A sign above the space at 4254 Lincoln Blvd. in Marina del Rey is announcing that a branch of rapidly expanding Greek chain Nick The Greek is settling in. Nick The Greek operates a number of locations, mostly north of here. Look for a menu of, you guessed it, souvlaki and gyro, as well as falafel, burgers, salads, and soup. New locations in Huntington Beach and Long Beach are also in the works.
Good news Marina del Rey! All you can eat sushi has arrived! There is now a branch of Santa Monica’s Non Stop Sushi & Sake Bar up and running at 4025 Del Rey Ave., in the shopping center on the corner of Washington and Lincoln. (Incidentally, part of the roof awning caved in during one of the storms earlier in the week at their popular Santa Monica location at 2645 Lincoln Blvd.)
At the beginning of the year, I told you about New York pie joint Prince St. Pizza moving into the old Honeybee Burger space at 326 Lincoln Blvd. in Venice. Wasting no time whatsoever, they are currently in a soft opening with evening hours only. But tomorrow, March 9th, they throw open their doors with a Grand Opening that they’re describing as a “Lincoln Blvd Block Party“. They will be handing out free pizza, with vendors and “festivities” in the back parking lot. Grab your free slice and check out the fun from 6pm to 10pm.
(Thanks Jeff!)
The window paper at 1447 Lincoln Blvd. (corner of Broadway) in Santa Monica is announcing that a branch of Health Nut is taking over the space. Not sure what that is? Check with your friends who live in The Valley or The Southbay. Odds are, they’re huge fans of the celebrity fave that began as a vitamin store in 1988. They are known for their fresh, healthy sandwiches and salads with proprietary dressings that people go gaga for. Apparently, Culver City will soon be getting a branch as well at 8900 Venice Blvd #108.
The shopping center on the Southwest corner of Lincoln and Pico is a very busy place. It caters to a steady stream of students pouring out of nearby SaMo High. Already stacked with fast food options, a new contender appears to be moving in soon. A banner over the space at 1902 Lincoln Suite B is announcing a branch of “American Chinese” restaurant chain Panda Express.
A sharp-eyed reader (Thanks Jeff!) noticed a change in residency at 326 Lincoln Blvd. in Venice. Vegan eatery Honeybee Burger has cleared out of the space, and new signs are up announcing a new branch of Prince Street Pizza. Prince Street Pizza hails from New York (of course), and has a location in Miami and three other locations already in LA. They pride themselves on their “Neapolitan Rounds and Sicilian Square pizzas”.
Kye’s opened at 1518 Montana Ave. in November of 2014 and has maintained a solid fanbase ever since. Their signature “KyeRito” (essentially a wrap that they describe as a “handheld bowl or salad”) was popular among the carb-conscious crowds of NoMa. So I was quite surprised when readers began messaging me to let me know that Kye’s has closed at this location. But don’t panic, they are moving the operation to West LA’s “smart kitchen” Colony at 11419 Santa Monica Blvd. Their website also says that they will be opening in a new Colony at 411 Lincoln in Venice as well.
(Thanks Casey!)
If you’re travelling South on Lincoln through Westchester, you might have noticed a large banner hanging on the wall of the former location of Chicago For Ribs at 8311 Lincoln Blvd. The banner lets us know that The Nook Breakfast Spot is taking over the space. The Nook Breakfast Spot has one location in Lomita and promises “homemade meals from scratch”. Check out their Lomita location’s menu here.
Readers have been writing to tell me that Venice’s popular Southern grilled meat spot Baby Baby Blues BBQ has been closed due to a fire. As you can see, operations have ceased and the front is boarded up at 444 Lincoln Blvd. Their website promises a rebuild and says they are looking for another location while that happens. We wish them the best of luck.
The good folks at Capri Gelato & Coffee Bar asked me to pass this along:
“Capri Gelato & Coffee Bar will be announcing some major news over Labor Day Weekend. To celebrate, they are treating all guests in Marina del Rey to a complimentary mini cup of their unique and homemade Passion Fruit Goat Cheese flavored gelato all weekend long.”
