Congratulations you lucky people of Westwood, epic sandwiches are on the way! With a nearby Montana Ave location that has constant lines, sandwich sensation Bread Head is opening a new location at 1136 Westwood Blvd in Westwood Village. Bread Head is the pet project of Alex Williams and Jordan Snyder, two chefs with Trois Mec pedigrees. They specialize in carefully crafted sandwiches on proprietary focaccia. They also have a new-ish Manhattan Beach location as well.
Consistently rated as one of LA’s best burgers, For the Win has a very devoted fan base. With 10 locations across SoCal, it appears they are adding one more. A sharp-eyed reader noticed the small notices in the window of 1947 Westwood Blvd. (right next to Feast from the East) announcing the impending arrival of the celebrated burger joint.
(Thanks Stephen!)
It appears Westwood is getting a new Persian restaurant. There’s window paper up at 1777 Westwood Blvd., once home to much beloved Indonesian institution Ramayani, announcing the arrival of Kabob Village. Kabob Village has a couple of locations across LA and offers an extensive and solid menu of classics like shish kabob, koobideh, falafel, and tahdig.
After 24 years of dishing one of Westwood’s best NY-style pies from their humble location at 10940 Weyburn Ave, Enzo’s Pizzeria is about to get an expansive new home. There are notices up on the commodious space at 1145 Westwood Blvd, previously home to mysterious java joint Brewin’ Coffee, announcing the news. A spokesperson says there’s no official timeline for the move, but until they’re settled into the new digs, you can still pop by their old location and grab a slice of a Westwood Village classic.
While there is already a (sort of) branch of British powerhouse sandwich chain Pret a Manger at Tom Bradley in LAX, Los Angeles is about to get its very own stand-alone location. Also simply known as Pret, there is new window paper up at 901 Westwood Blvd. in Westwood Village announcing the happy news. If you are unfamiliar with the brand, Pret a Manger (which means ready to eat in French) is a popular grab-and-go prepared sandwich chain that began life in 1983 in London and has since spread to many countries and locations across the globe (including New York and Chicago), and soon here as well. While I don’t know what the menu will be like here in LA, I can tell you that when I’m in London, which is usually about once a year, I never miss the opportunity to grab one of their delectable super fresh sandwiches. I usually stuff a few in my suitcase as well. This is certainly exciting news….
Update: This is apparently a developing story, and readers are writing to let me know a branch is heading for the old Breadblok space in Studio City, as well as possibly at least one more somewhere else…
That didn’t take long… It was only last month when I told you about the disappearance of Kung Fu Tea and TKK Fried Chicken from the diminutive space at 1136 Westwood Blvd. in Westwood Village. Wasting no time, a new purveyor of organic drinks, Honey Krush, has quickly set up housekeeping. If they’re not already open by the time you read this, they will be shortly…
A reader wrote to tell me that a new bolthole is dishing raw fish in Westwood Village. PokiTomik is now open at 1135 Westwood Blvd. and offers a menu of bowls, burritos, and tacos. PokiTomik began in Glendale in 2017 and has spread to 15 locations across SoCal. They have made it their mission to “blow up the community with the freshest and most wholesome ingredients to make the most explosive poke”.
This has been a full circle for one of my my readers… Back in March of 2022, JP wrote to tell me about an exciting new project coming to 1136 Westwood Blvd. in Westwood Village. What was exciting was that the self-described “largest bubble tea brand in America”, Kung Fu Tea, was opening a storefront in collaboration with Taiwanese brand TKK Fried Chicken at this address. Sadly, JP recently wrote to me again to let me know that the experiment appears to have folded and the space is now empty once again.
(Thanks JP!)
One a tip from a reader, I went by 1151 Westwood Blvd, previously home to a branch of Ike’s Love and Sandwiches, to see what was going on. A banner on the front lets us know that IXLB Dimsum Eats is taking up housekeeping at this address. IXLB has a location in Hollywood, and offers a solid menu of dumplings, rice, and noodles.
(Thanks Gary!)
