Sadly, it appears the reign of mint mojito coffee is coming to an end in Downtown Santa Monica. There’s a gracious notice on the front door of the Philz Coffee at 525 Santa Monica Blvd. that states their last day will be April 30, 2024. Not sure what happened to this branch of the Bay Area third wave coffee darling, but if you’re desperate for a cup of minty caffeinated goodness, check out their other locations here.
(Thanks Ely!)
It looks like a new java joint is poised to caffeinate the sleepy students at SaMo High. Window paper us up on the easily overlooked corner spot at 707 Pico Blvd. announcing the arrival of Little Bean Cold Brew. There doesn’t seem to be a lot of information out there, and there are other coffeeshops that use the term “little bean” in their names, but this one will offer “specialty small batch cold brew”. Let me know if you have more information…
Tucked into a corner space at Found Santa Monica, at 12311 Santa Monica Blvd, is a build-out on a new Mexican restaurant. Promising “lobster tacos” and “beach vibes”, The Cliffdiver appears to be settling in. The Cliffdiver has a location in Thousand Oaks and boasts a menu of favorites (and a good happy hour) in a chill setting.
The entire Westside heaved a sigh of relief when I reported that bakery darling Sweet Lady Jane had been saved from oblivion. (Read the story of how that happened here.) But, after a triumphant opening of some locations this week, Santa Monica’s newly opened branch has apparently hit a snag. There’s an LA County notice of closure affixed to the front door. There’s also an explanation from the current owner, who places the blame squarely on “ex-owners who didn’t request permits for their remodels”. They are apparently scrambling to make things right as soon as possible. The drama of the triple berry cake continues…
It looks like The Golden Triangle is about to get a lot sweeter. There’s window paper up on the space that has housed many businesses, but most recently John Kelly Chocolates, at 9523 S Santa Monica Blvd. Hey Tea began life in 2012 in Guangdong, China and offers a proprietary “New Style” of tea that uses “real milk, real fruits, real premium tea, and real cane sugar” with intriguing flavors such as “Very Grape Cheezo”, “Very Persimmon Crystal”, and “Roasted Brown Bobo Milk”.
As I’ve been telling you, sleek Montana Ave in Santa Monca is becoming quite a food destination. New eateries are popping up all over the stylish street. Le Cafe de la Plage recently opened. Van Lueewen and Oakberry are on the way. Now it looks like the space right next to Oakberry will soon be home to a new bakery. Window paper is up on 709 Montana announcing the arrival of Fōnuts. The self-described “enlightened donut” purveyor has a location on West 3rd and a location in Studio City and offers a menu with a variety of healthy baked options that are gluten-free and vegan.
Sadly, after a long run as one of Beverly Hills’ go-to spots for breakfast/lunch, a solid local fave is about to close its doors. Scrawled on the chalkboard that hangs on the front of The Farm of Beverly Hills‘ 439 N. Beverly Drive location are the words, “Thank you for 26 years! March 3rd will be our last day of service“. That means you still have a few days to snag a table and reminisce about all those power lunches from years gone by….
(Thanks Tony!)
Despair no longer Good People of Santa Monica, Triple Berry Cakes may be returning! On a tip from a reader (Thanks Missy!), I went by the very empty former location of beloved bakery Sweet Lady Jane at 1631 Montana in Santa Monica. You may recall they recently abruptly pulled up stakes, much to the shock of fans. Sure enough, as you can see, there is a hopeful note attached to the front door that promises they will be “opening again soon”. I don’t have any information on the other locations. There’s obviously more to this story so I’ll keep watching this surprising development.
Update: Here’s the complete skinny on Eater.
Montana Ave, Santa Monica’s preeminent shopping/dining street, is becoming a sweet destination. Rori’s Artisanal Creamery, Pinkberry, and Frozen Fruit Company are just a few of the places to score a frozen treat. And now one more is on the way… Window paper is up on the space that used to be home to Erin Mckenna’s Bakery, at 1415 Montana, announcing another ice cream spot. Van Leeuwen, which started out in 2008 in New York as a food truck, will soon be bringing their signature artisan ice creams, vegan ice creams, sundaes, vegan chocolate chip cookies, and shakes to the tony neighborhood.
(Thanks Sara!)
The troubled space on the corner of Wilshire and 4th in Downtown Santa Monica has had its share of issues. For a long while, it was a sputtering branch of P.F. Chang’s. That disappeared in 2021. Then a new contender, Lotus Dim Sum Dumpling House, gave the spot a chance and opened about a year and a half ago. Sadly, it now appears they too have given up the ghost. I’ll keep watching to see what may give the commodious location a go.
