Yikes! Still more closures… Westfield Century City Shopping Center food court is starting to look like a ghost town. Spice Affair is now boarded up. And longtime resident Ajisen Ramen has closed its doors as well.
Unless you looked very closely, you might not have noticed that Fala Bar quietly transformed into something now called Beleaf Café in the food court of the Westfield Century City Shopping Center. While I’m told there is no relationship between the former and the latter, the look of the eatery and the menu are very similar. Beleaf Café has one other location in the Westfield Topanga Mall, and features a 100% plant-based menu of burgers, sandwiches, falafel, and salads.
After the major overhaul of the Westfield Century City Shopping Center, Greek eatery Petros snagged one of the choice locations on the second floor. Sadly however, it appears that they has quietly vacated the commodious space. Not sure what happened, but you can still visit their other locations in Manhattan Beach, Solvang, or Santa Barbara.
And while we’re on the subject of Century City… It was back in early September when I told you about the arrival of Palm Springs’ Brandini Toffee to the space vacated by Yagourt & Bougatsa on the second floor of the Westfield Century City Shopping Center. For those of you who have been waiting to try to celebrated sweet treats comes this happy news: Brandini Toffee officially threw open their doors on Tuesday, November 19th.
When hometown low-calorie ice cream expert Halo Top laid down brick-and-mortar locations, people went crazy. Recently however, I’ve been hearing from readers that the locations have abruptly closed. So, I went by the Westfield Century City Shopping Center to check things out. Sure enough, a notice on the front proclaims the sad news that all Halo Top Scoop Shops are now finished. Could it have something to do with the recent acquisition of Halo Top by Wells Enterprises, the people behind Blue Bunny? But all is not lost: You can still find Halo Top in local grocery stores.
While it can take months (or even years… Hello Honeymee?) for some shops to open in the Westfield Century Shopping Center, some arrive almost overnight. One that snuck in while no one was looking is a branch of Taiwanese chain Wushiland Boba, which is now open on the second floor near Petros. Expect a menu of various teas and sweet or savory waffles. Oh, and that flying fish with a cup on its back logo? Eater reported a few years ago that his name is Larry.
It was only last month that I told you about the disappearance of Yagourt & Bougatsa from the free-standing kiosk on the second floor of the Westfield Century City Shopping Center. But it looks like the space is about to get a new tenant. Window paper is announcing that Brandini Toffee intends to set up housekeeping. Based in Palm Springs, this is the first LA location for the almond toffee makers featured on Oprah Winfrey’s O List, The Martha Stewart Show, and the Food Network.
Plywood on the second floor of the Westfield Century City Shopping Center is announcing the impending arrival of Bake Cheese Tart. Originally hailing from Japan, the chain has locations throughout Asia and another US location in San Francisco. The website explains that the tarts start with a double-baked crust, into which goes fresh cream cheese from Hokkaido. They are produced in Japan, then flown around the world where they are baked in their retail stores. Apparently, they’re so popular that they sell one tart per second worldwide.
Update: Bake Cheese Tart opened on Saturday, October 5 to long lines and big crowds.
You could be forgiven if you thought that the food scene at the Westfield Century City Shopping Center has stabilized after the remodel. Latest case in point? The capricious food court is gaining a new resident: Fuwa Teriyaki Grill.
Competition for dairy-based treats in the Westfield Century City Shopping Center is stiff. The latest victim? While I’m not entirely sure when it happened, I’ve noticed that Yagourt & Bougatsa has cleared out of their space in the kiosk just outside of their parent restaurant Petros. It seems that all in not quite settled in Century City yet…
Trouble for Everytable? With a visionary concept of bringing fresh, nutritious, made-from-scratch meals to a fast food world, Everytable ambitiously sought to transform the food scene along the lines of what McDonald’s did a half century ago. But sadly, their location in the Westfield Century City Shopping Center is now vacant, and so is their spot in Santa Monica’s mercurial The Gallery. Other locations appear to be open.
A prominant window display lets us know that HRB The Hand Roll Bar Experience is landing in the freestanding shop located on the second floor, just outside of the Food Court of the Westfield Century City Shopping Center. The still-developing website doesn’t list a menu yet, but I think we can take a wild stab at what will be on offer. It looks like there’s a location coming to Downtown LA as well, on W 6th St.
One of the last remaining spaces in the food court of the Westfield Century City Shopping Center is getting a new resident. Plywood covering the space lets us know that Sunset Blvd. burger joint Rock House Sliders will soon be landing in the tony mall. Not sure when they will be opening, but you can look for a straight forward menu of diminutive burgers, fries, and shakes.
The astonishingly diverse food scene continues to develop in the Westfield Century City Shopping Center. Window signs have gone up on one of the kiosks on the second floor informing us that Leaff will soon be dishing waffles. It looks like they’re shooting for an October opening…
A large announcement on the second floor of the Westfield Century City Shopping Center, next door to the upcoming HaiDiLao Hot Pot, lets us know that this will be the future Westside home of China-based tea experts Denong Tea. With one other US location in Pasadena and specializing in Pu-erh tea, a rare and special tea from Yunnan Province, Denong Tea considers themselves “guardians of the world’s best”. Looks like they’re shooting for a January 2019 opening.
Ever since the Westfield Century City Shopping Center’s glitzy and expensive makeover, restaurant news has been overshadowed by the big names (think Eataly). But, as they always have, things change very suddenly in this mercurial food scene. Here’s a what I observed recently… On the second floor near Eataly, a new Sichuan charmer promising “flashy surroundings & theatrical servers“, HaiDiLao Hot Pot, is on the way. Mezza Garden has closed up shop on the first floor. And one of the last empty spaces in the food court will soon be home to Shuck House, a seafood and oyster bar that plans on opening in December.
I recently noticed fresh plywood covering the space next to upcoming Honeymee on the second floor of the Westfield Century City Shopping Center. It appears that a new startup, Redstraw Tea Bar, is joining the still-developing lengthy list of new food and drink establishments. On offer? According to their website, look for “fusion style tea with a variety of toppings”. They are shooting for a summer opening.
The food scene in the flashy new Westfield Century City Shopping Center continues to evolve… Plywood covering one of the spots in the still developing food court reveals that it will soon be the home to a branch of La Vaca Brazilian Grill. With a location in Canoga Park and another in Glendale, La Vaca serves a menu of traditional churrasco, salad bar, and various “hot dishes”. Look for a May opening.
It appears that honeycomb specialist Honeymee is heading to the sparkling new Westfield Century City Shopping Center. Look for a menu of milkshakes, waffles, coffee and tea, and ice cream, including the “babee”, which is ice cream served in a sweet bun much like a hot dog. According to the signage, they’re shooting for a February opening.
Perhaps hoping to catch the overflow of people frustrated with choking crowds of Eataly, Gelson’s in Century City is making some Eataly-esque improvements. Providing more of an graze/drink/shop experience, a sign explains that they are adding a “Wolfgang Puck Build–Your-Own Pizza and Salad”, a wine and tapas bar, a seafood bar, and a poke bar. As you can see below, construction is nearly finished.
