A while back I told you that Raising Cane’s was moving into the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica. Here is the new location at 1401 Third St. Promenade, on the corner of Santa Monica Blvd, formerly the home of Bibibop. It looks like they are working on a complete build-out. This is part of a major expansion into the California by the beloved Louisiana-based poultry provider known for chicken finger meals and noontime lines out the door.
It appears that after 10 years, smoked fish experts Wexler’s Deli have closed up shop at 616 Santa Monica Blvd. in Downtown Santa Monica. This is not the end: A gracious note on the front door explains that they are pivoting to a wholesale business and you will soon be able to find their proprietary lox at hotels and restaurants. In other exciting news, the note also explains that “Sichuan Superette” Suá, will be taking over the space. If you haven’t had a chance to visit their charming Larchmont location, you can expect delightful hand-stirred matcha and coffee drinks, organic Sichuan grab-and-go, Asian snacks, and carefully curated pantry and home goods.
This is surprising news… Readers are writing to tell me that classic white tablecloth destination restaurant Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse has closed up shop in the Westfield Century City Shopping Center. The signs have been pulled down and the space has been boarded over. This leaves a cavernous hole in the fine dining scene at the tony mall. I’ll keep watching to see what may develop.
Buzzy Beverly Grove charmer Florence Osteria is opening a Downtown Santa Monica branch. Their website confirms it, and signs have recently gone up on the space at 413 Santa Monica Blvd. Florence Osteria boasts “authentic flavors of Tuscany”, while the sign on the front promises a focus on “pizza & vino”. They appear close to opening, but until then, get more details here.
Good news Century City, donuts are heading your way! The little kiosk on the second floor of the Westfield Century City Shopping Center, near Zinqué, has been the home to a number of different projects including Brandini Toffee and most recently Brique French Toastery. Window paper recently went up proclaiming a new tenant. Cafe Knotted is planning on dishing fresh donuts from this location starting in April.
There a new banner hanging on one of the spaces in the strip mall on the corner of Sawtelle and Santa Monica Blvd. in West LA (11281 Santa Monica Blvd.). Bangkok BBQ Bowl is now in soft opening and offers a menu of “authentic Thai BBQ” with such things as beef khao soi, krapow chicken rice bowl, and “sexy wings” (their signature wings glazed with a house-made sauce). As an opening promotion, you can get a free Thai tea when you order a rice bowl. Check out their full menu here.
A new beverage company is throwing their hat into the ring of the constantly evolving restaurant scene at the Westfield Century City Shopping Center. There’s plywood up on the space just to the left of the upcoming Rumi’s Kitchen announcing the arrival of Chagee Moderrn Tea House. Chagee (pronounced CHAH-jee) was founded in Yunnan in 2017 and has since spread to over 5,000 stores worldwide with the most being in Malaysia. This location is part of an expansion into the US. They are apparently famous for their milk tea, as well as other drinks, and their Dior-esque packaging. Look for a Spring 2025 opening. Until then, you can read more about the company here.
Los Angeles’ first branch of Atlanta’s immersive art experience, The Splatter Studio, is coming soon to 321 Santa Monica Blvd in Downtown Santa Monica, previously home to Dragon Herbs (and long ago home of Hooters). Billing themselves as “a contemporary action painting studio”, the idea here, as I understand it, is to create art by splattering it Jackson Pollock-style across a canvas (and each other?) as a social event and “stress reliever”. Why am I covering this since I normally write about restaurants? Because according to the window paper and website, this location will also carry beer and wine to enhance your artistic and social experience.
Epic breakfast burritos are heading to Marina del Rey… There’s window paper up on one of the spaces in the Waterside Marina del Rey Shopping Center announcing the arrival of Wake and Late. Wake and Late has four other locations across LA (with another in the works for Santa Monica) and is known for their breakfast burritos, “rip & dip bagels”, and coffee. The promised Santa Monica branch of Wake and Late has languished for nearly three years. I hope they have better luck with this location.
As signs recently went up at Venice’s new “smart kitchen” The Colony at 401 Lincoln Blvd (previously home to a large encampment) readers have been excitedly asking me what would be on offer. Here’s a partial list of what I know so far: Crumbl, Kakkoi, Main Chick, Goop Kitchen, Muy Thai, Good Steak, Behold Burger, Sweet Rose, Culture Crush, Xenia, and Jennie’s House. You’ll notice that this list is very similar to The Colony on Santa Monica Blvd. You’re welcome.
There’s plywood over one of the stalls in the Westfield Century City Shopping Center announcing the arrival of MR CHOW NOW. What is that, and what is its relationship to nearby MR CHOW, Beverly Hills’ glittering branch of the exclusive and iconic MR CHOW empire? According to this job site, this will be a “fast casual expansion” of the brand. Not many other details so I guess we’ll have to wait and see. (I’m hoping for hand-pulled noodles?) They are aiming for a late Autumn opening.
Ever since Marmalade Cafe closed up shop at its longtime location of 710 Montana Ave. in Santa Monica, readers have been demanding answers as to what would take over the space. Construction began quickly and the speculation was wild. I’d been hearing whispers of the incoming tenant, but now we have proof. New York’s celebrated H&H Bagels is taking up residence at this location, as confirmed by their website. H&H began in New York in 1972 and uses the “artisanal water bagel method” that produces results for which fans go crazy and many consider to be the quintessential bagel. They are in the midst of a national expansion, and this will be their first West Coast store.
Ice Cream people, you’re in luck. A brand-new branch of old school ice cream brand Baskin-Robbins is opening in the strip mall at 11870 Santa Monica Blvd. (near Bundy). Baskin-Robbins began life in 1945 in Glendale offering 31 flavors. It has since spread to over 2,400 US locations, and according to the website, 1,400 flavors are now on offer.
A fresh new dining option opened last Friday (April 19th) in community “smart kitchen” The Colony at 11419 Santa Monica Blvd. in West LA. Plant-based sushi specialists Niku Nashi Vegan Sushi has partnered with Kakkoi Sushi to create an exciting menu that combine’s Kakkoi‘s “Russian-Spanish-European fusion” with Niku Nashi‘s innovative vegan sushi. Hours are 11am to 9pm and you can dine in on their patio or opt for take-away or delivery. We wish them the best of luck.
Crowd-pleasing frozen treat purveyor Yogurtland appears to be moving locations in Downtown Santa Monica. They currently have a longtime location at 304 Santa Monica Blvd. But there is new plywood up at 1321 Third St. Promenade announcing the move. Yogurtland began life in 2006 in Fullerton and has since spread to over 250 locations in the US and elsewhere. They pride themselves on the “highest quality ingredients and flavors”.
People have been demanding answers from me ever since crazy-popular boba shop Odd One Out Craft Milk Tea announced on their website that there was to be another branch opening in Santa Monica. They didn’t give an address, but the map on the website gave the impression that it was going to be located in the Third Street Promenade. Now we know: Fencing and ‘Odd One Out” banners are now up on the “Market Pavilion” kiosk just to the north of Santa Monica Blvd (1260 Third St. Promenade). With a location in Sawtelle Japantown, Odd One Out hails from Taiwan and was previously the winner of the Taiwan Milk Tea Festival.
Update: Odd One Out is now open at this location. (09/2024)
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!)
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.
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)
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!)
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