Well that certainly took a long time… We all know that opening a new eatery in Santa Monica can be an arduous affair. The latest business to make it through the gauntlet is Mochidoki at 1133 Montana Ave in Santa Monica. Just in time for the Labor Day weekend, they finally threw open their doors in a soft opening yesterday. Read more about the East Coast company with mochi ice cream so good they supply the likes of Nobu and Tao in my original post here.
Congratulations Lucky People of Santa Monica, you’re getting a new branch of cult fave San Francisco bakery Tartine. If you’re craving an impossibly flaky croissant and the lines are too long at their ridiculously popular spot at 1925 Arizona Ave., you can soon head over to their new location at 2903 Suite 110 Lincoln Blvd, in the new The Wilson development. There are bright orange banners in the windows announcing the happy news. This is a developing story…
Yet more from white-hot El Segundo…. There’s a new watering hole coming to the space at 225 Richmond St. in Downtown El Segundo, in the old Deluca Pasta location right next to the sleek new steakhouse Porterhouse. The name of the new establishment will be G’s Il Capo Dei Bar according to the banner and the barely legible ABC application for a “general eating place”. What Now Los Angeles was able to dig up a bit more information which you can read here.
If you’re a fan of Korean hot dogs, I’ve got good news for you! There’s a recently opened shop named RiceCups at 130 E Grand Ave, Unit K in El Segundo offering the sought-after delicacies. But their main focus appears to be rice cups. Described as an “homage to the time-honored Korean lunchbox”, they are bowls comprised of “a bed of rice, mixed salad with goji berries, Asian vinaigrette, macaroni salad, lotus root chips, cheddar ketchup & mayo sauce” with toppings such as beef bulgogi, sweet soy fried chicken, and fried tofu gangjung. Check out their drool-worthy menu here.
Culver City is about to get Lei’d… And while I can’t take credit for that line (Thanks as always Andrew!), I can tell you that there’s a sign in the window of the former Coolhaus at 8588 Washington Blvd. announcing that Lei’d Cookies is moving in. It looks like this will be the first brick-and-mortar for the Smorgasburg LA food market fixture that has gained quite a popular following for their sweet treats with flavors such as mango sticky rice cookies and guava and goat cheese sugar cookies.
I first noticed that plant-based pioneer Matthew Kenney was bringing his New York pizzeria concept Double Zero to 1700 Lincoln Blvd. in Venice back in 2019. Recently however, the space has gone dark. There’s no notice up and the tables inside are still set, but there hasn’t been any activity for a few weeks. A reader (Thanks Sasha!) managed to snap a picture of an eviction notice on the front that has since disappeared. Does this mean the end of Double Zero at this location?
Sawtelle Japantown is white-hot for opening new eateries right now. Add yet another to the list… There’s a sign in the window of 11301 W Olympic Blvd Suite 105 (previously home to a branch of Coco Fresh Tea & Juice and other shops) announcing a new beverage spot, Sweetcane Juice. On offer will be sugarcane juice, which their website says provides “electrolytes, vitamin, minerals, and powerful phytonutrients that hydrates more effectively than water alone”. Look for a menu of sugarcane juice paired with other juices and toppings.
Yet more news coming from Sawtelle Japantown. There’s a small notice in the papered-over window of 11301 W Olympic Blvd unit 122 (previously home to La Crepe) announcing the impending arrival of Ohana’s Kitchen by Aloha Fridays. I don’t have much information on this business, so if you have more, let me know…
There’s window paper up on the space at 11301 W Olympic Blvd UNIT 124 announcing a new milk tea joint. But not just any one: This one appears to be the winner of the Taiwan Milk Tea Festival in 2022. Odd One Out Craft Milk Tea hails from Taipei and according to their website, they are opening a shop in Downtown Santa Monica as well. I think they’re close to opening at this location, but while you’re waiting, get a peek at their menu here.
This has been a full circle for one of my my readers… Back in March of 2022, JP wrote to tell me about an exciting new project coming to 1136 Westwood Blvd. in Westwood Village. What was exciting was that the self-described “largest bubble tea brand in America”, Kung Fu Tea, was opening a storefront in collaboration with Taiwanese brand TKK Fried Chicken at this address. Sadly, JP recently wrote to me again to let me know that the experiment appears to have folded and the space is now empty once again.
(Thanks JP!)
Congratulations Good People of Pacific Palisades, carby baked treats are heading your way! There’s a banner up at the 76 gas station at 15400 Sunset Blvd (on the corner of Via de la Paz). It appears that mall staple Wetzel’s Pretzel’s will soon be distributing their signature snacks from this very station.
It was only back in 2020 when I first told you about Amirah Kassem‘s famed New York bakery Flour Shop landing in the space at 9495 S Santa Monica Blvd. Sadly, they have abandoned the cavernous location. But for those devotees of their famous “explosion cake” all is not lost: A note on the door promises that they are moving to a new yet-unnamed LA location.
(Thanks Tony!)
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