Last year was difficult for Los Angeles chefs and restaurateurs. Many entered 2025 hoping for reprieve from previous setbacks and pitfalls: years of inflation, diminished business due to local entertainment-industry strikes and fewer productions, COVID-era back rent coming due, increases in the cost of labor and rent. But 2025 proved to be even more disastrous, compounding existing issues.
It started with wildfires across the region, which destroyed thousands of Southern California homes, restaurants, bars and other businesses. Tariffs caused the price of some ingredients to soar, while rent and labor continued to increase. Immigration raids and lower tourism only exacerbated diminished sales. It was not an easy year for L.A. restaurants, and accordingly, many closed — with some, like Sprinkles Cupcakes, announcing closures on the last day of the year, right up to the publishing of this list.
The closures were indiscriminate: Michelin-starred fine dining restaurants like Gucci Osteria and Shibumi shuttered alongside more casual mom-and-pop operations, including some of L.A.’s most celebrated. Guerrilla Tacos, Here’s Looking at You, Cassia, Post & Beam and many others closed their doors in 2025.
Some single closures marked the end of multiple restaurants at once, such as Culver City’s food hall Citizen Public Market, which until November housed food stalls and pop-ups from some of the best chefs in the city. Some restaurants closed due to a cocktail of factors too difficult to stomach, while a few were optimistic: Mitsuru, in Little Tokyo, closed so that its community-beloved owners can finally retire after decades in the industry.
Multiple restaurants are rumored to have closed in the last days of 2025, or are rumored to be closing soon, but The Times was unable to confirm these by the publication of this list. Other restaurants such as Cole’s, Angel City Brewery, Blue Plate Oysterette and the 140-year-old Saugus Cafe announced closures slated for early 2026.
Here are more than 100 restaurants and bars that closed in 2025, with mention of how else to find and support other locations and new projects, if applicable.
A.O.C. Brentwood
Suzanne Goin and Caroline Styne spent 16 years in their Brentwood restaurant space, first operating it as Tavern, then, in 2021, flipping it to a new outpost of their celebrated wine bar A.O.C. It received positive reviews, including one from L.A. Times Food critic Bill Addison, but this summer the business partners said they would close the restaurant due to losses from the January fires, a decrease in entertainment-industry production and more. “At this point, with this confluence of circumstances, continuing felt untenable,” Goin and Styne said via email. Their other A.O.C. location, at the edge of Beverly Grove and West Hollywood, remains open.
Caroline Styne, left, and Suzanne Goin photographed in A.O.C. Brentwood in 2021.
(Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times)
Akasha
A Culver City stalwart of nearly two decades closed in October. The Indian-influenced restaurant “helped kick off the culinary revival in Culver City” and ran for 18 years there. Owners Akasha Richmond and Alan Schulman cited a range of considerations in their decision, including entertainment-industry strikes, the pandemic and rising labor and food costs. “The challenges of recent years,” they wrote on Instagram, “have become too great to overcome.”
Richmond and Schulman continue Akasha with catering menus and pop-ups.
Amara Kitchen (Altadena)
Paola Guasp’s health-minded cafe prided itself on using fresh fruits, whole grains and local ingredients for its buckwheat pancakes, colorful salads, tartines and more — and Altadena loved it. But Guasp’s Amara Kitchen was destroyed by January’s Eaton fire, one of many community culinary losses this year. While the Altadena location is still gone, Amara Kitchen can be visited at its Highland Park location.
Amour
This chic brasserie closed in August just shy of two years in service. West Hollywood’s Amour served French classics such as asparagus tarts, steak au poivre and frog legs and truffled gnocchi in a dining room with patterned wallpapers, checkered flooring and tassels that hung from light fixtures. Its owners cited “financial burdens” that included the L.A. wildfires.
“This is not the end — it’s a pause,” the restaurant posted to its since-deleted Instagram account. “We will take time to rebuild, reimagine and return.”
Arroz and Fun
After nearly three years in Lincoln Heights, coffee shop and cafe Arroz and Fun closed on Halloween — but “this isn’t goodbye,” its team posted to Instagram. Cipota Coffee roaster Gardenia Rosales and the family behind Arroz and Fun — including Humberto Leon and his mom, Wendy Leon, who also operate Chifa in Eagle Rock — plan to move the cafe to Chifa in early 2026. Expect coffee, tea and daytime bites, plus new menu items, according to staff.
Bahr
This ambitious cafe serving house-made falafel, fluffy pita, borek, soujuk breakfast sandwiches and Armenian coffee opened and closed this year at the base of the Reef in Historic South-Central. Chef-founders Travis Matoesian and Alan Rudoy — who met while cooking at Funke — parted ways, with Rudoy leaving to cook beyond L.A. Matoesian is continuing Bahr as a pop-up and catering operation, along with their other former joint venture, a pizza pop-up called El Gato Negro. Follow on Instagram for updates.
Boo’s Philly Cheesesteaks (East Hollywood)
The family-run local chain known for its Philadelphia-style cheesesteaks oozing with Cheez Whiz shuttered its original location, but Boo’s lives on. The Ahn family launched their cheesesteak operation from a small A-frame at the edge of Silver Lake and East Hollywood 14 years ago. In October, they posted, “What an amazing journey!! But some journeys ultimately have to come an end in order to move forward.” Their locations in Echo Park and Koreatown remain open.
Bar Bohemien
When Culver City food hall Citizen Public Market announced its closure (more on that below), rooftop cocktail spot Bar Bohemien planned to remain open. “Bar Bohemein will not be impacted!” the bar’s Instagram account posted in September. But the popular bulb-lit Bar Bohemien closed suddenly on Nov. 28 anyway. “We are now permanently closed,” the last update read. “Thank you for all the good times in Culver City!”
Bar Chelou as seen from the bar area.
(Dino Kuznik / For The Times)
Bar Chelou
When faced with renewing its Pasadena lease just after the January fires, the team behind Bar Chelou bistro decided to close. The French-leaning restaurant from Trois Mec alum Douglas Rankin garnered local and national acclaim since its 2023 debut. In his 2023 review, L.A. Times Food critic Bill Addison said the restaurant was delivering “a jolt of eccentricity” to the neighborhood and serving a “nouvelle cuisine fever dream.” But after the fires, Rankin said sales fell 20% to 30%. “All the signs were pointing towards: We have no clear path forward,” Rankin said at the time. “When an entire neighborhood burns down that accounts for a certain percentage of your business, it’s like, what do you do?”