Great news Good People of MDR, luscious icy treats are heading your way! Crazy-popular gelato experts Bacio di Latte are continuing their expansion. With a location in The Westfield Century City Shopping Center and a new one in Brentwood, it appears they are taking a space in the Waterside Marina del Rey Shopping Center. You’re welcome!
This is a bit of a surprise… It was back in 2019 when I told you about the new branch of “modern Chinese” chain Chin Chin that opened in the old P.F. Chang space at 2041 Rosecrans in El Segundo. Sadly, they it appears they have already given up the ghost at this location. I’ll keep watching the tricky address to see who’s brave enough to attempt it.
(Thanks A.!)
On a tip from a reader, I went by the tricky space that has hosted many restaurants, most recently Wise Sons, at 9552 Washington Blvd. There’s a banner on the front informing us that Vietnamese cafe Nong Lá is setting up housekeeping. Well known for their “Phở, Bún, and Bánh Mì“, Nong Lá has two other locations in LA and is planning on a Winter 2024 opening at this location.
(Thanks Andrew!)
A sharp-eyed reader (Thanks Sam!) wrote to tell me about the recent disappearance of Iron Teapot Dim Sum & Bar from its location at 10306 Venice Blvd., Los Angeles (Palms). Wasting no time whatsoever, a new eatery is settling into the address. Fire My Pasta will bring “Italian Inspired Cuisine & Bar”, with pasta and pizza on the menu.
Santa Monica is about to get its second branch of international acai experts Oakberry (the first location is on the corner of Berkeley and Wilshire). There’s window paper across two storefronts at 705 and 707 Montana Ave announcing the news. Oakberry offers acai that is 100% natural with no food coloring, artificial preservatives, or guarana syrup. They operate a number of locations in Brazil and continue an impressive international expansion.
It was back in September of last year that I told you about an exciting new sandwich shop taking over the old Greens Up! space at 912 Montana Ave. in Santa Monica. The window paper has finally come down, and B&T’s Deli will officially soft-open on Saturday, February 3rd at 11am. While there’s no online menu quite yet, here’s a glimpse of the plant-based sandwich options listed on their menu boards. We wish them the best of luck…
The space at 1315 Third St. Promenade has had a tumultuous history. In the past, it has been the home of The Gallery Food Hall, and hosted such luminaries as Falafel King, and Dave Beran’s elegant Dialogue, and STRFSH by The Voltaggio Brothers. Hopes were high when ghost kitchen Kitchen United MIX took over the tricky location last year with a fresh spate of eateries. That hope appears to have been dashed on the rocks as evidenced by the note taped to the front door stating that they are “closed until further notice” (and offering some stern bathroom advice). I’ll keep watching to see what’s going on…
A happy new food choice is coming to Santa Monica soon… There’s window paper up on the space at most recently occupied by Luna Grill at 3001 Ste 103 Wilshire Blvd. announcing the impending arrival of Jin Cook. Promising “Authentic Korean Soul Food”, Jin Cook has locations in Glendale and Santa Clarita and offers an exciting menu of soups, “hot stone” dishes, pancakes, and katsu.
Short-lived Honeyboba abandoned the space at 11573 W. Santa Monica Blvd. (corner of Federal) in West LA (officially Sawtelle) quite some time ago. Now a plucky new contender is going to give the tricky corner a chance. Signs are already up announcing the arrival of Bonsai Coffee Bar. Not much info yet on this establishment, so if you know more, pass it along…
Update: A rep for Bonsai reached out to me with more information. ” [Bonsai is] owned by two first-generation Asian Americans, and it’s a spacious, minimalist cafe serving Andytown Coffee (from the owner’s old neighborhood in SF) and Ippodo matcha (the legendary tea house in Kyoto). They have some really cool specialty lattes that might not be familiar to a lot of LA coffee drinkers–like a mango espresso latte and a matcha/espresso combo latte. There’s a range of seating inside from the hightop bar (tons of outlets, great wifi) and cozier nooks for coming in with friends or meeting for work.” They are currently in soft opening. (02/07/2024)
Well, I can’t exactly say this was a surprise… While other locations of Mexican party spot Kalaveras are quite popular, Santa Monica’s branch has long struggled to attract crowds. Perhaps this was because of the cursed location (it was previously the doomed home of Belcampo), or its proximity to perennially popular El Cholo across the street. But whatever the reason, Kalaveras has abandoned this location at 1026 Wilshire Blvd. I’ll keep watching the tricky space to see what may develop…
Toddrickallen 