The corner space at 9601 Brighton Way in Beverly Hills has sat empty ever since celebrity-backed Villa Blanca pulled out over three years ago. But that’s about the change. There’s a banner and an ABC application on the front announcing the impending arrival of Bacari Beverly Hills. Bacari has a smattering of locations in trending areas around LA. They all seem to have slightly different personalities, but the casual concept appears to veer toward Mediterranean.
A sharp-eyed reader (Thanks Trevor!) spotted permits on the old Men’s Wearhouse space at 4325 Glencoe Ave C-3 in the Villa Marina Center. The permits inform us that Starbird Chicken is moving into the address. Their website confirms it. Starbird hails from the Bay Area and has locations in both NoCal and SoCal. They are known for their crispy chicken and in-house sauces.
You already know about the Panera Bread, Rasing Cane’s, and Panda Express that have landed in new development that was originally called the Nash St. Exchange, but appears to have since been renamed Charger’s Commons, on the corner of El Segundo and Nash in El Segundo. And it looks like another dining option is joining the mix. The sign indicates that a branch of popular East Coast chain Capriotti’s Sandwich Shop is also moving in.
Wishing all readers a joyous holiday filled with delicious food, family, and dear friends. I’m very grateful to all my dedicated readers for giving me the inspiration and support to keep exploring the excitement of the LA food scene. Happy Thanksgiving from Toddrickallen!
I’m hearing from surprised readers who have noticed the permanently drawn curtains and lack of activity at Downtown Santa Monica’s neighborhood watering hole and eatery The Independence. The Independence has anchored the corner of 2nd and Broadway since 2014, when it replaced Buddha’s Belly. Sadly, for all intents and purposes, it appears that it has quietly disappeared. I’ll keep my eye on the space at 205 Broadway to see what may develop…
It was only back in September when I told you that Big Fish Little Fish had gone belly up in the Food Court of the Westfield Century City Shopping Center. Wasting no time whatsoever, it appears that a new poke spot is taking over the location. The plywood around the space lets us know that Poukei will soon be bringing us poke bowls & poke burritos.
This was surprising to me… It appears that Downtown Santa Monica’s perennial popular burger joint Stout Burgers & Beer has disappeared from its location at 111 Santa Monica Blvd. I’m not exactly sure when it closed, but the windows are papered over, perhaps indicating a new inhabitant is in the works. I’ll keep watching…
Update: A reader let me know that the space is being taken over by next door’s Bar Monette and will feature “French small plates and burgers”. (Thanks Sean!)
There’s a new banner hanging over 331 Wilshire Blvd. in Downtown Santa Monica. The space has long sat empty since Greenleaf Kitchen & Cocktails closed up shop during The Pandemic. The name on the banner is Maru Sushi and underneath that, it promises “ramen / ezakaya“. I’m unable to find any more information about the new eatery as there are a number or restaurants that use the word “Maru” in their name, so if you know more, reach out to me…
I happened to notice a new ABC application on the front of the cavernous space most recently occupied by Herringbone at 1755 Ocean Ave Ste 103 in Santa Monica. Fitoor is the name listed, and while not much comes up in a general search, two names on the application give us a clue as to what’s coming. Those names are Anupama and Vikram Bhambri, who are none other than the co-founders of San Francisco’s splashy and much-lauded “Indian-inspired restaurant and cocktail bar” ROOH. Apparently, they are in the middle of a recently announced expansion in the Bay Area. They are expanding using different restaurant names but there is a Fitoor Indian Grill & Lounge coming to San Jose that EaterSF describes as an “opulent restaurant with live music and DJs”. This is indeed exciting news for Santa Monica…
Something new is coming to the space that was once occupied by Freebirds World Burrito (remember them?) at 1509 Hawthorne Blvd. #101 in Redondo Beach. Window paper is up announcing a branch of Chronic Tacos Mexican Grill. Chronic Tacos began in California in 2002 and operates a number of locations in California as well as a smattering of locations across various states, Canada, and Japan. Look for a solid menu of tacos, burritos, quesadillas, and bowls. The website says they’re opening a location in Westchester as well.
(Thank LL!)
Toddrickallen 