A sharp-eyed reader (Thanks Adrian!) wrote to tell me about something taking over the papered-over former home of wine bar and event specialist Fundamental at 1303 Westwood Blvd. There’s a small, hand-written note on the front door naming the new establishment as The French Way. I can’t seem to find out much information on this new eatery, but the note on the door confirms that it will be a restaurant, and they are shooting for a June 15th opening.
As a Westsider, a couple of times a year I get in the car and drive up the 405 to Van Nuys for a pilgrimage to the 99 Ranch Market (also known as Tawa Supermarket). They carry a comprehensive selection of Asian groceries, and are most likely to stock hard-to-source ingredients like stinky tofu or broad bean paste. I’ll return home with piles of Makrut lime leaves, rau ram, fried tofu, a plant for the garden, and just possibly durian. (Although I do thoroughly recommend a local gem: Ma’am’s International Foods in Santa Monica whose much smaller, concise selection is accompanied by the BEST service anywhere.) Well that trip up the 405 may no longer be necessary. It appears we are about to be blessed with our own Westside branch of the chain. There are tiny window notices up at the former site of the Ross Dress for Less at 1364 Westwood Blvd. in Westwood announcing an upcoming location. Read more about the company and its vision here. Very exciting news…
A reader (Thanks Jeremy!) noticed a banner hanging over the front of the space that used to be home to D’Amore’s Pizza at 1136 Westwood Blvd. The banner announces a collab between Kung Fu Tea and TKK Fried Chicken. Kung Fu Tea originated in Queens NY and is the self-proclaimed largest bubble tea brand in America. TKK Fried Chicken began life in Taipei in 1974 and promises to have us say, “Cluck yeah”.
A sharp-eyed reader (Thanks Ely!) let me know that a new coffee shop is landing in Westwood. Window paper is announcing that expanding Australian coffee chain Bluestone Lane is moving into the former home of The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf at 950 Westwood Blvd. (corner of Weyburn). And check out their offer for free coffee everyday during opening week by scanning the code in the window (or in my photo below)…
It looks like Westwood is about to get a branch of a beloved Hollywood institution. Banners are up on the corner location at 1898 Westwood Blvd. announcing an impending arrival of Mashti Malone’s Ice Cream. Mashti Malone’s has long been the temple for devotees of Persian-style ice cream and other treats.
On a tip from a reader (Thanks Ely!) I went by 1777 Westwood Blvd. to see what was going on with beloved Indonesian institution Ramayani. It looks like they won’t be reopening at this location. There’s a for lease sign hanging on the front. Truly a sad day for West LA’s dining scene. Their website does promise a resurrection in the San Fernando Valley “soon”. We wish them luck.
It appears that Westwood Village is about to get a new java joint. While there is no obvious sign, the windows of 1154 Westwood Boulevard (formerly site of Peet’s Coffee) are blackened with the words “But first, coffee”. You might recognize this phrase as the tagline for the sleek third-wave purveyor of caffeinated drinks Alfred Coffee.
More signs of turbulence in Westwood Village… Longtime Westwood fixture D’amore’s Famous Pizza has quit its prominent location at 1136 Westwood Blvd. Not sure what happened, but I’ll keep my eyes on the space to see what may develop.
(Thanks JSPepper!)
With all the recent bad stories about the spate of Westwood’s restaurant closings, it’s good to close the year with some hopeful news. Headlines Diner & Grill is open in its new location at 1131 Westwood Blvd. Right around the corner, Frozen Land is now peddling gelato, ice cream, and frozen yogurt in its new location at 10911 Lindbrook.
A great many of you were shocked to learn that the Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf had closed its doors back in August at its iconic stand-alone location at 1500 Westwood Blvd. Die hard CBTL fans have been mourning the loss, but there is more coffee on the way… A banner recently went up announcing Starbucks as the replacement.
I heard from a saddened reader (very sorry JS) that the diminutive Japanese restaurant popular with locals, Necco, has closed up shop over the weekend in Westwood. Necco burst onto the scene in 2014 with a concept of healthy Japanese tapas and a minimalist interior. The website gives no explanation, but confirms the closure. All may not be lost though: The website also promises new projects. We wish them the best of luck.
Toddrickallen 