Bar Monette
Sean MacDonald’s Neapolitan pizzeria and tapas bar ran for two years in Santa Monica before announcing its closure in early January. The debut L.A. restaurant from the Canadian chef was slated to close Jan. 31, but due to the Palisades and Eaton fires, shuttered on Jan. 9 and did not reopen. Its adjacent restaurant, Burgette (see below), also closed that day. But MacDonald’s work can still be found in L.A. As a member of Dominique Crenn’s corporate-chef team, he helped open the new Monsieur Dior in Beverly Hills.
Birdie G’s
Genre-bending Birdie G’s debuted in 2019 to wide acclaim. Jeremy Fox, the former Rustic Canyon chef, introduced creative dishes that wed Midwestern sensibilities, Jewish classics and L.A. ingredients in a way that felt fresh and exciting. The Santa Monica restaurant from the Rustic Canyon Family hospitality group weathered the pandemic, challenging parking, and downturns in business from loss in entertainment-industry production, but when the fires tore through the city, Fox said it felt almost impossible to navigate.
Blu Jam Cafe (Tarzana)
The popular, brunch-focused local chain Blu Jam closed its Tarzana location in January after eight years in operation, citing “an impasse in our lease renewal negotiations,” according to the closing statement. In August a fire temporarily closed the Woodland Hills location as well, though the Sherman Oaks, Atwater, downtown and Fairfax restaurants remain open.
Brennan’s
After decades of turtle races and pints of beer, Marina del Rey mainstay Brennan’s closed its doors this month. The longtime dive bar saw a revival in 2017, when it was acquired by hospitality group Artisanal Brewers Collective (ABC), which owns the Stalking Horse, Library Bar and others. The bar offered a litany of live programming, including trivia, “bar Jeopardy” and themed events, but the largest draw was the turtle race, which drew generations of fans as well as years of animal-rights protests. “Thank you for supporting us, showing up, and making this place feel alive,” the closing statement read.
Burgette
Chef-owner Sean MacDonald envisioned Burgette as a Parisian-inspired burger restaurant: Copper pots hung on the walls, and the menu included imported cheese and charcuterie and sides such as haricots verts and frisee salads. The upscale, French-tinged burger restaurant sat beside his pizzeria, Bar Monette, and closed on the same day. Burgette was open for less than one year.
Cabra
The Peruvian-leaning rooftop restaurant from “Top Chef” winner Stephanie Izard closed over summer after more than three years in operation at the Hoxton hotel downtown. Izard’s Girl & the Goat — an outpost of her celebrated Chicago restaurant — is still in operation in the Arts District. “We’re incredibly proud of what we built together at the Hoxton, Downtown L.A.,” Kevin Boehm and Rob Katz, co-founders of Boka, wrote in an email statement. “It’s been a privilege to be part of this community, and we’re excited to keep doing what we love at Girl & the Goat.”
Canto VI
This celebrated wine bar from a Mélisse and Augustine Wine Bar alum debuted in 2024 in Chatsworth with thoughtfully curated bottles and Italian cuisine. But in September, owner Brian Kalliel and his team announced Canto VI’s sudden closure and the cancelation of all future reservations. “This decision,” they wrote on Instagram, “was not made lightly,” while adding, “Exciting news to come!” on the page. Canto VI remains closed.
Carla’s Fresh Market
A community-focused corner store and cafe in Highland Park closed in September after nearly two years in business. Owner Ariell Ilunga stocked Carla’s Fresh Market with independent brands, local produce and fresh sandwiches, salads and more, and regularly hosted fundraisers, wine tastings, pop-ups and other events. “From our local economy being in a general slump to rising costs and just one unprecedented event after the other, and increased expenses due to this location, it just no longer makes sense to operate here,” Ilunga said in a video posted to Instagram.
Cassia
Husband-and-wife team Bryant Ng and Kim Luu-Ng electrified Santa Monica’s dining scene when they debuted Cassia a decade ago, a restaurant blending Singaporean, Chinese, Vietnamese and French sensibilities. In February the couple — along with their partners in the Rustic Canyon Family restaurant group — closed the restaurant, citing entertainment-industry fallout, the January fires and other economic concerns. Ng and Luu-Ng recently opened casual Chinese restaurant Jade Rabbit, also in Santa Monica.
Chin Chin (West Hollywood)
The Sunset Strip restaurant that popularized Chinese chicken salad closed this summer after more than 40 years in operation. Chin Chin became a local chain, but it all began in West Hollywood; this location, with its proximity to the Hollywood Hills, was a frequent spot for celebrity sightings — especially in the ’80s and ’90s. Unable to renew the lease, the restaurant’s owners vacated Sunset Plaza. Neighboring French restaurant Le Petit Four (see below) also closed this year.
Cholada Thai
The future of one of the most beloved restaurants along PCH hangs in the balance. Cholada Thai served a lengthy list of curries, seafood specials and pan-fried noodles from a little blue wooden structure at the edge of Malibu and Topanga. In January the restaurant was destroyed by the Palisades fire; its owners raised more than $146,000 to rebuild it, but due to its location on state-owned land, its future remains uncertain — alongside the futures of neighbors such as the Reel Inn and Rosenthal Wine Bar & Patio (see below). Husband-and-wife team Nikorn Sriwichailumpan and Sawai Theprian bought the restaurant in 2000 after working in the kitchen, and turned it into a family operation with their children. The family’s second location, in Long Beach, remains open.
Cholada Thai served fresh seafood, curries and stir fries from a beachy blue wooden shack along PCH. Its flavors can still be found in Long Beach.
(Silvia Razgova / For The Times)
Citizen Public Market
Sporting some of the city’s most recognizable names in food, this Culver City food hall drew an array of guests and chefs over its five-year run. Citizen Public Market, located in the historic Citizen Publishing Company Building, launched with concepts such as a pizzette stall from Nancy Silverton and went on to add casual restaurants such as Uoichiba Handroll Bar and Go Go Bird from Hinoki and the Bird chef Brandon Kida. It gave Ventura-based Lonely Oyster an L.A. outpost and hosted pop-ups such as Jikoni by Kiano Moju. In September the food hall announced its November closure. Co-owners Rick Moses and Jeff Appel also partnered in Hollywood’s Grandmaster Recorders, which also closed this year (see below).
