It wasn’t that long ago that I told you about the intention of Korean food chain Bibibop to take over erstwhile locations of Southeast Asian eatery ShopHouse. The Santa Monica branch of Bibibop Asian Grill, at 1401 Third St. Promenade, is now officially up and running. The concept is similar to ShopHouse‘s, where you build your bowl out of rice, noodles, or greens and then add a choice of protein, sauce, and various hot and cold toppings.
Ahhh poke, will we never tire of you? Just when you think that there couldn’t possibly be room for one more raw fish shop, one pops up. It looks like the hungry students at UCLA have yet another choice when it comes to the Hawaiian specialty. The Poke is now in grand opening at their 935 Broxton Ave. location in Westwood. In addition to poke, they also feature “hot plates”, bowls, fried rice, and tempura on their menu that you can read more about here.
I’ve been watching the build-out on the corner space of 10959 Kinross Ave. in Westwood since May of last year, when I learned that something called D1 Café was moving in. After an extensive remodel of the location, they are now up and running. Look for a menu of kabobs, pizzas, and salads.
“Modern Organic Mexican” restaurant Tocaya Organica continues its inexorable march toward world domination. The latest evidence? The rapidly expanding chain has landed a spot at 1140 Gayley Ave. in Westwood.
Late last year, Eater gave us information about Artisanal Brewers Collective’s take over the iconic Yamato space at 1099 Westwood Blvd. It appears that plans are going forward, as late last week, an ABC license application was pasted to the front confirming just that. And the name of the new craft beer establishment? It is listed on the application as Broxton.
Following up on a tip from a reader (Thanks Jeremy!), I went to check out what was going on in the old Open Oven Pizza location at 1131 Westwood Blvd. in Westwood. I declared Open Oven closed last year, but was later told that the owners were working on a new concept. That appears to have changed, as ‘now hiring’ signs are up on the front declaring that the sunny purveyors of milk tea/boba/juice/snacks Lollicup Fresh are intending on making themselves right at home in the space.
I recently came across ‘now hiring’ notices posted on the papered-over windows of the erstwhile ShopHouse locations at 1401 3rd St. Promenade in Santa Monica and at 1059 Broxton Ave. in Westwood. The notices announce that both locations will be brand spanking new branches of Korean food chain Bibibop Asian Grill, headquartered in Columbus Ohio. According to LABJ, they intend on taking over all the old ShopHouse locations, including The Point in El Segundo, and West Hollywood’s branch as well.
Ever since short-lived Aestus vacated their space at 507 Wilshire Blvd. in Santa Monica, I’ve been carefully watching to see what would move in. Well, now we know… The windows were recently papered over informing us that the good people of Santa Monica will soon be able to partake of “modern organic Mexican” at an upcoming branch of Tocaya Organica. With branches in West Hollywood, Venice, and Miami, it looks like in they will also be expanding to Westwood and Hollywood as well, according to their website.
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.
Ummm… I can’t entirely grasp the concept here, but if you’ve ever lamented the fact that you had to stop in two places to satisfy your pizza and macaron fix, you’re in luck! It appears that both will be the bill of fare at an upcoming new restaurant at 2029 Westwood Blvd. Apparently, the man associated with this venture, Aman Shekarchi, knows a thing or two about macarons. He’s the name behind a wholesale pastry site Monkey Macarons. Not sure when The Pizza Mac will open, but the world will be waiting with bated breath.
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.
DC’s Greek/Mediterranean restaurant chain Cava Grill continues to expand. After opening their Westwood location only a couple of months ago, they are adding another location in Downtown Santa Monica. Paper is covering the windows of the recently constructed building housing the Chelsea apartment complex at 1320 2nd Street announcing the impending arrival. If you check out their website, you’ll see that they are also opening soon in Venice, Culver City, and Irvine.
It was only about a month ago that I told you about the closure of Barbacoa Mexican Grill at 1030 Glendon Ave. in Westwood. Wasting no time whatsoever, a branch of Pinches Tacos is quickly moving in. Look for the “real Mexican food” to start rolling out in about a week. We wish them the best of luck.
And while we’re on the subject of juices… It appears that a branch of Qwench Juice Bar is opening in the space once occupied by The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf at 1001 Gayley Ave. in Westwood. Look for a menu of juices, smoothies, bowls, sandwiches, kombucha, tea, and coffee.
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.
And while we’re on the subject of closures… Sadly, storied Westwood institution The Glendon Bar & Kitchen will be serving its last cocktail today (August 12th). Not sure what happened to end their six and a half-year run, but I’m willing to bet that the party tonight will be a good one.
It takes a great deal of courage to open a restaurant in capricious Westwood Village. Eateries come and go faster than you can find a parking space. Sadly, it appears that Barbacoa Mexican Grill has thrown in the towel and vacated its space at 1030 Glendon Ave. No word on a replacement, and if you’ve developed a craving for their healthy brand of Mexican fare, you might have to drive a while as most of their other locations are in Utah.
Not long ago, I told you about some upcoming new restaurants hitting the Westwood Village food scene. Since then, both establishments have opened. Asian dumpling experts Northern Café has thrown open its doors at 1064 Gayley Ave. Additionally, icy treat purveyors Frostalicious is now providing the good people of Westwood with Taiwanese shaved ice at 10967 Weyburn Ave.
Toddrickallen 