I’m hearing from surprised readers who have noticed the permanently drawn curtains and lack of activity at Downtown Santa Monica’s neighborhood watering hole and eatery The Independence. The Independence has anchored the corner of 2nd and Broadway since 2014, when it replaced Buddha’s Belly. Sadly, for all intents and purposes, it appears that it has quietly disappeared. I’ll keep my eye on the space at 205 Broadway to see what may develop…
This was surprising to me… It appears that Downtown Santa Monica’s perennial popular burger joint Stout Burgers & Beer has disappeared from its location at 111 Santa Monica Blvd. I’m not exactly sure when it closed, but the windows are papered over, perhaps indicating a new inhabitant is in the works. I’ll keep watching…
Update: A reader let me know that the space is being taken over by next door’s Bar Monette and will feature “French small plates and burgers”. (Thanks Sean!)
There’s a new banner hanging over 331 Wilshire Blvd. in Downtown Santa Monica. The space has long sat empty since Greenleaf Kitchen & Cocktails closed up shop during The Pandemic. The name on the banner is Maru Sushi and underneath that, it promises “ramen / ezakaya“. I’m unable to find any more information about the new eatery as there are a number or restaurants that use the word “Maru” in their name, so if you know more, reach out to me…
There’s strange window paper up on the space most recently occupied by Belgian confectionary experts KC Chocolatier. 1431 B 2nd St. is covered over with photos of various bowls, tropical images, and bold letters promising “Juice, Smoothie, Bowls”. Santa Monica Daily Press clears up the mystery by naming the new business as Little Hawaii Juice Bar. Get the skinny in their article here.
There’s window paper up on the space at 11301 W Olympic Blvd UNIT 124 announcing a new milk tea joint. But not just any one: This one appears to be the winner of the Taiwan Milk Tea Festival in 2022. Odd One Out Craft Milk Tea hails from Taipei and according to their website, they are opening a shop in Downtown Santa Monica as well. I think they’re close to opening at this location, but while you’re waiting, get a peek at their menu here.
Cozy brunch/lunch/take-away spot Marmalade Cafe is opening a second branch in Santa Monica. They already have their popular original location that opened on Montana Ave in 1990. Now there’s a banner announcing their impending arrival hanging over the space at 525 Santa Monica Blvd. Suite 120 in Downtown Santa Monica, previously home to Sunnin Lebanese Cafe. This will be the eighth branch of the “fresh, high quality, eclectic, California-inspired” cafe.
Update: Marmalade is closing their Montana Ave. store and moving to this location.
Update: Marmalade is now open at this location.
A longtime provider of healthy juices to the yoga crowd in Downtown Santa Monica has mysteriously closed its doors. There’s a note on the front of Nekter Juice Bar, at 1422 2nd St. that says they are “currently not open to the public”, whatever that means. But don’t worry, Nekter has a number of other locations across SoCal, and the US.
A few weeks back, when I told you about the lineup of eateries coming to ghost kitchen Kitchen United MIX, (formerly The Gallery Food Hall) at 1315 Third St Promenade in Downtown Santa Monica, I included links to each listed restaurant… except one. At the time, I couldn’t find any information about Farmesa. But just this week, details began to trickle in. According to this Forbes article, Farmesa is a new fast/casual concept from none other than Chipotle Mexican Grill that will offer bowls with proteins, grains, greens, sauces, and toppings. The menu is curated by famous chef and cookbook author Nate Appleman, whose CV includes San Francisco’s A16 and SPQR. It looks like they’re shooting for a February opening.
News has been slowly dripping out on the latest batch of contenders in the saga of the Kitchen United MIX (formerly The Gallery Food Hall) at 1315 Third St Promenade in Downtown Santa Monica. I’ve already told you about Duck Donuts and Santa Monica Brew Works, but now we have more news because of a sign that recently went up on the front. Here’s the impressive lineup: Lolo’s Tacos, Calico Fish House, 101 Burger, Mad Scientist Ice Cream, Go Go Ya, Ms. Cluck’s Deluxe Chicken & Dumplings, Farmesa, and breakfast experts Blu Jam Xpress.
Remember a few weeks ago when I told you about a new restaurant landing in the old Red Ruby space at 109 Santa Monica Blvd? At the time, I had little information about Bar Monette except that it would be a pizza and wine bar. Since then, the good people over at Bar Monette were kind enough to reach out to me with more information. Bar Monette is described as a “Neapolitan pizza concept” with Chef Sean MacDonald at the helm. This is his first US restaurant. Chef MacDonald was previously chef/owner of Biga Pies and ēst Restaurant in Toronto, which recently made Canada’s 100 Best Restaurants List. (Incidentally, Bar Monette is named after MacDonald’s wife Monette.) Expect a “refined tapas” and wine bar menu with Spanish/Italian influences. I’ll let them describe the menu themselves:
“The menu will be split into five categories; Pizza (eg Pesto Dungeness Crab, Pine Nut, Basil, Aged Cheese), Piccoli Piatti (small plates designed to pair with the pizza eg. Butterleaf with Basil, Pine Nut and Passionfruit), Sugo (a selection of sauces and dips for the crusts (eg Burnt Romanesco and Jalapeño Tonnato) and a small selection of Addizionale (eg Shaved Truffle and Caviar). Desserts will be changed daily depending on seasonality and chef preference (eg Black Cacao, Reishi Mushroom and Mint). The menu will change seasonally and offer vegan and vegetarian options. The drinks menu will offer unique selection of natural wines and beers alongside a water menu highlighting a choice of carbonation level and mineral content.”