Cobras & Matadors
After a number of starts and stops over the course of 20 years, restaurateur and food-scene fixture Steven Arroyo revived his lauded Cobras & Matadors along Melrose Avenue in 2024, where he served his signature Spanish-L.A. cuisine until his death later that summer. The entrepreneur died at age 55 due to medical complications from cancer treatment. His children and partners hoped to continue the restaurant, which drew diners with dishes like garlicky shrimp, patatas fritas, lomo embuchado and events such as live jazz, but Cobras & Matadors is now closed. Arroyo’s culinary legacy continues at his other ventures, including the nearby Escuela Taqueria and Burger She Wrote.
Cosa Buona
In 2024 Zach Pollack shuttered his celebrated Silver Lake restaurant, Alimento, and in March he closed his red-sauce-leaning Echo Park spot, Cosa Buona. The eight-year-old neighborhood restaurant excelled in pizza, hot wings, mountains of chopped salads and sides like smoked mozzarella sticks. “I will forever cherish the many memories we’ve made at Cosa and hope you will, too,” Pollack wrote at the time, adding, “But as the sun sets in the East, it rises in the West.” He went on to open Italian Californian restaurant Cosetta in Santa Monica, which landed on the L.A. Times 101 List of best restaurants. Some Cosa Buona dishes — including the smoked mozzarella sticks — can now be found here.
Cosa Buona’s chicken wings with house-made Gorgonzola dipping sauce.
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
The Den
In March, with just a few days’ notice, popular Sunset Strip spot the Den announced its closure, calling it “the end of an era.” The American restaurant and bar became a neighborhood institution over the course of its 16-year run with its hearty burgers, skillets of gravy fries, sports events and themed parties.
Downtown Dough
The new restaurant group from Issa Rae and her business partners, Ajay Relan and Yonnie Hagos, is making waves in L.A. with Somerville, Lost DTLA and Hilltop Coffee + Kitchen. But one of its newer ventures — a Neapolitan-leaning pizzeria — is now closed. Downtown Dough debuted in May, flipping the downtown Hilltop from cafe by day into a full Italian restaurant in the evenings. On Dec. 15, the restaurant closed with a “temporary pause,” but is still available for private events.
El Mar Azul
This white — and in later years, bright blue — food truck parked in Highland Park for 41 years, its painted octopus hinting at the fresh-seafood tostadas, tacos and cocktails. In February, El Mar Azul announced its closure via Facebook, saying, “We’re grateful to our loyal customers who chose us for family gatherings, lunches, dinners and birthdays. To those who braved long lines and rain for our famous tostadas and cocktails, thank you.” But the legacy won’t stop there. Members of the founding family are launching a new business: Rosie’s Canteen, built out of a refurbished Airstream trailer. Follow along on Instagram for updates.
Elf Cafe
An Echo Park stalwart of nearly 19 years closed in June, soliciting hundreds of comments on Instagram in response to the news. Elf Cafe established itself as a chipper cafe by day and an intimate neighborhood wine bar and restaurant by night, always spotlighting vegetables and fresh produce. “What started as more of a chaotic dream than a plan — almost no money, a tiny room, a few tables we built ourselves, a couple of hot plates and a convection oven — became something enduring and beautiful thanks to all of you,” its owners wrote via Instagram. The team recently flipped the space into new amaro bar the Ramona Room.
Ester’s Wine Shop & Oyster Bar
The Rustic Canyon Family’s wine shop and oyster bar closed in November after a decade of pours, grilled cheese sandwiches and caviar. Ester’s sat adjacent to Cassia, at the base of an Art Deco building, and cultivated community with events such as workshops, “wine school” events, dinner series, book clubs and a focus on independent winemakers and women vintners.
Father’s Office (Arts District)
Longtime restaurateur Sang Yoon closed two restaurants this year, and the first was the Arts District location of Father’s Office. His celebrated gastropub made waves in 2001 when it debuted in Santa Monica with one strict rule — no ketchup — and spread its inventive bar food and broad beer selection with multiple locations, including one in the Arts District in early 2020. The location weathered the pandemic, then multiple other setbacks, including what Yoon called a steep downturn in foot traffic in the neighborhood in 2025. Because of this, he closed the outpost in September. The Santa Monica and Culver City Father’s Offices remain open.
Fox’s
One of the most mourned Altadena restaurant losses this year is Fox’s, the 1947-founded cafe that husband-and-wife team Paul Rosenbluh and Monique King ran since 2017. The little red neighborhood restaurant served homey meals with a focus on brunch classics. “We will rebuild if we can,” the owners wrote in an Instagram comment. “We’re committed to the community, we just simply don’t know what the future brings.” In the meantime, King and Rosenbluh still operate Eagle Rock restaurants Cindy’s and Little Beast.
The Friend (Silver Lake)
Long-running neighborhood bar the Friend closed its Silver Lake location, announcing “a break” in October. Earlier this year the official Instagram account posted: “The Friend is temporarily closing and looking for a new owner.” The seven-year-old Silver Lake location that was rife with DJ sets and other live entertainment remains closed, but its sibling bar, Venice’s the Little Friend, is open.
Gasolina Cafe
Woodland Hills’ charming, decade-old Spanish restaurant Gasolina Cafe closed Jan. 19, with chef and co-founder Sandra Cordero shifting focus to its sibling restaurant, Xuntos in Santa Monica. Cordero and her team spent the final weeks of Gasolina Cafe cooking for first responders and those displaced by the fires. Her famous paellas also can still be ordered for catering services.
Gigi’s
This chic, modern French restaurant in Hollywood closed in May after nearly five years in business. With seafood towers, steak tartare, icy martinis, wood paneling and green velvet seating, Gigi’s was intended to be a jewel of the burgeoning Sycamore Avenue corridor. “This is about as bittersweet as it gets,” owners posted to Instagram.
Goldburger took over the former Burgerlords space in Chinatown’s Central Plaza.
