You could be forgiven if you thought that the food scene at the Westfield Century City Shopping Center has stabilized after the remodel. Latest case in point? The capricious food court is gaining a new resident: Fuwa Teriyaki Grill.
It was an astonishing 3 years ago that I told you about the development of the space at 1001 Gayley, erstwhile home of a Coffee Bean. Qwench Juice Bar has officially thrown open its doors and is now dishing juices, smoothies, bowls, sandwiches to the good people of Westwood. What on earth took so long? According to a spokesperson, investor issues and city permit problems are to blame.
What was in distant memory once a dusty old Third Street Promenade tourist pit stop, The Gallery Food Hall, has been systematically transforming into a remarkable food destination over the past few years. Joining such lofty names as STRFSH, Paperboy, Dialogue, and the fascinating Social Eats concept, there’s now another name to add to the list. Kameo Shave Ice has opened in the old Everytable space on the ground floor. But you’d better hurry, the website promises a “limited time” only.
About two years ago, the strip mall popular with SaMoHi students on the corner of Lincoln and Pico in Santa Monica underwent a major remodel. Some of the storefronts mysteriously remain vacant, but it appears that is changing. Work is fast and furious on a new restaurant moving into the corner location. A new sign promises us that Pita House will soon be bringing us “Mediterranean cuisine”.
I just noticed a new banner and sign in front of the space at 11737 W Washington Blvd. in Culver City. I looks like something named Green Apple Café is moving in. Not much information out there on Green Apple, so I guess we’ll have to wait and see what develops.
This doesn’t happen very often… It appears that the Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf has closed its popular free-standing location at 1500 Westwood Blvd. I’m not sure what happened, but there is construction going on at the location. We’ll have to wait and see…
A new eatery is coming to the commodious space last occupied by Charly’s Restaurant at 4549 Imperial Hwy. A banner on the front is announcing the impending arrival of Ms. B’s M & M Soul Food Restaurant. This will be the second location for the Inglewood institution, home to “World Famous Mississippi Home Cooking”.
The Culver City mercurial food scene continues its rocky ride… There’s a big for lease sign in the window of what used to be Signature Burger at 3835 Main St. in Downtown Culver City. Could it be due to the new Burgerim about to open just a few doors down? I’ll keep watching to see what may take its place.
Ever since longtime El Segundo fixture Main St. Café closed its doors a while back at 450 Main St., I’ve been watching to see what may take a chance on the iconic location. We now have a taker… A new ABC application spills the beans that Tapizon is intent on moving in. Notices in the window promise to connect people with the “abundant health benefits of natural Amazonian ingredients” and to create a Tropi-Cali Lifestyle, which they describe as a “fusing of natural ingredients, authentic settings and original recipes with local flavors and culture”.
Construction is fast and furious on a new Greek restaurant landing in the strip mall on the corner of Rose and Lincoln in Venice. A new sign lets us know that ELA Greek Eats is well underway. ELA is a project from the man behind the erstwhile Waterloo & City in Culver City and Inotheke in Santa Monica, Carolos Tomazos. We wish him the best of luck.
If you’ve been reading this blog, you’re aware of the recent mass exodus of restaurants from Westwood. But the news isn’t all doom and gloom… One plucky eatery appears to be doing just fine. A banner above the recently deceased Lollicup at 1131 Westwood Blvd. is announcing that longtime Westwood fixture Headline’s Diner is moving into the front and center location.
Well this is a shocker… I’ve been hearing from readers who were astonished to learn that West LA landmark Lenny’s Deli abruptly shut its doors for good over the weekend at their 2379 Westwood Blvd. location. Sure enough, a hand-written note pasted on the front declares that they are “officially closed”. I’m not sure what has happened, or what will become of the massive space, but I’ll keep watching…
Update: Eater has the full skinny here.
As you can tell if you read this blog, it’s been a hard Summer for restaurants… But seriously, what’s going on in Westwood? A quick jog around the Village left me gobsmacked, with no less that four restaurants recently deceased. Last week I told you about the disappearance of long-standing Westwood anchor Tanino. But add to the list Nushii, Lollicup, and perhaps most surprising, Spireworks. If you recall, Spireworks burst on the scene back in 2016 and caused a stir by introducing The Westside to its signature Turkish döner (spit-roasted meat). I’m not sure why the sudden exodus, but I’ll keep watching.
For those of you who take your staycations in Montecito comes this news: A popular name in Santa Barbara Italian fare is opening a branch in the Coast Village Plaza at 1187 Coast Village Road. Ca’Dario Trattoria & Pizzeria will be battling stiff competition along the already red sauce laden strip. We wish them the best of luck…
Beverly Hills can be a tricky location for casual lunch spots. Sadly, one that has survived the sturm und drang for 10 years recently closed shop. A gracious note on the front door lets us know that Greenleaf Gourmet Chopshop has quit its location at 9671 Wilshire Blvd. Greenleaf has six other locations across the LA/OC area.
Well this came as a bit of shock, but longstanding red sauce joint Tanino Ristorante Bar appears to be finished at 1043 Westwood Blvd. Tanino anchored the mercurial Westwood food scene for 20 years, but sadly paper is now covering the windows. I’m not sure what happened, but I’ll keep watching to see what develops…
Competition for dairy-based treats in the Westfield Century City Shopping Center is stiff. The latest victim? While I’m not entirely sure when it happened, I’ve noticed that Yagourt & Bougatsa has cleared out of their space in the kiosk just outside of their parent restaurant Petros. It seems that all in not quite settled in Century City yet…
If you’ve noticed all the construction on the building at 11601 San Vicente Blvd. in Brentwood, on the corner of Wilshire, you may be wondering what’s coming… Window paper recently went up letting us all know that the prominent location will soon be the home of Brentwood’s first branch of rapidly-expanding Australian coffee chain Bluestone Lane. Where to find parking on the busy corner is anyone’s guess…
It looks like a new chocolate shop is landing in Beverly Hills soon. Window paper is heralding the arrival of Chokolatta to the diminutive space at 255 1/2 S Beverly Dr. Apparently the focus here is small batch, handmade chocolates, desserts, and drinks with an emphasis on “Pre-Hispanic recipes and the ancient Mayan culture” that you can read more about here.
It was back in November that I told you about the impending arrival of Tara’s Himalayan Cuisine to the tricky location that was previously occupied by Kayndaves, at 262 26th St. in Santa Monica, across from the Brentwood Country Mart. To those of you who have been following this story for updates, I have good news: Tara’s Himalayan Cuisine has officially thrown open its doors for business. This is their third location. Look for an extensive menu featuring Nepali, Tibetan, and Indian food. No liquor license yet, but they’ll let you bring in wine with no corkage. We wish them every success…