Passion fruit goat cheese is their wildly popular proprietary gelato flavor that is “similar to a passion fruit cheesecake: a perfect balance of sweet, and sour yet still creamy“. Sounds like an excellent way to cool off this hot Holiday Weekend.
Capri Gelato is at 4222 Lincoln Blvd. in Marina del Rey. The deal runs from Friday September 2nd through Monday September 5th. Their hours are Friday-Sunday 7am-9pm, and Monday (Labor Day) 7am-8pm.
Some excellent sleuthing on the part of one of my readers (Thanks Helen!) uncovered the mystery of what has leased the former Swingers space at 802 Broadway (corner of Lincoln) in Santa Monica. She was able to discover a municipal application that reveals the name of the new business. Apparently, it is none other than a Sawtelle’s white-hot Mexican destination Hermanito. And this guy’s company is doing the design and consulting. Interesting…
Kai Ramen continues its expansion. There’s a banner up on the space at 8334 Lincoln Blvd. in Westchester announcing a new branch. Kai Ramen has locations across LA and offers a menu of “gourmet Japanese ramen” with pork, chicken, or vegan broth, as well as appetizers, sushi, and rice bowls.
A new dessert place is expanding into The Westside. MeloMelo has a new location in Westchester at 8336 Lincoln, and is soft-opening a location in Sawtelle Japantown this Friday at 2002 Sawtelle Blvd. MeloMelo currently has a smattering of LA locations and offers a creative menu of proprietary coconut jelly mixed with fruit, dairy, and other ingredients, all served in environmental glass jars. Personally, I’m excited to try the durian coconut.
A large painted sign has popped up on the space at 326 Lincoln Blvd., previously home to a branch of CAVA. The new resident will be vegan specialist Honeybee Burger. With two other outposts in LA, Honeybee Burger offers a menu of 100% plant-based sandwiches, burritos, and breakfasts that have made multiple “best of ” lists including VegNews‘ best LA vegan burger.
It appears a new noodle joint is coming to Westchester. There’s window covering on the space at 8601 Lincoln Blvd., formerly home to a branch of SanSai, announcing that something called 1 2 3 Pho (get it?) is moving in. Clever name aside, there’s not much out there on the impending eatery, but the window paper promises pho, banh mi, and “grill“.
Out of nowhere a new Mediterranean eatery has appeared in Marina Del Rey. With other locations in Westwood and Encino, Naab Cafe is now open at 4020C Lincoln Blvd. Expect a menu of small plates, sandwiches, falafel, and kebob.
They’re on a roll… It was only last month that Zinqué opened a location in Century City. And now, as Lincoln Blvd. in Venice continues its gentrification, it looks like the increasingly buzzy street is getting its own branch of the cheery French charmer. Plywood is covering the front of the space at at 1440 Lincoln, informing us that a new Zinqué is coming soon.
Yikes! Ever since I first started telling you about the mass extinction of The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf from the Westside, I’ve been hearing from horrified fans mourning the loss of even more neighborhood CBTLs. The Coffee Bean on the corner of Second and Santa Monica Blvd. is now gone. The CBTL on the corner of Wilshire and Federal has disappeared. And, while I haven’t checked it out personally, readers are telling me that The Coffee Bean on the corner of Lincoln and Manchester is now caput. Lots of you have been sending me theories on why this is happening, but if you have definite information, please let us know…
There’s an ABC application hanging in the window of the erstwhile Bowl Kitchen at 2127 Lincoln Blvd. in Santa Monica. The applicant is listed as Mure Black Inc. If the first name sounds familiar, it’s because its the name of “Michelin awarded” chef Antonio Mure, the man behind Barrique in Venice. And sure enough, the name of the new restaurant is listed as Piccolo by Barrique. Very exciting.
I’ve been watching the space that was the home of erstwhile Baja Fresh at 720 Wilshire Blvd. (corner of Lincoln). The space has been undergoing a remodel for a while now. An ABC application recently went up on the front confirming that Westwood’s Fresh Corn Grill is on the way. Expect a menu of healthy pizza, pasta, salad, tacos, and enchiladas. We wish them the best of luck.
Toddrickallen 