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
Goldburger (Chinatown)
Goldburger makes some of the city’s most iconic burgers, but that couldn’t stop one of its locations from closing this year. The local chain took over the former Burgerlords space in 2024, but in August closed abruptly, citing a range of difficulties. “We opened during the start of what seems like a historic downturn for nearly every restaurant in this city and the industry as a whole,” owner Allen Yelent posted to Instagram. “Throw in some fires and rains and curfews and being in a sleepy plaza … We loved it so so so much I can’t even begin to tell you how sad I am.” Goldburger’s locations in Highland Park, Los Feliz and Granada Hills remain open.
Grandmaster Recorders
The buzzy restaurant and rooftop bar with a rock-and-roll theme closed quietly after more than three years in operation. Grandmaster Recorders, from some of the team behind E.P. and L.P., flipped a former Hollywood recording studio into a sprawling restaurant, lounge space, and a rooftop with a view of the Hollywood Hills. The Italian-meets-Australian restaurant and bar did not announce a formal closure, but the space has been closed for months and is currently for lease.
The Greyhound (Glendale)
The Glendale counterpart to Highland Park’s long-running gastropub and sports bar closed in January. The Greyhound’s Glendale outpost debuted in 2019 and served the brand’s famous wings along with a number of specials unique to the location. “We are so grateful to you, the Glendale community that has supported before, during and after a global pandemic,” owners posted to Instagram. “We are grateful to our regulars, our fan clubs, and the people that came in once. When we opened this place, we didn’t know what to expect and we didn’t know who we’d meet. This has been the most fun, ever.” Highland Park’s the Greyhound remains open.
Gucci Osteria da Massimo Bottura
The Michelin-starred Italian restaurant atop Gucci’s Beverly Hills flagship closed without warning in November, in order to make other use of the space, according to staff. Adorned with Gucci wallpaper, velvet banquette seating and Gucci-designed tableware, the restaurant served Italian cuisine in couture style for nearly five years. It was lauded Italian chef Massimo Bottura’s first U.S. restaurant and served some of his most iconic dishes, including the famed tortellini en brodo, while executive chef Mattia Agazzi created L.A.-meets-Italy fine dining unique to the Beverly Hills location. Gucci Osteria remains open in Japan, Korea and Italy.
Guerrilla Cafecito
The sibling cafe to Arts District restaurant Guerrilla Tacos (see below) closed in January alongside the full taqueria next door. The sunny daytime spot debuted in 2020, decorated with colorful murals and hanging plants; it was beloved for its coffee and breakfast burritos.
(Christina House / Los Angeles Times)
Guerrilla Tacos
One of the city’s most influential restaurants announced its closure in the first days of the year. Guerrilla Tacos — founded as a cart in 2012 before expanding to a truck and an Arts District restaurant — helped proliferate Alta California cuisine with chef and co-owner Wes Avila’s hyper-seasonal tacos and tostadas. “Since COVID things have been extremely strained,” Guerrilla Tacos managing partner Brittney Valles-Gordon said in a video posted to Instagram at the time. “As the years passed and we had hope that things were going to get better, they simply have not.”
Guido’s
A longstanding Westside Italian restaurant closed in May after nearly a half-century in business. Guido’s red leather booths sat the likes of Frank Sinatra, David Byrne, Tom Selleck and more, with neon signage and red leather booths that beckoned. Local historian Alison Martino, who broke the news, announced that famous-guest photos already were being removed from the walls prior to the Sawtelle restaurant’s last night. Guido’s sibling locations, in Malibu and Calabasas, shuttered more than a decade prior.
Ham Ji Park (both locations)
A beloved Korean restaurant and L.A. Times Hall of Fame inductee closed both locations this month, bidding farewell to its bone-in grilled pork ribs and the gamjatang that former L.A. Times Food critic Jonathan Gold once wrote “may be the single-best hangover cure in an area dense in hangover cures.” With a restaurant in Koreatown and another in Arlington Heights — and a previously shuttered outpost in Buena Park — Ham Ji Park’s flame-grilled flavor cast a wide net since its founding roughly 40 years ago. “Until we meet again,” the restaurant’s Instagram account posted this month.
Helms Bakery
After years of planning and stalled starts, Father’s Office chef-owner Sang Yoon finally unveiled one of the city’s most anticipated restaurants in late 2024: the return of Helms Bakery, the once-prolific bread service based out of Culver City. Yoon renovated a portion of the original, 1931-founded bakery, flipping it into a bakery, market, a ready-made-foods deli and a coffee stand. This month Helms Bakery closed. “I really wanted the Helms sign to mean something again,” Yoon said earlier this month. “Just to feel that there’s a history and there’s real people alive who remember it, and then to try to connect that to kids today, that was really my chief motivator.”
An interior of the new Helms Bakery on opening day.
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
Here’s Looking at You
One of the most influential, boundary-pushing and celebrated restaurants in Los Angeles closed in Koreatown this summer following years of industry difficulties and personal tragedy. Here’s Looking at You — from owners Lien Ta and Jonathan Whitener — drew local and national acclaim with cross-cultural dishes such as frog legs with salsa negra, uni panna cotta and chicken liver with passion fruit and smoked maple. Whitener, who led the kitchen, died at 36 in 2024, from which Ta said the restaurant never fully recovered professionally or personally. But the restaurant went out with a bang, serving classic Whitener dishes in his honor along with items from guest chefs, a tiki pop-up and more.
Holy Cow BBQ (Culver City)
After a decade of serving smoked meats in Culver City, Holy Cow BBQ — the “California-style” barbecue operation with smoked sandwiches, hand-rubbed meats, and sides like pork rinds, street corn and chili fries — announced via social media it would close in April to concentrate on its catering services. Holy Cow BBQ still maintains its restaurant in Santa Monica.
I Like Pie
Annika Corbin’s I Like Pie bakeshop launched in 2012, and over the years and two locations she amassed a small army of fans hungry for her mini pies, hand pies, whole pies and pie-laced ice creams. In February, she closed both storefronts and suspended all operations. Her Pasadena storefront closed temporarily due to the Eaton fire; it reopened for mere weeks before it closed permanently, along with the original Claremont shop.
