Wishing all readers a joyous and meaningful Thanksgiving filled with good 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 West LA food scene. Happy Thanksgiving from Toddrickallen!
Brentwood is white-hot for new restaurants. I spied a new ABC application on the front of the Contempo Floor Covering store at 908 S Barrington Ave. in Brentwood. It names the new ‘general’ eating place as Sora. A little more digging reveals that this will be the future home of a branch of Sora Temaki Bar. Sora has a location in The Grove, and one on the way in Thousand Oaks, and offers a wide menu of temaki that “brings together innovation and heritage in every hand-rolled bite”.
In a town packed with powerhouse restaurants, quiet little Sushi Kiyono has been happily serving devoted locals for 27 years at 255 S Beverly Blvd. Sadly, that is about to come to an end. A gracious note on the front door cites retirement and says that the final day of service will be this Saturday November 22. The note also welcomes their replacement: The Brothers Sushi. An ABC application on the front confirms it. With locations in Woodland Hills, Santa Monica, and Culver City, The Brothers Sushi is the much lauded and wildly popular “high-end” sushi spot that offers seasonal “Omakase Chefs courses or Ala Carte options”.
With so much to see and do, lately we’re all spending more time in Inglewood. A new “elevated dining” restaurant is looking to build on the experience. Lounge 1888 is moving into the space at 3930 W Century Blvd. Building C, Space 5-101 at the Intuit Dome. Expect “modern American culinary dining, craft cocktails, and premium wines with a fully immersive game-day and event atmosphere.” Looks like they’re aiming for a January 2026 opening.
The triumphant return of the carbohydrate continues with its inexorable victory march across The Westside… There’s window paper up on the space at 11710 San Vicente Blvd in Brentwood declaring the impending arrival of PopUp Bagels. (Not to be confused with Pop’s Bagels just up the street.) They began as a backyard pickup window and have since spread to locations up and down the East Coast. PopUp Bagels has a simple goal: To offer “best, freshest bagels. No frills, plainly perfect: crispy crust and soft crumb center, just the right size and with a perfect proportion of seeds.” This new location, and another in La Jolla, appear to be the first on our side of the Country.
There’s plywood and a poster up on the front of 923 Broxton Ave, formerly home to Habibi Cafe. The poster is promising a new pie joint, Chill Since ’93 Pizza. Chill Since ’93 has a location in The Grove, as well as Lugano and London. They promise super crispy pizza, and sandwiches made with the bread of the moment, “crisp, house-made focaccia bread”.
It appears that after 10 years, smoked fish experts Wexler’s Deli have closed up shop at 616 Santa Monica Blvd. in Downtown Santa Monica. This is not the end: A gracious note on the front door explains that they are pivoting to a wholesale business and you will soon be able to find their proprietary lox at hotels and restaurants. In other exciting news, the note also explains that “Sichuan Superette” Suá, will be taking over the space. If you haven’t had a chance to visit their charming Larchmont location, you can expect delightful hand-stirred matcha and coffee drinks, organic Sichuan grab-and-go, Asian snacks, and carefully curated pantry and home goods.
As you know if you follow this site, I do occasionally get out of the Westside. One of my favorite places to go is beautiful Montecito, which is about to get an exciting new restaurant. Helmed by Chilean Chef Diego Moya, who cut his teeth in such places as Nahm in Bangkok and L’Arpège in Paris, Little Mountain is set to open on November 6 at 516 San Ysidro Rd, in the old Piatti space. Expect “deeply seasonal, vegetable-forward” menu that celebrates “Central Coast’s agricultural bounty” in a warm and convivial setting. Well worth a day trip…
Toddrickallen 