I LOVE a good tip… Ever since Panera disappeared from its space in the iconic building at 501 Wilshire Blvd., I’ve been hearing from mourning carb fans who are wondering what will take its place. A reader passed on the skinny: @retailroundrobin sent me a link to a real estate company Instagram post clearly showing that the space will soon be a branch of ever-poplar Shake Shack. See for yourself here.
And while we’re on the subject of P.F. Chang’s, here’s more bad news… A sharp-eyed reader (Thanks E.R.!) noticed that P.F. Chang’s building at 326 Wilshire Blvd. was listed as up for lease last week. There aren’t any obvious signs that it will be closing, and they certainly still seem busy, but if the if the LoopNet ad is to be believed, they’ll be out before July 1. I don’t know what’s going on at P.F. Chang’s, but this certainly doesn’t look good following the recent closure of their El Segundo location as well.
I’ve been receiving loads of messages from panicked Santa Monicans lamenting the demise of their beloved Panera Bread, in the landmark building at 501 Wilshire Blvd. that used to house Polly’s Pies. What’s more, a demolition notice now hangs in the window. Panera appears to be losing its presence on the Westside, with now-vacated locations in Westwood and Beverly Hills as well. I’m keeping an eye on all three to see what may develop…
Many of you were in shock when I first told you about the disappearance of beloved Japanese restaurant Musha at 424 Wilshire Blvd. in Downtown Santa Monica. Now it looks like a new tenant is going to give the diminutive space a go. A new ABC application is posted on the front. It doesn’t give much information, just an applicant name of Office Luck USA. There is no business name listed. I can’t locate anything on Office Luck, likewise the officer named on the application doesn’t reveal any insight. If you have any more information, let me know…
Update: Indeed a reader did know more (Thanks Ryan!): The restaurant’s name will be Shirubē. It will be an izakaya style restaurant that appears to be past their projected opening date. Check out their Instagram page here.
Update: Eater has the full skinny here.
Santa Monica is about to get a whole lot sweeter… It wasn’t that long ago that I told you about the disappearance of Beach City Creamery (formerly Beachy Cream) from its address at 1209 Wilshire. Paper is now up on the windows telling us about another treat shop moving in. With one location in the Arts District Downtown, it looks like Broadway Baker is taking over the space. And what’s on offer? Known for their gift boxes, Broadway Baker prides itself on hand crafted, all natural premium baked good from three generations of family recipes, including their salted caramel brownies, once prominently featured in O, The Oprah Magazine.
It was a sad day when, after a brave effort, the people behind Chou Chou French Patisserie decided to pull the plug at 313 Wilshire Blvd. Now a new tenant is poised to move in. With one location on Hollywood Blvd., it appears that Hollywood Burger will soon be delivering “gourmet-style burgers” to the good people of Santa Monica. 
I had assumed that everyone knew about Trader Joe’s impending arrival to the new development on the corner of Wilshire and 23rd in Santa Monica, so I didn’t bother to write about it. But a surprising number of you continue to ask me, so here you go… A recently posted ABC application confirms that Santa Monica’s second Trader Joe’s will soon set up shop at 2300 Wilshire Blvd., unit 101.
When you consider how much energy, expense, and talent goes into the opening of a restaurant, any closure is a sad event, but this is truly sad… Retro-themed ice cream shop Beach City Creamery (formerly Beachy Cream) has finally closed its doors at 1209 Wilshire in Santa Monica. They had made a valiant effort at keeping the doors open in the cozy Santa Monica neighborhood, but they have delivered their last artisan ice cream sandwich. We wish them the best of luck in their future endeavors.