Kahuna Tiki (North Hollywood)
After more than a decade of tropical drinks, sushi and burlesque in North Hollywood, Kahuna Tiki closed its doors. “Los Angeles just won’t do enough to make the city and the street what we worked so hard to realize,” according to an Instagram post in August. “We won’t survive another winter at this location.” But owners of the bar said they can still be found in Valley Village, where they’re putting “full focus” on Kahuna Tiki Tu, the tiki bar’s newer sibling concept, which opened in 2020.
The Kind Sage (all locations)
The Kind Sage, formerly known as Sage Vegan Bistro, closed in the first days of 2025 following a controversial business pivot. In spring of 2024 Mollie Engelhart announced that her plant-based Echo Park destination would begin serving meat and dairy, tied to her newfound focus on regenerative farming, and would introduce the ingredients at her Pasadena offshoot. The decision faced support as well as widespread backlash from the vegan community, some of which called for a boycott of the restaurants. In 2025, she closed the remaining locations of what was a local chain. Engelhart is now based in Texas with a regenerative farm and restaurant.
Kitchen Mouse (Mount Washington)
Plant-based cafe and bakery Kitchen Mouse maintains its hub in Highland Park, but earlier this year the operation closed its nearby walk-up stand in a Mount Washington parking lot. In 2023 owner Erica Daking restored a former doughnut shop to build a quick-casual outpost for her vegan operation, and served her own doughnuts, house-blend coffee, bagels, pastries and fan-favorite waffles. The waffles have since migrated north to the Highland Park location.
Koast
This seafood-focused restaurant from the team behind Kali launched at the start of the year, but closed by end of summer. The decision to closed was a difficult one, Meehan told The Times earlier this year, informed by difficulties in permitting its planned rooftop seating, lowered check averages and slow foot traffic. Facing difficulties at the Michelin-starred Kali as well, Meehan and his business partner quietly closed Koast to focus on rebranding Kali into a modern steakhouse.
Kusaki
After multiple starts and stops, plant-based sushi restaurant Kusaki called it quits in November. Pearl Steffie’s vegan Sawtelle destination served both a la carte and omakase, with options such as vegetable nigiri and plant-based shishito burgers. Steffie wrote on Instagram that though Kusaki is ending, she will continue to share its flavors through sushi classes, private dinners and other future events.
LA Cha Cha Chá
In September downtown-rooftop hot spot LA Cha Cha Cha posted cryptically it would be moving. Eventually it became clear that the modern Mexican restaurant and bar would be moving to Miami. LA Cha Cha Cha — the sibling restaurant to Mexico City’s Terraza Cha Cha Chá — posted without explanation that the L.A. outpost would close in October. But co-owner Alejandro Marín told Eater that the city’s summer immigration raids and ensuing protests and curfews slowed business to the point where “it seemed like everyone was avoiding downtown.” The hospitality group’s Mexican seafood restaurants Loreto and Mariscos Za Za Zá in Frogtown and lauded modern panaderia Santa Canela in Highland Park are open.
La Grande Orange
La Grande Orange was the first L.A. flag planted by chef and restaurateur Bob Lynn, who went on to open a string of restaurants through the county. The modern American restaurant served fluffy pancakes, deviled eggs, crab tostadas, daily-baked English muffins and more since its 2008 launch in Pasadena’s historic Del Mar Train Station. But in March La Grande Orange, along with sibling concepts the Luggage Room and Otis Bar (see below), called it quits. A statement taped to the front door cited landlord disputes and building conditions. Lynn and his restaurant group continue with Santa Monica’s the Misfit and the recently opened Diner Antonette, and multiple restaurants in Arizona.
Layla
Chef Chris Sayegh made waves in L.A. with Secret Supper Club, his cannabis-focused dinner series, but in early 2024 he opened a new bricks-and-mortar venture with Layla, a haute, French-tinged Levantine restaurant named for — and inspired by — Sayegh’s Jordanian jiddeh, or grandmother. Sayegh hopes to reopen Layla, posting in the February closure announcement, “The beginning of the year presented us with many challenges as a city. Please bear with us as we are currently closed to find our new location to serve our community.”
Le Petit Four
A West Hollywood mainstay of nearly a half-century closed in March, citing increasing labor costs and rent, the pandemic and diminished foot traffic. The community rallied around Le Petit Four after the 44-year-old French bistro announced its impending end: Hundreds of comments rolled in over social media, many recounting memories and celebrity sightings on the Sunset Strip. A surge in business convinced the owner Alexandre Morgenthaler that he could cover back rent and remain open after all, but the landlord would not accept it. “He refused it,” Morgenthaler said. “He said, ‘You’re not strong enough. You’re not going to make it.’ Basically we’re back to zero so I have to close the doors.”
Le Petit Paris
Fanny and David Rolland opened their first Le Petit Paris in Cannes. In 2015 they expanded with a location in downtown Los Angeles, where they served truffle-topped pasta from a cheese wheel, decadent brunches and artful French pastries from the base of the El Dorado building. In October they announced their sudden, immediate closure, calling their decade in operation “a privilege and an inspiration.”
Leopardo
The anticipated modern Cal-Italian restaurant with some of the city’s best new pizza quietly closed toward the top of the year, announcing a planned reopening in February. But Leopardo — a new project from Angler founder Joshua Skenes — never reopened. Its social media is gone, as is the restaurant’s website. Skenes went on to launch Happies Hand Made, a gourmet chicken tenders restaurant in the Arts District, which announced it would be “taking a break” in October and isn’t currently open.
Leopardo’s Hail Satan pizza: a sweet-spicy pizza that layers flavor with salumi, hot tomato sauce, chile flakes and garlic with wildflower honey and a side of giardiniera.
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
Little Sister (downtown)
The downtown location of this popular modern-Vietnamese chain closed quietly earlier this year, with a simple message posted to the door: “Thank you, DTLA. After 10 incredible years, we’re closing our doors at this location. We’re grateful for your support, memories and shared meals.” Little Sister’s El Segundo, Redondo Beach and Irvine locations remain open, and the restaurant — from founders Tin Vuong and Jed Sanford — has posted about plans to open future locations outside of downtown.
