature some “seriously Instagrammable moments.” Thank goodness.
Pinky’s is named after Lisa’s longtime nickname and her favorite color, pink, which the Housewives alum is often seen decked out in.
Wolf by Vanderpump
Lisa will be opening her first Lake Tahoe establishment, Wolf by Vanderpump, located in Harvey’s Lake Tahoe Hotel in Casino located in Stateline, Nevada, on the edge of Lake Tahoe.
Wolf by Vanderpump, which is slated to open in Winter 2023, will be “bold and unique” in its décor and menu, after being inspired by nature and, well, wolves. “The food will be decadent, the cocktails will be both earthy and Instagrammable, and the entire experience is something we are thrilled to be bringing to Lake Tahoe,” Lisa said in a press release. “Wolf has additional meaning as it is a family name and the middle name of my grandson, Teddy.”
How many restaurants does Lisa Vanderpump own?
Lisa Vanderpump currently owns six restaurants in total.
There are the four existing restaurants: SUR Restaurant and Lounge, TomTom Restaurant and Bar, Vanderpump Cocktail Garden, and Vanderpump à Paris.There are also two more — Pinky’s by Vanderpump and Wolf by Vanderpump — slated to open by summer 2024.
Originally published May 19, 2023.
