It looks like The Golden Triangle is about to get a lot sweeter. There’s window paper up on the space that has housed many businesses, but most recently John Kelly Chocolates, at 9523 S Santa Monica Blvd. Hey Tea began life in 2012 in Guangdong, China and offers a proprietary “New Style” of tea that uses “real milk, real fruits, real premium tea, and real cane sugar” with intriguing flavors such as “Very Grape Cheezo”, “Very Persimmon Crystal”, and “Roasted Brown Bobo Milk”.
Sadly, after a long run as one of Beverly Hills’ go-to spots for breakfast/lunch, a solid local fave is about to close its doors. Scrawled on the chalkboard that hangs on the front of The Farm of Beverly Hills‘ 439 N. Beverly Drive location are the words, “Thank you for 26 years! March 3rd will be our last day of service“. That means you still have a few days to snag a table and reminisce about all those power lunches from years gone by….
(Thanks Tony!)
The corner space at 9601 Brighton Way in Beverly Hills has sat empty ever since celebrity-backed Villa Blanca pulled out over three years ago. But that’s about the change. There’s a banner and an ABC application on the front announcing the impending arrival of Bacari Beverly Hills. Bacari has a smattering of locations in trending areas around LA. They all seem to have slightly different personalities, but the casual concept appears to veer toward Mediterranean.
It was only back in 2020 when I first told you about Amirah Kassem‘s famed New York bakery Flour Shop landing in the space at 9495 S Santa Monica Blvd. Sadly, they have abandoned the cavernous location. But for those devotees of their famous “explosion cake” all is not lost: A note on the door promises that they are moving to a new yet-unnamed LA location.
(Thanks Tony!)
Since 1967, Beverly Hills’ destination for fine cheese and luxury foods and gifts has been The Cheese Store of Beverly Hills. In a somewhat surprising move, they are changing locations from their charming and cozy current home at 419 N Beverly Dr. to new digs at 9705 S Santa Monica Blvd, across two storefronts. Perhaps those searching for the perfect white truffle will bring more foot traffic to this sleepier part of The Golden Triangle. According to the note on the door, they are currently closed at both locations and will be open (at least for online orders) after July 9.
Local java darling Boulon D’Amour is heading to Beverly Hills. There’s a sign up already at 319 N Canon Dr, formerly home to Le Mervetty French Pastry Shop. Boulon D’Amour (which translates from French as “bolt of love”) currently has two other locations, including their charming first shop on Washington Blvd. Expect a menu of various coffees, teas, signature drinks, and toasts.
Congratulations Good People of Beverly Hills, fresh warm carbs are heading your way! There’s window paper up on the space at 447 N Beverly Dr announcing the arrival of Pop’s Bagels. With three other locations, Pop’s Bagels has become a sensation known for their three flavors of bagels (plain, everything, and cinnamon raisin) that are made in small batches throughout the day ensuring crispy, hot perfection. They also make their own cream cheeses and cultured butter from scratch.
It saddens me to see Westside time-honored institutions close. It can feel like the end of a classic era. Sadly, it appears that Da Pasquale Trattoria has left their commodious home at 9749 S Santa Monica Blvd in Beverly Hills. A gracious note on the front door doesn’t give a reason but expresses gratitude and love to its loyal customers for the last 35 years. Thanks for the memories…
(Thanks Eric!)
The space at 362 Camden has seen a few restaurants come and go, most recently Madeo and Domo before that. Now a new contender is giving the tricky location a try. An ABC application recently went up on the front that doesn’t list a business name. The applicant is listed as CIP Camden BH Manager LLC. Could the CIP be a reference to famous Italian brand Cipriani, which was reported to be coming to this address a year and half ago? Hmmm….
An eagle-eyed reader (Thanks Deryck!) wrote to tell me about a new ABC application on the cavernous build-out at 433 N Camden in Beverly Hills (corner of S Santa Monica). While the plywood prevents us from seeing what is going on inside, the application lists the name of the new eatery as Gravitas. I don’t have any more information than that, but I’m sensing a big story here. Let me know if you have any answers…
I’ve been hearing from shocked readers that everyone’s favorite grab-and-go burrito joint has abruptly pulled up stakes at 475 N Beverly Dr. A notice on the front door informs us that Chipotle has unceremoniously quit the space that was previously the longtime home of a Baja Fresh. Wasting no time, something has already leased the location so I’ll keep watch to see what may be taking over.
