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.
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!)
I’ve been reporting on the closure of many local The Coffee Bean & Tea Leafs in recent years. All the closures seemed to be a pattern and I was afraid that that didn’t bode well for the java franchise. But lo and behold, a brand new CBTL is moving into the old deli space in the medical building at 2021 Santa Monica Blvd (corner of 20th St.). Could this begin a refresh for the storied SoCal coffee chain?
The mercurial Food Court of the Westfield Century City Shopping Center can be tricky. Many eateries have come and gone from the notorious second floor location. Add one more to the list: Big Fish Little Fish Poke is now no fish. As you can see, the space is boarded up. (Thanks TF!)
I heard from a disheartened reader (Thanks Sam!) that beloved coffee, tea, and boba purveyor Percolate had closed up shop from its ghost kitchen location at 11419 Santa Monica in the Sawtelle neighborhood of West LA. But apparently that’s not all. They appear to have closed all their LA locations as well. I’ll keep watching to see what may develop.
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.
It’s been a cool minute since Truxton’s pulled up stakes at 1329 Santa Monica Blvd. Since then, a ‘leased’ notice was splashed across the front, and readers have been demanding answers. Now we have them. An ABC application on the front door spills the beans that BBQ superstar and cookbook author Kevin Bludso is expanding his operation to Santa Monica with a location of Bludso’s Bar & Que. Looks like they’re shooting for a June opening, but in the meantime, check out their menu here and try to stop your mouth from watering.
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.
There’s an intriguing new option in the Food Court of the Westfield Century City Shopping Center. Lucky Tacoshi is now open and in full swing, serving “Asian Fusion” sushi tacos made with seaweed shells. Also on the menu are chicken karage tacos, various skewers, snacks, and desserts. But you can see for yourself here.
A very sharp-eyed reader spotted a banner hanging over the former Make Out spot at 9426 Washington Blvd, behind The Culver Hotel. The banner lets us know that Wrapstar is setting up housekeeping at this address. Wrapstar has a location in Beverly Hills and offers a menu of fast/casual “signature and build-your-own wraps” and salads. They are also opening another location at 8593 Santa Monica Blvd. in West Hollywood.
(Thanks Andrew!)
It was only just two months ago when I told you about the disappearance of short-lived pudding concept Pudu Pudu from their second-floor location in the Westfield Century City Shopping Center. Now, if you’re a regular reader of this site, you know I keep a close eye on the food scene in the shopping center. So, it took me by surprise that a new confectionary spot is already up and running in Pudu‘s old location. Hokey Pokey LA is now open and pushing “cloud bowls”. And what are those? Cloud bowls, which the window display claims are “New Zealand’s favorite dessert”, are soft-served ice cream (dairy and non-dairy) with pavlova (meringue), berries, and whipped cream. We wish them the best of luck.
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!)
It appears that the Westfield Century City Shopping Center is getting a healthy new dining option. True Food Kitchen is moving into the ground floor space at the back of the mall and most recently occupied by The Crack Shack. With locations across the US, TFK offers a healthy menu based on the principles of natural health guru Dr. Andrew Weil and designed to increase longevity.
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 must confess, I never entirely understood the concept of Pudu Pudu, the pudding specialists brought to you by German megabrand Dr. Oetker. Apparently, I wasn’t alone. After opening only in February of this year, they have thrown in the towel at their second-floor location inside the Westfield Century City Shopping Center. And that’s not all. They have closed all of their LA locations, as indicated by this sad good-bye notice on their website.
Toddrickallen 