Something new is coming to the Shore Hotel at 1515 Ocean Ave. in Santa Monica. There’s plywood up and an announcement naming the new spot to “Dine. Lounge. Celebrate.” as Shoreside. Near as I can tell, Shoreside will be a new dining terrace and bar. It looks like they’re aiming for a summer opening.
Cozy local java joint Gnarwhal Coffee Co. is apparently branching out from its buzzy Main Street location to an even buzzier neighborhood. There’s an ABC application up at 1700 Lincoln Blvd. in Venice, previously home to the troubled Double Zero, letting us know that Gnarwhal is moving in. I’m sure that organic, socially responsible coffee will be on the menu, but so will beer and wine according to the ABC app, so this may be a slightly different concept that their Main St. branch.
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”.
The old Wokcano Space at 1413 5th St. in Downtown Santa Monica has sat empty for quite a while. But the commodious location is about to get a new tenant. An ABC application lists the new business as Nic’s. I don’t have any information on this business, so if you know more, pass it along…
Update: Readers are letting me know that this is actually a seafood restaurant named Oasis.
We’ve known for a while that cozy neighborhood darling Met Her At A Bar was expanding to Santa Monica. Now we know where. There’s an ABC application posted on the front of the extensive build-out at 2615 Main St. in Santa Monca that lets us know this is the future branch of Met Her At The Bar. The self-described “hip little neighborhood cafe” has a location on S. La Brea Ave. and is known for Belgian waffles and coffee.
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!)
It looks like a new java joint is poised to caffeinate the sleepy students at SaMo High. Window paper us up on the easily overlooked corner spot at 707 Pico Blvd. announcing the arrival of Little Bean Cold Brew. There doesn’t seem to be a lot of information out there, and there are other coffeeshops that use the term “little bean” in their names, but this one will offer “specialty small batch cold brew”. Let me know if you have more information…
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.
The entire Westside heaved a sigh of relief when I reported that bakery darling Sweet Lady Jane had been saved from oblivion. (Read the story of how that happened here.) But, after a triumphant opening of some locations this week, Santa Monica’s newly opened branch has apparently hit a snag. There’s an LA County notice of closure affixed to the front door. There’s also an explanation from the current owner, who places the blame squarely on “ex-owners who didn’t request permits for their remodels”. They are apparently scrambling to make things right as soon as possible. The drama of the triple berry cake continues…
As I’ve been telling you, sleek Montana Ave in Santa Monca is becoming quite a food destination. New eateries are popping up all over the stylish street. Le Cafe de la Plage recently opened. Van Lueewen and Oakberry are on the way. Now it looks like the space right next to Oakberry will soon be home to a new bakery. Window paper is up on 709 Montana announcing the arrival of Fōnuts. The self-described “enlightened donut” purveyor has a location on West 3rd and a location in Studio City and offers a menu with a variety of healthy baked options that are gluten-free and vegan.
Despair no longer Good People of Santa Monica, Triple Berry Cakes may be returning! On a tip from a reader (Thanks Missy!), I went by the very empty former location of beloved bakery Sweet Lady Jane at 1631 Montana in Santa Monica. You may recall they recently abruptly pulled up stakes, much to the shock of fans. Sure enough, as you can see, there is a hopeful note attached to the front door that promises they will be “opening again soon”. I don’t have any information on the other locations. There’s obviously more to this story so I’ll keep watching this surprising development.
Update: Here’s the complete skinny on Eater.
Montana Ave, Santa Monica’s preeminent shopping/dining street, is becoming a sweet destination. Rori’s Artisanal Creamery, Pinkberry, and Frozen Fruit Company are just a few of the places to score a frozen treat. And now one more is on the way… Window paper is up on the space that used to be home to Erin Mckenna’s Bakery, at 1415 Montana, announcing another ice cream spot. Van Leeuwen, which started out in 2008 in New York as a food truck, will soon be bringing their signature artisan ice creams, vegan ice creams, sundaes, vegan chocolate chip cookies, and shakes to the tony neighborhood.
(Thanks Sara!)
The troubled space on the corner of Wilshire and 4th in Downtown Santa Monica has had its share of issues. For a long while, it was a sputtering branch of P.F. Chang’s. That disappeared in 2021. Then a new contender, Lotus Dim Sum Dumpling House, gave the spot a chance and opened about a year and a half ago. Sadly, it now appears they too have given up the ghost. I’ll keep watching to see what may give the commodious location a go.
Santa Monica is about to get its second branch of international acai experts Oakberry (the first location is on the corner of Berkeley and Wilshire). There’s window paper across two storefronts at 705 and 707 Montana Ave announcing the news. Oakberry offers acai that is 100% natural with no food coloring, artificial preservatives, or guarana syrup. They operate a number of locations in Brazil and continue an impressive international expansion.
It was back in September of last year that I told you about an exciting new sandwich shop taking over the old Greens Up! space at 912 Montana Ave. in Santa Monica. The window paper has finally come down, and B&T’s Deli will officially soft-open on Saturday, February 3rd at 11am. While there’s no online menu quite yet, here’s a glimpse of the plant-based sandwich options listed on their menu boards. We wish them the best of luck…
The space at 1315 Third St. Promenade has had a tumultuous history. In the past, it has been the home of The Gallery Food Hall, and hosted such luminaries as Falafel King, and Dave Beran’s elegant Dialogue, and STRFSH by The Voltaggio Brothers. Hopes were high when ghost kitchen Kitchen United MIX took over the tricky location last year with a fresh spate of eateries. That hope appears to have been dashed on the rocks as evidenced by the note taped to the front door stating that they are “closed until further notice” (and offering some stern bathroom advice). I’ll keep watching to see what’s going on…
A happy new food choice is coming to Santa Monica soon… There’s window paper up on the space at most recently occupied by Luna Grill at 3001 Ste 103 Wilshire Blvd. announcing the impending arrival of Jin Cook. Promising “Authentic Korean Soul Food”, Jin Cook has locations in Glendale and Santa Clarita and offers an exciting menu of soups, “hot stone” dishes, pancakes, and katsu.
Update: Jin Cook is now open.
Well, I can’t exactly say this was a surprise… While other locations of Mexican party spot Kalaveras are quite popular, Santa Monica’s branch has long struggled to attract crowds. Perhaps this was because of the cursed location (it was previously the doomed home of Belcampo), or its proximity to perennially popular El Cholo across the street. But whatever the reason, Kalaveras has abandoned this location at 1026 Wilshire Blvd. I’ll keep watching the tricky space to see what may develop…
There’s a small now hiring sign in the window of 1447 Ocean Ave in Downtown Santa Monica, a tiny space most recently occupied by Earthbar. The notice names the new business as Coffee With Creme & Sugar. The website lists a menu of coffee, tea, signature drinks, and sweet treats. 
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