Liu’s Cafe Creamery
Koreatown’s Taiwanese and Chinese cafe still draws lines down the block, but for nearly eight months this year, so did its adjacent ice cream parlor. Liu’s Cafe Creamery debuted in January with ambitious house-made ice cream and house-made toppings such as cilantro syrup, chili crisp and butter cookie crumbles all by pastry chef Isabell Manibusan. The innovative ice cream parlor closed in early August, but Liu’s restaurant group, Long Hospitality, has more in the works. “Something else exciting will be taking the place of the creamery, so stay tuned,” the since-deleted closing announcement read.
The oyster-garnished house martini at Echo Park’s the Lonely Oyster.
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
The Lonely Oyster
Echo Park’s oyster bar with late-night service, lobster rolls, industry nights, oyster-rimmed martinis and a science-tinged cocktail program closed this month after nearly three years in operation. The Lonely Oyster’s final service was held Dec. 21. The owner’s nearby cocktail bar, Little Joy, remains open.
The Luggage Room
One of Pasadena’s favorite pizzerias shut its doors in March alongside sibling projects La Grande Orange (see above) and Otis Bar (see below). The pizzeria from chef-owner Bob Lynn and LGO Hospitality served seasonally minded pies inside the 1954-founded Del Mar Train Station for 15 years.
Lynn and his restaurant group continue with Santa Monica’s the Misfit and the recently opened Diner Antonette, and multiple restaurants in Arizona.
Lustig
One year after opening in Culver City’s Helms Design District, Austrian-leaning restaurant Lustig announced its closure. Chef-owner Bernhard Mairinger — formerly of BierBeisl and Patina Restaurant Group — offered schnitzel, bratwurst, pretzels and other classics seen through a California lens. But operating costs paired with an inconsistent customer base proved untenable for Lustig. “The minute you have a day where you lack the customers to make up for the cost, it’s almost like you never catch up because it’s so inconsistent,” Mairinger said at the time. Mairinger and Lustig can still occasionally be found through catering services and pop-ups; follow on Instagram for future appearances.
Luv2eat Express
One of the city’s top Thai destinations debuted a quick-and-casual sibling restaurant in 2024, but this month it closed. Luv2eat Thai Bistro’s Somruthai Kaewtathip and Noree Burapapituk launched Luv2eat Express as a way to explore the flavors of Thai street food, offering a range of less-U.S.-ubiquitous dishes such as tamarind-fried whole eggs, stir-fried ginger fish with celery, fried taro, and crackling pork dip picked from a steam tray. In 2026, the restaurateurs plan to utilize the space for a new, yet-to-be-named restaurant.
Luv2eat Express, the quick-and-casual sibling restaurant to Luv2eat Thai Bistro, offered Phuket-style street food in a Hollywood strip mall.
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
Mama Shelter
The Hollywood hotel with the Instagrammable rooftop bar announced its sudden closure in February. Mama Shelter debuted in Paris in 2008 and made its way to Hollywood in 2015, with one of the city’s most popular see-and-be-seen rooftops. According to the hotel’s website, a new Mama Shelter is planned to open at 124 E. Olympic Blvd. in downtown with a ground-floor restaurant and “an island bar.”
Mandarette
Before there was P.F. Chang’s, there was Mandarette. One of Beverly Grove’s favorite old-school Chinese restaurants closed quietly in spring after 40 years of service. It was founded by Cecilia Chiang in the 1980s, and at the time her son, Philip Chiang, characterized Mandarette’s cooking as Chinese family food based on his favorite dishes found in Hong Kong cafes. (He would go on to help launch P.F. Chang’s.) It served a range of combination plates, chocolate wontons and stir-fried noodles. Though Mandarette is gone, its staff shared a few recipes with The Times through the years, including those for its beef noodles and curry chicken turnovers.
Mars
In early 2024 an almost-hidden cocktail bar debuted in Hollywood from an owner of Mother Wolf, Ka’teen, Bar Lis and more. Giancarlo Pagani’s Mars sat behind Mother Wolf — the acclaimed Roman restaurant owned by Pagani and chef Evan Funke — and served drinks and hosted live entertainment. This year Pagani closed Mars and flipped the project to Bar Avoja, which is now attached to Mother Wolf and accessed through the restaurant’s dining room.
Michael’s on Naples
This long-running Long Beach restaurant shuttered in September after 18 years of farm-to-table Neapolitan-style pizzas and fresh pastas. The Michael’s on Naples space will become another location of Italian restaurant Bacari in 2026. “As we pass the torch, we take comfort in knowing the same spirit and philosophy — centered on quality, integrity, and community — will live on,” Michael’s on Naples posted to Instagram.
Mitsuru Sushi & Grill
This Little Tokyo stalwart of nearly 50 years closed in August, with owners Mamoru and Dora Hanamure ready for retirement. The sushi bar and casual Japanese diner aided members of the community by cooking for neighborhood seniors and generations of fans. “Our restaurant will always be remembered,” the husband-and-wife team wrote in their closing statement. “Thank you to everyone — here and in heaven — who has come through our doors over the last 49 years.”
Moon Juice
With smoothies, adaptogenic powders and carefully placed crystals, Moon Juice helped define a certain brand of lifestyle that permeated the 2010s and beyond. Earlier this year the juicery and wellness shop closed its Silver Lake location, followed later by its Venice store — the last IRL Moon Juice standing. While no longer a smoothie shop and juicery, Moon Juice lives on with online sales and subscription services that focus on its powders and supplements.
Moonshadows
Few Malibu restaurants were as iconic as Moonshadows. Dangling over the waves, the destination restaurant served as a see-and-be-seen pitstop along PCH for 40 years. Famed for its celebrity sightings, its cocktails and seafood-forward menu all enjoyed with an oceanfront view, it became an emblem of coastal dining. But on Jan. 8 the classic-L.A. restaurant perished in the Palisades fire. Sibling Malibu spot the Sunset Restaurant has begun serving some of Moonshadows’ most popular dishes.
Moonshadows, pictured in 2023.
(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
Mother Tongue
Michael Mina’s health-forward restaurant Mother Tongue debuted inside Hollywood’s luxe members-only gym Heimat in 2022, but closed quietly this year. The open-to-the-public restaurant offered beet hummus on spelt flatbreads, vegan pea soft serve, hand-cut steak tartare and roast duck breast with hazelnut dukkah, among other dishes. In fall it was replaced by new restaurant Heimat Kitchen. Mina now operates a new L.A. restaurant: Orla in Santa Monica.