I’m not sure this qualifies as restaurant news, but… I recently spotted an ABC application affixed to the front of an old vacuum cleaner shop at 2924 Wilshire Blvd. announcing an upcoming branch of national chain Board & Brush Creative Studio. Self-described “DIY wood sign workshop” Board & Brush specializes in drinking, socializing with friends, and creating wooden signs. Hmmm…
A big available sign in the window of 9667 Wilshire Blvd. in Beverly Hills lets us know that after a valiant effort, Little Highness Bao is done dishing dumplings. Sadly, this stretch of The Golden Triangle is a historically challenging one for restaurants. I’ll keep watching to see what develops…
Remember back in May when a reader sent me to the empty space at 2212 Wilshire Blvd. in Santa Monica to check out an recently posted ABC application? At the time, I couldn’t find out much information on the business listed as “Miracle Scoops”. But a small now hiring notice taped to the front door spills the beans. It appears that this location will be a branch of expanding minichain Kanpai Japanese Sushi Bar and Grill.
It seems like you can’t swing a dead cat in Santa Monica without hitting a branch of ubiquitous sandwich chain Subway. That’s why it’s surprising the one located at 3023 Wilshire Blvd. closed down. And the replacement? Competitor Jimmy John’s is about to give Santa Monica its first branch.
So what’s the deal with the diminutive Biobar space at 11966 Wilshire in Brentwood? They haven’t opened in a while, recently the windows have been blacked out with blinds, and they are not answering their phone. For all intents and purposes, they appear closed even though they’ve left no clues. But a peek through the blinds (No, I’m not above such things) reveals a beehive of activity. Something is happening at Biobar, I just can’t figure out what. Let me know if you have more information…
Well I didn’t see this coming… It appears that Santa Monica’s ever-popular branch of burrito specialist Baja Fresh has quietly disappeared from their anchor position on the corner of Wilshire and Lincoln in Santa Monica. Not sure what happened, but I’ll keep watching to see what develops.
I recently noticed that long-standing local fave Japanese bolthole Musha Tokyo Cuisine has quit its Downtown Santa Monica location at 424 Wilshire Blvd. The windows are covered over and the restaurant appears to be undergoing renovation. I originally wondered if they were remodeling since there is no for lease sign on the front. But Yelp is reporting them closed and their website isn’t functioning, so I’m assuming the worst. Let me know if you have any information, but I’ll keep watching…
Popular chill Mexican joint Tacoteca unceremoniously closed a bit ago at 2460 Wilshire Blvd. Recently a window sign went up on the space informing us that a new bar called Gramercy is moving in. I can’t find much information on Gramercy. The Yelp page for Tacoteca lists it as “temporarily closed” with a scheduled opening date of June 9th, so I don’t know if this is owned by the same people or not. Let me know if you have any more information…
On a tip from a reader (Thanks Lola!), I went by 2210 Wilshire Blvd. to check out what was going on in the space that used to house children’s boutique Giggle. The location is completely gutted, but there’s an ABC application pasted to the front. The application lists the applicant as Miracle Scoops Corporation. I’ve searched the internet but there’s little information out there on Miracle Scoops, or the names listed on the application. The business name line on the application is left blank, so I can assume the name of the new eatery will be something other than Miracle Scoops, but I guess we’ll just have to wait and see…
I first noticed that natural foods grocer Erewhon was coming to Santa Monica late last year. After extensive construction, it appears they are about to open. According to the notices pasted on the front, the bright shiny new Erewhon officially opens at 9am on April 11th at 2800 Wilshire Blvd., and features a “beautiful patio, terraced courtyard, and a street-level view of Erewhon’s open kitchen”.
Apparently almost over night, a new coffee shop has landed in the old space of the disappeared chain Juice Served Here. With locations on both coasts, and 2 other locations in the LA area, Bluestone Lane is now up and running at 631 Wilshire Blvd. Besides coffee and tea, the Australian coffee shop offers a menu of cold-pressed juices, “grab and go items”, oatmeal, and open-faced toasts including, you guessed it, avocado toast.
Every once in a while, I’m caught off guard by the amount of attention that a post gets. Perhaps its due to the relative lack of fast food options on Wilshire Blvd. in Santa Monica, but ever since I first wrote to tell you about the construction of a Del Taco in an old Jack In The Box location, a great many of you have been checking for updates. So you’ll be pleased to know that Del Taco has opened in its shiny new space at 2423 Wilshire.
Toddrickallen 