And while we’re on the subject of stunning closures… Long time Beverly Hills traditional Italian restaurant Il Forno Caldo has quit its location at 9705 S Santa Monica Blvd. I’m not sure what happened, and their website doesn’t give any clues, but as I’ve mentioned before, this is a notoriously fickle stretch of Beverly Hills when it comes to restaurants.
Quirky neighborhood hang-out spot Bar * Food has flown the coop at 12217 Wilshire Blvd. in Brentwood. The front is completely covered in plywood and their website has vanished. Not sure what happened or what may be taking over, but I’ll keep watching…
If you follow this blog, you know how competitive the food scene in El Segundo is. Case in point: Once popular Mexican restaurant La Sirena Grill has closed up shop at 710-D Allied Way as the hungry aerospace crowds have moved on to Apollo Landing and The Point. I’ll keep watching to see what develops.
It wasn’t that long ago that American Tea Room at 401 N. Canon Drive in Beverly Hills underwent a major renovation and triumphantly reopened. Recently, however, I noticed a for lease sign on the space. A letter posted on the front door explains that they have made an “incredibly tough decision to close” all three of their locations (Beverly Hills, the Arts District, Newport Beach). They are continuing to offer teas on their website.
This week I heard from a reader (Thanks FG!) who told me about the closure of O & O Sicilian Kitchen & Bar at 1705 Ocean Ave Suite #111 in Santa Monica. I went by to check it out… While there is no notice posted and their website is still functioning, Yelp is reporting them as closed and the space is being gutted. Courageously opening in a challenging location back in 2016, it appears the foot traffic simply wasn’t on their side. Sad to see them go…
What’s going on behind those imposing wrought iron gates at 246 26th St. in Santa Monica that used to hide L’Ami, and before that The Little Door, and before that Villetta? It has sat empty and idle ever since L’Ami disappeared sometime in 2017. But a carefully tucked away ABC application reveals that there are signs of life. The app lists the applicant as Operation Success LLC and gives no business name. A search reveals few clues. I guess we’ll have to wait and see what develops…
I recently noticed that purveyors of modern comfort food Lyfe Kitchen have pulled up stakes in their Runway Playa Vista location at 12746 W Jefferson Blvd. A sign on the door confirms the sad news. Lyfe Kitchen has a rocky history to begin with, but I wonder if the bigger news is the Runway itself. With a captive audience of residents in the Playa Vista developments along Jefferson, you’d think that the Runway would be teeming with hungry patrons. And yet, since opening, they have never been able to fill all of the empty new storefronts. A great many still remain unoccupied. And now Lyfe Kitchen pulls out… Could this be an indication of trouble for the newish shopping/dining district?
So this was a bit of a shocker… Ever popular local fave caffeine shop Peet’s Coffee has abruptly pulled up stakes almost overnight from its historically significant landmark location at 11750 San Vicente Blvd. in Brentwood. Even while I was taking photos, locals were coming up to me and expressing shock at the loss of the neighborhood institution. Maybe competition from nearby Alfred Coffee has been taking its toll. I’ll keep watching…
Update: I’ve had lot of people ask why Peet’s has closed… I don’t have a confirmed answer, but a reader has heard that the lease renewal was too expensive, which is all-to-frequent in this neck of the woods.
And while we’re on the subject of comings and goings in Beverly Hills, here’s more sad news. It was only a few months ago that a hopeful North Shore Poke Co. opened for business at 9461 S. Santa Monica Blvd. It appears that they have abandoned the notoriously tricky address. A hastily written note attached to the front states that they have relocated to Hermosa Beach.
South Santa Monica Blvd. in Beverly Hills is a revolving door for restaurants. Basanti Tea Bar decided to try their luck when they opened back in 2015 at 9465 S. Santa Monica Blvd. Sadly, they have recently vacated the space. A note taped to the front door blames “unforeseen circumstances” for their misfortune. I’ll keep watching the spot to see who’ll be next to give it a shot.
About two years ago I told you about the impending arrival of Bowl of Heaven to the space at 725 Broadway. Sadly, they have vacated the yoga-centric community. But lament not, good people of Santa Monica! You can get your bowl fix at BoH‘s replacement, Enso Tea/Acai, which has another location in Las Vegas.
Recently, I noticed a hastily written note posted on the front door of fledgling B.H. Poke at 9527 Santa Monica Blvd. in Beverly Hills, situated in a block that has seen a great deal of turn over recently. As you can see, the note states that they are “taking a little break” due to “unforeseen circumstances”. According to a photo on Yelp, the note has been up since early last month. It looks like no one has set foot in the shop for quite a while. I tried to call and inquire, but their phone line no longer works. So, I can’t confirm if they’re planning on reopening or not, but things don’t look good.
This was a surprise. After 22 years, Santa Monica institution and local fave DiDio’s Italian Ices has abruptly quit their location at 1305 Montana Ave. as of last week. A gracious goodbye note affixed to the front of the shop explains that they intend on focusing on their expanding wholesale operation. I’ll keep my eye on the space to see what may move in…
It wasn’t that long ago that The Little Door Santa Monica turned into L’Ami in their sunny location at 246 26th St. in Santa Monica. Well, I don’t know what happened, or exactly when it happened, but I recently noticed that they have pulled up stakes entirely. The website says that they are closed for renovations, but that is all too frequently code for “permanently closed”, which is precisely what Opentable says. I’ll keep watching to see what develops.
Well this was a bit of a surprise… After 20 years, consistently popular Blue Plate has quit their busy location at 1415 Montana Ave. as of last week. Not sure what happened, but nearby Blue Plate Taco and Blue Plate Oysterette remain open. Read their goodbye message here, and I’ll keep watching to see what develops.
It wasn’t that long age that I first told you about a new North African-influenced restaurant going into the space at 9533 S. Santa Monica Blvd. in Beverly Hills. Lasting a little over a year, it sadly appears that Couscous A Gogo has vacated the location. The awnings have been pulled down, their phone number no longer works, and the space is being gutted. This is a tough stretch of Santa Monica Blvd: puffy meringue people Bo Nuage recently quit their space, and remember Beverly Hills Beignet? I’ll keep watching to see what develops.
Those of you looking for a quick sandwich fix in Brentwood might have to go a bit farther afield. It looks like quotidian sandwich chain Subway has vacated the space at 11762 San Vicente Blvd. Not sure what happened or what may take over the location, but I’ll keep watching…
It was almost three years ago that I first noticed that a branch of Caffe Primo was intending on moving into the corner space at 7th and Arizona in Downtown Santa Monica, across the street from wildly popular Cassia. But all that appears to have changed. Recently, all the window announcements were pulled down, and a for lease sign has gone up on the vacant space. It looks like the West Hollywood location is gone as well. I’m not sure what happened, but I’ll keep watching to see what develops.
It’s often been said that when God closes a frozen yogurt joint, he opens a fast food pasta restaurant… Here are the latest changes to the stumbling Santa Monica Place food scene. Tutti Frutti Frozen Yogurt has closed up shop just outside the food court. And plucky contender Z Pastabar has opened inside the food court, which is now completely occupied.
A sad day for Indian food on the Westside… Longstanding Santa Monica institution Nawab of India has vacated its cavernous space at 1621 Wilshire Blvd. I’ll keep watching to see what develops.
Toddrickallen 