MXO
The Mexican steakhouse from Guerrilla Tacos founder Wes Avila closed quietly in June. The West Hollywood restaurant operated for under one year and was a collaborative venture with restaurateur Giancarlo Pagani, whom Avila also partners with in Ka’teen, as well as SBE restaurant group. MXO drew inspiration from the grilled meats of Monterrey, serving steaks and seafood alongside Avila staples such as a taquito spin on his famous sweet potato tacos — available here with dollops of caviar. Hollywood’s Ka’teen and Avila’s restaurant in Japan are open; he is planning to launch a restaurant in Arizona.
Fried green tomatoes with a side salad and remoulade from My Two Cents.
(Silvia Razgova / For The Times)
My 2 Cents
Chef Alisa Reynolds served shrimp and grits, turkey meatloaf, fried green tomatoes and other Southern-comfort classics for 12 years in her Mid-Wilshire restaurant, earning her community support and acclaim that included multiple years on the L.A. Times 101 List. This summer Reynolds announced the closure of My 2 Cents, to shift to a catering model and developing products for home cooking. “It’s something that I’ve been thinking about for the last few years,” Reynolds said in July. “For me, I think the best thing to do is to be able to feed people in their homes, do pop-ups, do collabs, and make the city excited again. I can do more as chef Alisa than I can do at My 2 Cents.”
Norma
This restaurant and cocktail lounge launched in early 2024, filling the former Fellow Traveler space with Southern-meets-Mediterranean-meets-L.A. dishes such as crab-and-grilled corn ravioli, sweet potato hash with pork belly, and al pastor prawns. Veteran chef Jason Fullilove led the kitchen, and live music could be found weekly. But Norma closed quietly in late summer. Its building is currently for lease.
Oriel
The pink neon under the Chinatown Metro stop now draws guests to Cafe Tondo, but until April, for roughly seven years, the space was home to Oriel. The cozy French cafe and wine bar was run by a handful of industry vets, including Bar Covell and Augustine Wine Bar’s Dustin Lancaster. It served French onion soup, bone marrow, Niçoise salad and other bistro classics alongside a French wine list and under hanging plants.
The Original Pantry
After a dispute over negotiating a union contract for its workers, downtown’s iconic diner the Original Pantry closed in March. Stewards of the Richard J. Riordan Trust — founded by the late, former mayor who once owned the 101-year-old restaurant — said a contract would make the sale of the diner nearly impossible and that the union’s demands were “totally unacceptable.” The owners chose to close the restaurant instead, and it felt like an entire city mourned the historic restaurant: one of the oldest remaining in Los Angeles. Months later real estate developer Leo Pustilnikov purchased the restaurant, promising to reinstate much of its former staff. He plans to reopen the Original Pantry as soon as permitting allows.
Otis Bar
Bob Lynn’s classic-minded cocktail bar within La Grande Orange closed in March along with its host restaurant and its tandem project, the Luggage Room pizzeria (see above).
Chrys Chrys, owner of Papa Cristo’s, does his signature pose behind the counter in 2016.
(Marcus Yam / Los Angeles Times)
Papa Cristo’s
News of Papa Cristo’s closure felt like a shockwave, with thousands of social media responses pouring in to mourn the 77-year-old Greek restaurant. Operated by three generations of the Chrys family over the decades, the Pico-Union restaurant became a gathering place for the Greek Orthodox community and beyond. Part market, part restaurant, it formed a one-stop shop for imported cheese, spices, olive oils and pastries alongside grilled lamb and lemony potatoes. Its building, which the family did not own, was listed for sale in the spring. “It finally came to a point where we decided we’re gonna go on our terms,” said Mark Yordon, cousin of owner Chrys Chrys and an employee of roughly 40 years. Papa Cristo’s seasoning blends are now available in an official online shop.
The Pie Room by Curtis Stone
Aussie chef Curtis Stone launched some of L.A.’s best sweet and savory pies at his Hollywood restaurant and butcher shop, Gwen, and they took on a life of their own. The pies made their way to local farmers markets and, during the pandemic, took over the Maude space in Beverly Hills with a limited-run pie shop. He invested in a large bakery and, in 2024, replaced Maude with the Pie Room by Curtis Stone entirely and served small plates, salads and more. But this month, the celebrity chef announced its closure on Instagram. “The Pie Room was always meant to be a pop-up, and while this chapter comes to a close, the story is far from over,” the restaurant posted.
Pizza of Venice
One of Altadena’s favorite pizzerias perished in the Eaton fire after nearly 12 years in business. The neighborhood fixture served generously topped pies, thick wedges of lasagna, specials such as smoked chicken and ribs and more. Currently, owners Sean St. John and Jamie Woolner do not plan to reopen Pizza of Venice as the city knew it. “We will not be reopening a brick-and-mortar location for the foreseeable future,” they wrote on their social media. “However, there is a possibility of hosting pop-up dinners a couple of times a year, so stay tuned on Instagram or through our mailing list for updates.”
Pono Burger
Chef-founder Makani Carzino operated her Hawaiian-leaning burger spot with a simple philosophy for a decade: “pono,” or “doing things the right way.” She sourced much of her produce from the nearby farmers market, she used grass-fed, free-range beef in her patties, she utilized organic ingredients. Pono Burgers maintained multiple locations, including Venice and West Hollywood, which closed over the years. In November the last location standing — in Santa Monica — closed too. Carzino’s other burger operation, Ultimate Burger in Hawaii, remains open.
Post & Beam
Over the course of its 13-year run Baldwin Hills’ Post & Beam became an icon of South L.A. dining, a recipient of the L.A. Times Gold Award, a James Beard Foundation Award nomination and a multi-year L.A. Times 101 List awardee. Husband-and-wife team John and Ronie Cleveland, who joined the operation in 2019, served some of the most inventive Southern cuisine in the city. In February — citing a number of factors, including the redevelopment of its home at the edge of the Baldwin Hills-Crenshaw Plaza — the Clevelands announced the restaurant’s closure. “This isn’t the end of Post & Beam, but we’re mourning the building,” Roni said at the time. The pair are currently continuing Post & Beam through its catering operations.
