If you follow this blog, then you know about Westwood Village’s recent alarming deluge of restaurant closures. Add two more to the list: El Pollo Loco has vanished from its location at 1081 Gayley, and for all intents and purposes Coco Fresh Tea & Juice has stopped functioning. If you have any information on why the sudden exodus of eateries, let me know…
(Thanks Ivy for the tips!)
Westwood has been a whirlwind of openings and closings recently… but mostly closings. Paper is now covering the windows of two more eateries: Westwood’s branch of Ike’s Love and Sandwiches has unceremoniously darkened 1151 Westwood Blvd. Yelp is reporting them closed, but they’re describing themselves as “temporarily closed”. And paper is covering the windows of House of Meatballs at 1076 Gayley. A note posted on the front door says they are “freshening up”. A reader (Thanks Mark!) pointed out to me that they don’t answer the phone, and they haven’t posted anything in social media for months. We’ve seen this before. All too often, “temporarily closed” means “permanently closed”. We wish them the best of luck.
Well this was a shocker… After having anchored the Westwood Village food scene since, well… forever, Falafel King has closed up shop at 1010 Broxton Ave. I’m not sure what took out the neighborhood institution, but a gracious handwritten note on the door thanks their loyal supporters for “50 wonderful years” and suggests that they are looking for a new location.
It was an astonishing 3 years ago that I told you about the development of the space at 1001 Gayley, erstwhile home of a Coffee Bean. Qwench Juice Bar has officially thrown open its doors and is now dishing juices, smoothies, bowls, sandwiches to the good people of Westwood. What on earth took so long? According to a spokesperson, investor issues and city permit problems are to blame.
As you can tell if you read this blog, it’s been a hard Summer for restaurants… But seriously, what’s going on in Westwood? A quick jog around the Village left me gobsmacked, with no less that four restaurants recently deceased. Last week I told you about the disappearance of long-standing Westwood anchor Tanino. But add to the list Nushii, Lollicup, and perhaps most surprising, Spireworks. If you recall, Spireworks burst on the scene back in 2016 and caused a stir by introducing The Westside to its signature Turkish döner (spit-roasted meat). I’m not sure why the sudden exodus, but I’ll keep watching.
On a tip from a reader, I went to check out what was going on at 1145 Westwood Blvd. in Westwood Village, site of the erstwhile Panera Bread. Window decals and a large banner let us know that something called Brewin’ Coffee is on the way. (Brewin’/Bruin, get it?) I can’t seem to locate too much on Brewin’, so if you have more information, let me know…
Dumpling expert Northern Café is expanding its brand in Westwood. With the original restaurant just around the corner, they are opening a new Northern Café at 10965 Weyburn Ave., a space previously occupied by Koala T Café. There will be a difference: I’m told the new restaurant will have a different menu of “authentic Chinese”.
I first reported on the new Tocaya Organica moving into the space at 1140 Gayley Ave. back in June of 2017. I’m not sure what happened, but it’s taken a long time to open. Tocaya will begin dishing healthy Mexican to the good people of Westwood this Friday, February 22nd.
Pizza competition is stiff in student overrun Westwood. It’s the ideal grab-and-go for the academic set and bolthole pizza restaurants abound. A large for lease sign on the front lets us know that one casualty is Extreme Pizza at 1067 Glendon Ave. Not sure what happened, but I’ll keep watching to see what may move in.
We all know that Westwood has a fickle food scene. So we probably shouldn’t be surprised that mysterious The Poke, opened a little over a year ago at 935 Broxton, has thrown in the towel. And taking its place? A banner announcing Sharetea is hanging on the front. Sharetea is a massive boba tea brand from Taiwan with an astonishing 450 stores in 18 countries.
Considering the amount of time they spent on renovating the space, this is certainly sad news… D1 Café has unceremoniously vacated its location at 10959 Kinross Ave. in Westwood. I took almost a year and a half from the time I first noticed the extensive construction until their opening. The space is now gutted. I’ll keep watching to see what, if anything, moves into the tricky spot.
