If you follow this blog, then you know what a tricky market S. Santa Monica Blvd. is in the Golden Triangle of Beverly Hills. Courageous contenders routinely come and go. The latest to go? It appears that high-end candy shop Sugarfina has pulled up stakes at their 9495 S. Santa Monica Blvd. location leaving a gaping cavity on the glittery street.
And while we’re on the subject of P.F. Chang’s, here’s more bad news… A sharp-eyed reader (Thanks E.R.!) noticed that P.F. Chang’s building at 326 Wilshire Blvd. was listed as up for lease last week. There aren’t any obvious signs that it will be closing, and they certainly still seem busy, but if the if the LoopNet ad is to be believed, they’ll be out before July 1. I don’t know what’s going on at P.F. Chang’s, but this certainly doesn’t look good following the recent closure of their El Segundo location as well.
It looks like P.F. Chang’s is out from its longtime location at 2041 Rosecrans Suite 120 in El Segundo. And replacing it? Banners are up letting us know that a brand new branch of dim sum and Chinese chicken salad experts Chin Chin will soon be moving in. But that’s not all… There’s also a banner trumpeting the arrival of BBCM to the same location. In case you’re unfamiliar with the mini chain, BBCM stands for “The Butcher, The Baker, The Cappuccino Maker” and offers a menu of “modern California cuisine with European influences” and baked goods in a bright and cheerful setting.
Café Crepe has long anchored the corner of Broadway and The Third St. Promenade, and was perpetually crowded with tourists. So it comes as a surprise that they have abruptly and unceremoniously closed up shop. A brief note on the door bids a quick Au Revoir, and mentions the Canadian company’s other LA location, at Union Station.
The El Segundo restaurant scene continues its volatile ride… It appears that OG Plaza El Segundo eatery Sammy’s Woodfired Pizza & Grill has quit its space at 780 S Sepulveda Blvd. I had thought maybe they were remodeling, but the place is gutted and the signs have come down. It looks like something new is coming because the construction is fast and furious. I’ll keep watching to see what develops.
Pizza competition is stiff in student overrun Westwood. It’s the ideal grab-and-go for the academic set and bolthole pizza restaurants abound. A large for lease sign on the front lets us know that one casualty is Extreme Pizza at 1067 Glendon Ave. Not sure what happened, but I’ll keep watching to see what may move in.
The diminutive space at 725 Broadway is hard pressed to keep a tenant. In the distant past it was Bowl of Heaven, followed by Enso Tea/Acai. But the acai craze is beginning to look a little tired lately, and Enso has vacated the location. I’ll keep watching the troubled spot to see what may develop.
I wouldn’t necessarily expect this type of response… My inbox has been flooded recently with people who are losing their sh*t over the sudden and mysterious disappearance of Santa Monica’s branch of burger chain Fuddruckers on the corner of Wilshire and 20th. Popular with the weekday professional lunch crowd and families on weekends, the closure caught many by surprise. I don’t have any information on what happened, but I’ll monitor the situation to see what develops.
With the surprising closure of their flagship Westwood outpost in mind, this doesn’t portend well… A sign on the front of the recently darkened 800 Degrees on the corner of Wilshire and 2nd announces that they have closed due to a ventilation issue. They appear to have closed on Thursday of last week, and since then, the place looks lifeless. Let’s hope that the sign is correct and that they fix their problem soon… I’ll keep watching.
Update 03/15/19: 800 Degrees appears to have reopened after all.
With competition in El Segundo/Manhattan Beach stiff, the restaurant scene in the back development of Plaza El Segundo is fighting for life. In 2017, an outpost of Samosa House took over The Counter space at the front of the mall. But now, it appears, they have given up the ghost as evidenced by the papered-over windows. That leaves only three eateries left, including an increasingly isolated Veggie Grill.
When you consider how much energy, expense, and talent goes into the opening of a restaurant, any closure is a sad event, but this is truly sad… Retro-themed ice cream shop Beach City Creamery (formerly Beachy Cream) has finally closed its doors at 1209 Wilshire in Santa Monica. They had made a valiant effort at keeping the doors open in the cozy Santa Monica neighborhood, but they have delivered their last artisan ice cream sandwich. We wish them the best of luck in their future endeavors.
The City of Beverly Hills should consider rebranding their glamorous downtown as the Golden Devil’s Triangle for its ability to make restaurants disappear. The latest? Japanese batter specialist Harajuku Crepe has vacated its space at 9405 S. Santa Monica Blvd. Not sure what happened, but I’ll keep watching to see what develops…
Considering the amount of time they spent on renovating the space, this is certainly sad news… D1 Café has unceremoniously vacated its location at 10959 Kinross Ave. in Westwood. I took almost a year and a half from the time I first noticed the extensive construction until their opening. The space is now gutted. I’ll keep watching to see what, if anything, moves into the tricky spot.
Update: A reader let me know that a fire took out D1 in August. Perhaps they’ll reopen…
It looks like local fave Cabbage Patch has dispensed their last sandwich at 214 S Beverly Dr. in Beverly Hills. Their website lets us know that they’ve closed their Downtown branch as well. That leaves one location left, in Marina Del Rey.
A big available sign in the window of 9667 Wilshire Blvd. in Beverly Hills lets us know that after a valiant effort, Little Highness Bao is done dishing dumplings. Sadly, this stretch of The Golden Triangle is a historically challenging one for restaurants. I’ll keep watching to see what develops…
When a promising and plucky new French restaurant burst onto the scene early last year, I was hopeful that Air Food would be a new neighborhood favorite. But Downtown Santa Monica can be a tricky neighborhood. By all appearances, it looks like they have abandoned their location at 109 Broadway. Yelp is reporting them as temporarily closed, but the place is nearly gutted and… we’ve seen this before.
It seems like you can’t swing a dead cat in Santa Monica without hitting a branch of ubiquitous sandwich chain Subway. That’s why it’s surprising the one located at 3023 Wilshire Blvd. closed down. And the replacement? Competitor Jimmy John’s is about to give Santa Monica its first branch.
And while we’re on the subject of closures… I’m not sure when this happened, but I only recently noticed that Santa Monica’s popular sushi restaurant and after work bar scene Wokcano has quietly disappeared from its location at 1413 5th St. in Downtown Santa Monica. I’ll keep watching to see what hopeful contender may vie for the cavernous space.
Well, this was a bit of a shocker… The other day, when I popped in for a green lemonade to M Café Beverly Hills, I was greeted with a note on the front informing me that after 10 years they had “officially closed”. Not sure what happened, but I’ll keep my eye on their space at 9433 Brighton Way to see what develops.
Icy treat fave Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt has abandoned its conspicuous corner position at 3851 Main St. in Culver City. No idea what happened, but the for lease signs in the window confirm the departure. I’ll keep watching to see what may land in the prominent space.
Toddrickallen 