South Santa Monica Blvd. in The Golden Triangle can be a tricky location. Eateries come and go along the notoriously capricious strip. But that doesn’t seem to deter plucky newcomers. Recently I told you about The Kind Ones, and right next door, in what used to be Bo Nuage at 9523 S. Santa Monica, signs have recently gone up announcing a branch of expanding Australian coffee chain Bluestone Lane.
Well that didn’t take long… It was only just a couple of weeks ago that I told you about a new pressed juice joint landing in the old Basanti Tea Bar space at 9465 S. Santa Monica Blvd. Wasting no time, Organica Juice Bar is now up and slinging smoothies to the good people of Beverly Hills.
To all my dedicated readers and everyone who visits this site, I wish the best that the Season has to offer. May your Holidays be filled with all manner of delicious things and your celebrations be bright and joyful. Thanks for reading!
It appears that Beverly Hills is about to get a whole lot sweeter soon… Window displays are up announcing confirmation that the much-anticipated Fatamorgana Gelato will soon be arriving to the space at 162 S Beverly Dr. in Beverly Hills. The celebrity fave Italian brand has one shop in Studio City and boasts 66 hand-made flavors, 26 of which are vegan, and everything is gluten-free. I’m told they’re shooting for a March opening.
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.
I’ve been watching the new construction on the northeast corner of Washington and Overland in Culver City to see what may develop. After a new Starbucks, it appears that a branch of sandwich chain Jimmy John’s is intent on moving in. There are still a lot of spaces left on the ground floor, so I’ll keep watching to see what else may land there.
Bareburger quietly slipped out of its space at 2732 Main St. in Santa Monica last month. Wasting no time, it looks like a new contender is ready to give the capricious Main St. food scene a try. A new ABC application has already gone up in the window. The applicant is listed as Jolie LLC and the business name is oddly marked “_._._._ Jolie“. No idea what this means, and there’s no information out there that I can find, so I guess we’ll have to wait and see…
Back in April, I told you about the new Kreation Kafe coming to the old Gaucho Grill location at 11754 San Vicente Blvd. in Brentwood. At the time, I noticed an ABC application on the front, something unusual for the healthy chain better known for their “pressed juices” and “cleanses”. Kreation Kafe officially opened today at 7am. (If you rush, you might be lucky enough to be one of the first 100 who will receive free juice.) But what’s different about this Kreation, is that they will be serving “Kreation Kocktails”, which are made with beer, wine, and their proprietary juice blends and are intended for people who “like to drink healthy but still get buzzed”. Kale yes!
The corner space at 20th and Santa Monica Blvd. in Santa Monica, in what is currently the Gateway Hotel, has had a rocky past. First it was an IHOP. Then, for a minute, it was Rudy & Hudson California Diner. Now something exciting is on the way. An ABC application informs us that a new eatery is intent on moving in, but there’s no business name listed. There is however a design review notice that shows an artist’s rendering of the new place, and gives it a name: Socalo. And according to this article in the Santa Monica Daily Press, Socalo will be none other than Mary Sue Milliken’s and Susan Feniger’s triumphant return to Santa Monica, after the demise of the iconic Border Grill. I can’t wait.
Well that didn’t take long… Only just a couple of weeks ago, I told you about the disappearance of Air Food from the space at 109 Broadway in Downtown Santa Monica. Wasting no time whatsoever, a newcomer is moving in. An ABC application pasted to the front door lets us know that something called Interstellar will soon call this location home. Not much out there on Interstellar, so I guess we’ll have to wait and see what develops.
I’m not sure this qualifies as restaurant news, but… I recently spotted an ABC application affixed to the front of an old vacuum cleaner shop at 2924 Wilshire Blvd. announcing an upcoming branch of national chain Board & Brush Creative Studio. Self-described “DIY wood sign workshop” Board & Brush specializes in drinking, socializing with friends, and creating wooden signs. Hmmm…
Perhaps we’re not done with the pressed juice craze just yet… Back in December of last year I told you about the demise of Basanti Tea Bar at 9465 S. Santa Monica Blvd. in Beverly Hills. And now it looks like a new contender is moving in. Window signage indicates that Organica Juice Bar will soon be the new occupant. According to the window, you can expect a menu of cold-pressed juices, superfoods, smoothies, bowls, and, well… you get the picture.
Remember back in 2014 when I first noticed that Caffe Primo was intending on moving into the corner space at Arizona and 7th? This sleepy section of Downtown Santa Monica had been revitalized by the arrival of popular Cassia and Esters across the street. But something went wrong, and not only did Caffe Primo pull out of the space at 702 Arizona, but they closed everywhere. Since then the space has sat vacant… until now. A new ABC application announces that Izakaya Osen is moving in. At the time of this writing, I’m unclear if this is the same eatery as Silverlake’s Osen Izakaya. More to come…
Update: It will be the second branch for Osen Izakaya. Eater has the details here.
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…
Signs are up on the space at 2206 Sawtelle Blvd. (corner of Olympic) informing us that America’s first branch of Singapore-based 4Fingers Crispy Chicken is moving in. 4Fingers has been expanding in Southeast Asia and Australia since its launch in 2009, and is looking to make inroads into the USA and Europe. Look for a menu of Korean-style fried chicken that is free range and antibiotic/hormone-free, brushed with their naturally fermented soy garlic or hot and spicy proprietary sauces.
Ever since we learned that longstanding healthy Mexican purveyor Kayndaves had abandoned their location at 262 26th St., across from the increasingly tony Brentwood Country Mart, I’ve been wondering who would even undertake such an upscale market. The corner of San Vicente and 26th has proven itself a challenging location as evidenced by the revolving door of restaurants that has attempted the space that most recently held L’Ami. (The latest gasp of hope, the ABC app that I reported on back in January has since been taken down and I think we’re back to square one.) But now, one brave contender is giving the Kayndaves space a go… A banner is up informing us that it will soon be the home of Tara’s Himalayan Cuisine. With three other locations scattered across the Southland offering Nepali, Tibetan, and Indian food, we wish them the best of luck.
I’d like to take this moment to thank all my dedicated readers and everyone who visits this site and wish all a very Happy Thanksgiving. I’m very grateful to you for giving me the inspiration and support to keep exploring the excitement of the LA food scene. May your Holiday be filled with great food, family and friends, fun, and all manner of deliciousness!
Happ
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 looks like a small vegan café with a previous footprint in the neighborhood is moving into the diminutive space at 306 Pico Blvd. in Santa Monica that once housed Lifefood Organic. A reader pointed out a note taped to the front door indicates this will be the future home of vegan eatery Avo Café. It looks like they’re not too far from opening, but in the mean time check out their menu of breakfasts, bowls, Panini, and pizza here.
Remember back in May when a reader sent me to the empty space at 2212 Wilshire Blvd. in Santa Monica to check out an recently posted ABC application? At the time, I couldn’t find out much information on the business listed as “Miracle Scoops”. But a small now hiring notice taped to the front door spills the beans. It appears that this location will be a branch of expanding minichain Kanpai Japanese Sushi Bar and Grill.
Toddrickallen 