Update: A reader let me know that a fire took out D1 in August. Perhaps they’ll reopen…
It looks like the lucky students at UCLA are about to get a new eatery. An ABC application taped to the front of the space that used to be the home of Saks Teriyaki at 1121 S Glendon Ave in Westwood let’s us know that a new restaurant, Violet, is moving in. Not sure of an opening date, or much else for that matter including whether or not it is related to previous restaurants bearing the same name, but I’ll keep watching…
Update: Eater got the skinny of Violet. Read the details here.
Could this indicate a slowdown in the build-your-own pizza trend? On a tip from a reader (Thanks Joey!), I went to check out what was going on at Pieology Pizzeria at 920 Broxton Ave.in Westwood Village. As it turns out, it has closed down. A note taped to the front door confirms it. I’m a bit surprised by this. Even in pizza saturated Westwood, it’s hard to comprehend why ever-popular Pieology, of all places, would pull up stakes. I’ll keep watching to see what may develop…
It wasn’t that long ago that I told you about the sudden demise of Boba Loca in boba-laden Westwood. Wasting no time whatsoever, a new contender has arrived to the humble space at 10946 Weyburn Ave. It’s Bobatime is now up and slinging neon multicolored teas to the thirsty students of UCLA.
Years ago, if you went to a movie in Westwood (yes, people used to do that), chances are you stopped by Jerry’s Deli beforehand. Unfortunately, Jerry’s went extinct in Westwood three years ago and the iconic, cavernous space at 10925 Weyburn Ave. has sat empty ever since. I’ve been watching to see who would finally take down the decrepid for lease sign and breathe new life into an old classic. Well, signs did come down recently, and sadly, according to the notice of public hearing posted on the front, the old Jerry’s will be a future “financial service center”.
Selling pizza to hungry students in Westwood is like shooting fish in a barrel, but competition is stiff. Back in 2014, the build-you-own concept Open Oven Pizza opened its doors to the hungry masses at 1131 Westwood Blvd. While there is no clear indication of closure, it has sat idle for a while and Yelp is declaring it closed, so I’m calling it closed as well.
Back in August, I told you about “something big” that was moving into the old Le Pain Quotidien space at 1055 Broxton Ave. in Westwood Village. That something big turned out to be Nushii, who officially opened today (Monday). Their menu offers a choice of a sushi burritos or sushi bowls with a selection of items that includes ahi tuna, teri-racha chicken, curry lemongrass tofu, or hearty herb cauliflower.
Westwood Village has a notoriously capricious food scene. Only the bravest make a stand here, and not always with the best results. Sadly, Garlo’s Aussie Pie Shop has thrown in the towel at 1010 Glendon Ave. as evidenced by the for lease sign on the front. All may not be lost though: A message on their website states that they are “on the move” and promises big news soon…
This took a bit of digging… I recently noticed that an ABC application was pasted on the front of yet another big build-out just a short distance from the upcoming Nushii, at 1061 Broxton, the old Five Guys space. No business name is listed. Likewise, the online application lists no business name either, so I tried a search on the applicant. Turns out, Dignified Foods International LLC has another ABC application pending in Eagle Rock. And on that application they list the restaurant name as SpireWorks. A search for SpireWorks reveals a statement on LinkedIn that describes it as a build-your-own eatery with a focus on Turkish Döner, or spit roasted meats served with bread and toppings. Finally, their website doesn’t divulge much, but it does confirm that they are aiming to open this Fall in Westwood, and this Winter in Eagle Rock.
It looks like “something big” is coming to Westwood Village soon, to the old Le Pain Quotidien space at 1055 Broxton Ave. to be exact. What appears to be an extensive build-out will soon be the home of Nushii. The still developing website doesn’t give us much of a clue as to what type of restaurant Nushii will be, but The Daily Bruin informs us that sushi will be on the menu.
