Monthly Archives: January 2026

Santino’s Triumphant Return To Santa Monica

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A very enthusiastic reader (Thanks James!) excitedly wrote to tell me of the return of beloved neighborhood tapas spot Santino’s to its former home at 3021 Lincoln Blvd in Santa Monica. You may recall that Santino’s closed down sometime around 2015 to make way for sports bar Burgers N Brews. Burgers N Brews is now gone, and while I don’t have information on ownership or menus, we can definitely say that Santino’s is returning to this location, and their Instagram page is projecting a February opening.

Mee & Greet Getting A New Home In Palms

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Currently operating out of the Banyon Tree at 9626 Venice Blvd in Culver City, beloved “Pan Asian Soul Food” experts Mee & Greet are getting a new home. They moved to the Banyon Tree after 10 years at their previous home of 3500 Overland in Palms. Their new location is just a few blocks away. Near as I can tell, they will be taking over part of the building that was once occupied by the erstwhile Overland Cafe, on the corner of Overland and Charnock Rd. At their new digs, Mee & Greet are promising “food libations, outdoor patio, live music, games on TV, comedy nights, & more”.

Makenna Koffee Bringing Beach Vibes To Santa Monica

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New signs are up on the old Del Taco location at 2425 Wilshire Blvd in Santa Monica announcing the arrival of a new java joint and drive through. Makenna Koffee describes itself as a “beach themed coffee shop” and has a smattering of locations across SoCal. While you’re waiting for your Maui latte to debut in Santa Monica, you can read more about the company here and their plans of expansion. (Thanks Carol!)

Pontu Bringing Peruvian To Santa Monica

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A sharp-eyed reader (Thanks Carol!) noticed a small ‘coming soon’ notice in the window of 3117 Ocean Park Blvd in Santa Monica, previously home to beloved neighborhood eatery The OP Cafe. Another piece of paper lists the new restaurant as Pontu. I can’t find a lot of information on Pontu, other that their undeveloped Instagram page that promises two things: “Peruvian” and “Local”.

Intelligentsia Coffee Coming To Pico In Santa Monica

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A charming new coffee spot is coming to an area of Pico desperately in need of one. The historic old A-frame at 3010 Pico, once the home of Wienerschnitzel, is getting spruced up to re-open as a branch of Intelligentsia Coffee. I’m so glad they have decided to keep the original structure that has long been such an landmark in this neighborhood. Intelligentsia began in Chicago in 1995 and has since spread a footprint across five American cities (Austin, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York), as well as international locations, and strives to offer “the most extraordinary coffee in the world“. A spokesperson could not give me a specific opening date due to permitting reasons, but it looks like they’re close. (With Joe & The Juice landing a few blocks away, is the Pico Corridor in Santa Monica becoming a third-wave coffee hotspot?)

(Thanks Spencer!)

KinKan Coming To West Edge

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This photo of a space in the West Edge development, at Olympic and Bundy, doesn’t reveal too much. But it is the future home of a new restaurant named Kinkan. I believe this will be another outpost of the LA restaurant Kinkan, which specializes in “Thai cuisine with Japanese influence”. This Kinkan promises “made-to-order chirashi bento boxes” and is aiming for an opening sometime in 2026.

Mongolian BBQ & Teriyaki Coming To Hawthorne

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There’s a new banner hanging over the space at 4850 Rosecrans Ave in Hawthorne announcing the new tenant as a Mongolian BBQ & Teriyaki restaurant. Strangely, no name is given. This location was previously home to Nashville chicken spot Cluck & Blaze. It looks like they’ve a way to go before opening.

Sana’a Cafe Bringing Yemeni Coffee To Westwood Village

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An interesting new concept is taking over the former longtime home of BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse at 938 Broxton Ave. in Westwood Village. Apparently, according to the website, Yemen has a strong tradition of coffee, where it has been cultivated for over 500 years. The new resident, Sana’a Cafe, will honor this heritage by “sourcing the finest organic beans from Yemeni highlands”. Sana’a Cafe has 8 other locations across California and offers an extensive menu of Yemeni specialty drinks, espresso drinks, and teas.

Sudachi Bringing “World-Class Sushi” To West Edge

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The name Sudachi is written on the door of space 122 in the new-ish West Edge complex on ther corner of Olympic and Bundy in the Sawtelle neighborhood of Los Angeles. Little else gives away that this will be the location of a new Japanese restaurant bearing that name. There’s not much information out there on Sudachi, but the West Edge website promises us “world-class sushi”.