They are planning on opening any day now, pending liquor license approval. Bar Monette will be open for walk-ins only from Noon to Midnight, closed Sundays, and will be cashless. We wish them the best of luck.
I’m hearing from many of you who are really not that surprised that Santa Monica’s branch of Fox Restaurant Concepts‘ Flower Child appears caput at 1332 Second Street in Downtown Santa Monica. You may recall, Flower Child started spreading their good vibes back in 2016 with a sunny menu aimed at the health conscious. I’m not sure what may have gone wrong, but I’ll keep my eye on the space to see what will develop.
I haven’t quite figured out the revolving door situation at Kitchen United MIX (formerly The Gallery Food Hall) at 1315 Third St Promenade in Downtown Santa Monica. Restaurants seem to come and go with alarming rapidity. But at least two new eateries are giving the location a go. Recently, I told you about a branch of Santa Monica Brew Works that is settling in. And it now appears that Duck Donuts will be occupying the front space. Duck Donuts has locations across America and offers customizable made-to-order donuts with choices for coatings, toppings, and drizzle.
The commodious space at 1705 Ocean Ave. In Downtown Santa Monica has hosted a number of different restaurants including (maybe) a Joan’s on Third, H B Daisy, and Winston Pies. The location has been vacant for a cool minute, but that’s about to change. Self-described “laid-back and unpretentious neighborhood restaurant, coffeehouse and meeting place” Sweet Maple is moving into the address. Their website confirms it. This will be the first SoCal location for the San Francisco-based restaurant famous for their Millionaire’s Bacon, which is “extra-thick, sweet and spicy bacon” that is “slow-cooked for hours with brown sugar and spicy peppers to a chewy perfection”. Check out the menu of their original branch for an idea of what may be coming.
(Thanks Frank!)
It was back in 2017 when I told you about the exciting arrival of KC Chocolatier to Downtown Santa Monica. Impressive chocolates, ice cream, and hot chocolate flown in from Belgium put KC squarely on the map for chocolate lovers. Sadly, fan adoration didn’t appear to be enough. KC Chocolatier appears to have closed up shop at 1431B 2nd St. All is not lost though… You can still order online.
Holiday pro tip… There’s one yearly tradition that many of us don’t relish: Standing in a long line at a local See’s Candies to buy essential gifts for hosts, coworkers, out-of-town relatives, and service folks. But this year, to ease the burden on Santa Monicans, See’s has opened a full size pop-up that practically no one know about yet. It’s on the ground floor of Santa Monica Place, near Nordstrom, and it promises to save you a lot of time. You’re welcome.
The space at 1315 Third St Promenade in Downtown Santa Monica has had a turbulent history. A while ago, it was The Gallery Food Hall. That cleared off to make room for mega ghost kitchen Kitchen United MIX, which as recently as July was promising new food options. I’m not sure what’s going on, but while the Kitchen United signs are still up, the place is closed and gutted with construction underway. And last week, a new ABC application went up on the front announcing that Santa Monica’s very own Santa Monica Brew Works is moving in. As you know, Santa Monica Brew Works is that crazy-busy complex on the corner of 20th and Colorado with proprietary brews and famous square pizza. I don’t have more info than this at this time, but I’ll keep digging…
It looks like something new is coming to 109 Santa Monica Blvd. in Downtown Santa Monica, formerly home to Little Ruby. Construction is underway, and there is a small piece of paper taped to a front window that exposes the new eatery as Bar Monette. There’s not much information out there on Bar Monette, just an under-construction website that lists the new establishment as a pizzeria & wine bar. The website says they are aiming for a January 2023 opening.
I’ve been hearing from startled readers who have noticed that one of the last local branches of former pizza darling 800° Woodfired Kitchen has been taken off life support at 120 Wilshire Blvd. in Santa Monica. Signs have been pulled down and the cavernous space has been gutted. 800° burst onto the scene a few years back wowing people with their innovative design-your-own assembly line approach using quality ingredients that produced a charred-crust pie that seemed like a revelation at the time. I’ll keep my eye on the tricky address to see what may move in.
While no one was looking, a new Japanese restaurant quietly slipped into the space most recently occupied by innovative noodle shop Rakkan Ramen. Sushi Gozen is now open at the hidden location at 1705 Ocean Ave. #111. Sushi Gozen is the sister restaurant to West Hollywood’s Gozen Japanese Sake Bistro and promises a “laid-back seaside vibe” with fresh seafood, sushi pizza, chicken, and other offerings.
With one location in Beverly Hills, it appears that the “no regretti spaghetti” folks at Impasta are expanding their operation westward. There’s window paper up at 413 Santa Monica Blvd. announcing the impending arrival. You may recall that this particular block was nearly destroyed in May of 2020, but has been slowly reviving with the arrival of Blue Bottle, MIXT, and now Impasta. Impasta offers a menu designed for low-carb and gluten-free diets with items such as “classic pasta and pizza recipes made with zero to low carb noodle options, cauliflower crusts”, and no red meat.
Toddrickallen 