A while ago, I wondered at the papered-over windows of frozen-in-amber java joint Brighton Coffee Shop, that has stood on the corner of Brighton and Camden for over 90 years. Thankfully, I had a chance to talk with spokesperson who assured me that they will reopen the beloved coffee spot. It’s simply getting a modern upgrade with a fresh new look: Think French woven cafe chairs and bright cheery colors. The menu, I’m told, will stay pretty much the same. It looks like they’re close to reopening…
Beverly Hills lost its branch of international gelato brand Amorino during the Pandemic. Now it looks like another icy treat company is moving to the space at 9605 Santa Monica Blvd. The address was recently rented, but no signs have appeared. There is, however, a small legal notice taped to the front door. It lists the new tenant at Ample Hills Sub LLC, the company behind Ample Hills Creamery. Ample Hills make their ice cream from scratch in their Brooklyn “plant” where they actually pasteurize their own dairy and bake their own mix-ins. They have locations in New York, New Jersey, and in Long Beach CA.
Note: I do not yet have confirmation on this story.
For a while now, I’ve been watching the former home of Panini Kabob Grill at 9601 N Santa Monica Blvd. Construction has been fierce since the Mediterranean eatery closed its doors during the Pandemic, but there was no signage to indicate what was replacing it. Recently a now hiring banner went up on the front that lets us know that this will be a branch of the ever-popular chain Shake Shack, which as you know, began life around 22 years ago as a pet project of legendary New York restaurateur Danny Meyer and has ever since embarked on an inexorable march toward world domination fueled mostly by the cultish devotion of fans.
This is one of those stories that mystifies me. For some reason, a whole lot of you have been tracking this story since I first told you about it back in July of last year. To all those people needing answers, this news is for you: La Ong has opened their doors this week at 9632 S Santa Monica Blvd. Expect a solid Thai menu with such favorites as papaya salad, crab fried rice, and green curry all served in a sleek modern and airy space.
Normally sleepy Camden Dr., in The Golden Triangle, has recently become a hive of restaurant activity. Work is progressing on Beverly Bar. The earstwhile H.O.M.E. space appears to be leased. I’m not entirely sure what’s going on at the fossilized Brighton Coffee Shop (the windows are papered over). And now a new ABC application has appeared on the front of 420 N. Camden naming the business as Gion Beverly Hills. And what is that? I’ll leave the description to them… This from their Yelp page:
“Named after the famous geisha district, Gion in Kyoto, Japan. Gion Beverly Hills is the first and only traditional Japanese tea house that features actual geisha from Japan. We offer the rare opportunity to view a live geisha performance and have interactions with the artists. Along with the geisha show we also serve a delicious tasting menu inspired by Kyoto’s four seasons accompanied by a tea ceremony featuring wagashi (traditional tea ceremony dessert) that will serve as your dessert course.”
There is window paper up on the storefront at 9667 1/2 Wilshire Blvd. announcing a new coffee shop. This location has sat idle ever since a bao shop closed there in 2018. Tryst Caffe promises us a coffee bar, but after that there doesn’t appear to be a lot of information out there yet.
Beverly Hills lost both of their branches of The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf in the mass extinction event the chain experienced during the Pandemic closures. Their location at 445 N Beverly Dr. has sat empty ever since, but that’s about to change. A notice of intent for an open air dining permit posted on the front door spills the beans that an outpost of Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams is on the way. Founded by Jeni Britton Bauer and headquartered in Columbus Ohio, Jeni’s boasts a frozen treat with “a uniquely smooth texture and buttercream body, with bright flavor and clean finish” for which people go crazy, including President Joe Biden.
S. Santa Monica Blvd. is notorious for being a revolving door for restaurants, so it takes a brave contender to give it a go. One courageous eatery is about to try their luck. There’s window paper up on a former jewelry store space at 9529 S Santa Monica Blvd. announcing the arrival of something called Lorenzo California. According to the announcement, Lorenzo will be introducing a “Florence style schiacciata sandwhich” to The Golden Triangle. As near as I can tell, a schiacciata sandwich is a Tuscan sandwich composed of a specialty regional bread with various cuts of meats and cheeses. I don’t have much information on Lorenzo other that this, so if you know more, please send it along.
The space at 345 N Canon Dr. in Beverly Hills has been a number of different things, including a hair salon and whatever this was. There’s now an ABC application on the front, indicating that a plucky new contender is about the give the location a go. The name of the new eatery is listed as Cavcas Restaurant. Other than that, I can’t seem to find much information. If you know more, let me know…
Update: Cavcas appears to be a Georgian restaurant. Read more about it here.
Toddrickallen 