Sadly, I fear many businesses, and restaurants in particular, will not outlast the current COVID crisis. I’ve been reporting on multiple closures across The Westside. Yet another appears to be the beloved Italian coffee bar Ugo Cafe, set on the first floor of Santa Monica Place. If you’re missing their proprietary coffee or pastries, they still have two other locations.
Late last year I told you about the exit of popular burger joint Cowabunga Republic from it’s tiny spot at 2912 Main St. in Santa Monica. Now it looks like a new eatery is willing to give the space a go. A banner on the front is announcing that something called Edobox is on the way. I’ve attempted to reach them but have so far been unsuccessful, so I guess we’ll have to wait and see what will be on offer.
Update: I heard from a number of readers on this restaurant who had sharper eyes than mine. Here’s what it says on their FB page, “Design your own Bento Box at chef Makoto Okuwa’s fresh new fast-casual restaurant on Main Street in Santa Monica with breezy outdoor dining.” Thanks to all who reached out to tell me…
The below-the-radar bolthole Viva Vegan appears to be no more. While there’s still a note on the front door saying that they are temporarily closed, as you can see there are two prominent for lease signs across the front of their location at 1028 Wilshire. This will be a sad loss for the devoted followers of their signature plant-based food.
The emporium of all things culinary, Sur La Table looks like it is set to close at 301 Wilshire Blvd. There’s a giant banner across the front announcing the sad news. This particular branch has long been the go-to for local cooks needing just the right size springform pan or imported dijon and will be sadly missed.
And finally, this last bit of news about the coming attractions to the new development in Marina Del Rey… It almost appears that Downtown Santa Monica is cloning itself in the Marina: The latest to join the list of new eateries is none other that Jonathon Gold’s fave Italian restaurant Uovo, which is opening a location at 4635 Admiraly Way Suite 105. You may recall that the diminutive Santa Monica bolthole has a cult-like following due to their expertly sauced pasta that is flown in daily from Bologna. Along with Kazu Nori and HiHo Cheeseburger, the dining scene in The Marina is about to get a whole lot more interesting.
Sadly, it appears that plant-based food folks Cultured Creamery have decided to throw in the towel. Notices are up in the window of their location at 828 Pico announcing their closing sale this weekend. We certainly wish them the best of luck. 
It appears that Santa Monica’s branch of Steak ‘N Shake has abandonned any hope of returning to pre-COVID life as usual. While their website still lists them as temporarily closed, their location at 1455 Third St. Promenade is gutted and a large for lease sign in the window says they’ve no plans to reopen. Their departure leaves a cavernous hole in the Downtown Santa Monica food scene. I’ll keep my eye on the space to see if there will be any takers…
While I’m not quite sure when it happened, it appears that something has moved into the former home of Beaming at 1426 Montana Ave. in Santa Monica. The location now sports a sign that declares Discovery Bar by Earthbar as the new resident. Expect a “healthy holistic supply” of vitamins, lattes, bowls, juices, smoothies, and grab-and-go meals.
I love a good teaser campaign… We can tell that a new cafe and bakery is on the way to 2024 Broadway in Santa Monica because of the prominent banner and window display. They just neglected to tell us the name of the new spot, so I guess we’ll have to wait and see what it will be called. Apparently we can expect breakfast, lunch, European pastries and cakes.
On a tip from a reader (Thanks Michael!) I went by to see what was going on in the new commercial development at 3008 Santa Monica Blvd. in Santa Monica. It took me a while to spot the sign, but it appears that something called Kohi Cafe is coming to the corner spot on Stanford. Can’t find much information on the new restaurant, but I’ll keep watching…
A new ABC application recently went up on the front of the currently closed-for-renovation Viceroy Hotel on the corner of Pico and Ocean in Santa Monica. While it doesn’t give us the name of the restaurant, it does promise that an eatery will be coming to the iconic property. You may recall that The Viceroy’s previous restaurant was called Whist and subsequently Cast, and in the past has been helmed at different turns by Tim Goodell and Tony DiSalvo. The website says the name of the new restaurant is Sugar Palm Ocean Avenue, and you can catch a glimpse of it through the front door. I’ll keep watching to see what develops.
The story that has garnered the most interest on this blog recently has been the disappearance of neighborhood coffee shops, and in particular, the mass extinction of SoCal’s beloved The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf. Thank you to all the readers who sent me news that the CBTL at 9th and Wilshire in Santa Monica has now also succumbed. There is still one extant Coffee Bean in the Third St. Promenade, and I went in today to have a look. The lack of customers, and low inventory of food left me wondering what its future may be… What’s going on? I’m not certain, but perhaps there’s a clue here.
Despite this difficult time, a charming new eatery has descended to earth to spread a little love. Meet Papille Gustative (“taste bud” in French), which recently opened its bright and sunny storefront at 2823 Main St. in Santa Monica. The menu was described to me as modern farm-to-table healthy California cuisine using regionally-sourced ingredients. Currently, they are only open for breakfast and lunch, but plans are underway for dinner and a liquor license as well. And with the repurposing of Main St. to accomidate outdoor dining, there are also tables for al fresco eating. Check out that menu, and read more here. We wish them the best of luck.
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…
SoCal native Wahoo’s Fish Taco appears to be quiting their longtime address at 418 Wilshire Blvd. in Downtown Santa Monica. A sharp-eyed reader (Thanks Trent!) spotted the for lease sign hanging on the front. Since their Brentwood location closed last year, there are currently no Westside location except in LAX. Not sure what happened, but I’ll keep watching to see what develops.
I’ve been reporting, with some alarm, on the mass extinction of The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf from the Westside. The large location at 3150 Ocean Park Blvd. in Santa Monica has also disappeared. Lots of you have some theories on why this is happening, but does anybody actually have the story? (Thanks Trent!)
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 mass extinction of The Westside’s beloved Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf. It appears yet another one may have bitten the dust. The popular CBTL at 2901 Main St. in Santa Monica appears to be closed. While it doesn’t have the poster announcing the closure as the other ones have had, the windows are papered over and the equipment has been removed. What is going on?
I’m not exactly sure when it happened, but a new noodle joint has quietly slipped into the location that once housed the self-described “King of Poke”, PoKing at 2307 Main St. in Santa Monica. An awning has appeared that lets us know Ensoku Ramen now resides at that address. What’s on offer? Rolls and ramen with “authentic broth, fresh ingredients”, and a “wide variety”. And they’re open for take away.
It appears that something new is taking over the Rick’s Tavern on Main space at 2907 Main St. in Santa Monica. An ABC application posted on the front lists the business name as Station 26. Station 26 just happens to be the closest lifeguard station on the beach. I couldn’t find much information on this new eatery, so if you have any details let me know.
Toddrickallen 