Rancho Bar
A kind of mountain-town Cheers, Altadena’s Rancho Bar was a well-loved watering hole until its demise in January. The rugged dive bar with more than 70 years of history was destroyed in the Eaton fire, and the community still mourns it. The Larson family, its current owners, hope to one day rebuild, according to an online fundraiser for the business.
The Reel Inn
Almost no restaurant in L.A. epitomized the beachy seafood shack better than the Reel Inn, a long-running restaurant bedecked with Christmas lights and an aquarium at the edge of Malibu and Topanga. The funky PCH seafood destination known for its fresh-fish combination plates, fish tacos, steamed clams and other specialties enjoyed atop picnic benches and checkered tablecloths met its end in January’s Palisades fire. It was the first and the last remaining location from husband-and-wife owners Andy Leonard and Teddy Seraphine-Leonard, who hope to rebuild in the same place. Due to its locale — on California State Park land — the approval and reopening process is proving fraught and frustrating for the owners. In the meantime, they are planning a Reel Inn cookbook filled with favorite recipes from the last three-plus decades.
Lonnie Edwards keeps meat moist inside the pit at his RibTown BBQ in 2020.
(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)
RibTown BBQ
For years Lonnie Edwards popped up with a food trailer, a 500-gallon offset smoker he calls Sarah and a larger smoker called El Jefe, filling takeout containers with mounds of rib tips, pulled pork, mac and cheese and greens. “Fellow Southern expats — this ’cue will take you home,” L.A. Times Food critic Bill Addison once wrote of RibTown. Edwards, Sarah, El Jefe and the rib tips became a fixture in Jefferson Park — where Edwards was raised — until the sudden announcement that RibTown would close permanently in March. “This was a tough decision, but my body is just worn down,” Edwards posted to Instagram. “I love what I do but I can’t let my ego get in the way.” He has since posted that he hopes to return for occasional holiday pop-ups; follow along on Instagram for updates.
Rosenthal Wine Bar & Patio
For more than a decade travelers and locals would visit this Malibu winery, sip flights, catch live music and pose on the Instagrammable giant blue chair. But Rosenthal Wine Bar & Patio lost its taproom along PCH when the Palisades fire tore through the region in January. While it — along with neighbors the Reel Inn, Cholada Thai, Malibu Feed Bin and others — await permission to rebuild on California State Park grounds, the Rosenthal family recently developed a new space for wine tastings — and even rebuilt that large blue chair for photos. The new, weekend-only “vineyard experience” offers tastings on the winery’s estate in the Santa Monica Mountains.
The Ruby Fruit
After a few tumultuous years Silver Lake’s Ruby Fruit closed its doors for good earlier this month. The lesbian bar and community hub took over the strip-mall spot that was formerly Eszett and quickly began hosting LGBTQ+ events while pouring a natural-wine-focused list. But citing difficulties in the industry, the Ruby Fruit closed suddenly at the start of 2025. In spring the Ruby Fruit reopened, but it closed again this month. “For real this time,” the closing announcement read. “We have, devastatingly, come to the end of the line. We have tried everything in our power to keep this dream alive, but the fact of the matter is we just simply cannot make this work anymore.”
Shibumi
Chef-owner David Schlosser dedicated nearly a decade to serving meticulous and traditional Japanese cuisine at Shibumi, which closed in July. The upscale, downtown izakaya garnered wide praise and one Michelin star in 2019; late L.A. Times Food critic Jonathan Gold wrote that it “feels like a Tokyo restaurant in important ways.” In his closing announcement, Schlosser wrote that more projects are in the works from him, including a collaborative Japanese cookbook “celebrating the cuisine and culture of the Edo era.”
Cypress Park slice shop Shins Pizza served pizza, seasonal side salads and Italian ice.
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
Shins Pizza
A slice shop from the restaurant group behind Found Oyster, Queen’s, Barra Santos and more closed nearly a year and a half after its launch. The Cypress Park pizzeria offered classic options as well as specials with ingredients like birria, soju tomato cream sauce, and teriyaki pork. Shins was a collaboration between Last Word Hospitality and creative director Shin Irvin, who wanted to pay homage to the standing-room-only, community-minded slice shops of his Philadelphia youth. In January Shins Pizza closed its doors without advanced warning. “We poured our hearts into making this place a success,” the pizzeria posted to Instagram, “but despite our best efforts, we were unable to turn the corner.”
Side Pie
The Altadena community — and pizza lovers throughout the city — still eagerly await the hopeful return of Side Pie. Kevin Hockin’s pizza pop-up-turned-restaurant served some of the finest and most leopard-spotted pizza in L.A., which was forged in an oven that was tile-emblazoned with the Grateful Dead’s “steal your face” skull logo. The restaurant was destroyed by the fire, but a fundraiser to rebuild has the region hopeful it will return.
Sip & Sonder
Community fixture, gathering place and coffee roastery Sip & Sonder is set to close its downtown Inglewood flagship today, citing issues such as decreased consumer spending and increases in the cost of goods and labor. Founders Amanda-Jane Thomas and Shanita Nicholas built their cafe as a celebration of Black culture. Sip & Sonder’s coffee kiosk at downtown L.A.’s Music Center remains open, as will its online shop for coffee beans and merch.
Spoon & Pork (both locations)
Some of the city’s best Filipino food — including one of the best pork dishes in L.A. — is gone, but the owners of Spoon & Pork are not. Chefs and friends Ray Yaptinchay and Jay Tugas launched Spoon & Pork as a food truck in 2017, then expanded it to Silver Lake and Sawtelle restaurants serving comforting California-inflected Filipino cuisine. The Sawtelle location closed in August after four years in operation, and the Silver Lake outpost shuttered in October after six years. But Yaptinchay and Tugas plan to revive the restaurant with kamayan dinner events and a forthcoming bottled sauce line, while also flipping the Silver Lake restaurant space to a new taqueria called Onda.
Sprinkles Cupcakes (all locations)
Candace Nelson’s wildly popular, dessert-zeitgeist-defining cupcake chain, Sprinkles Cupcakes, will close all its storefronts today. Nelson announced the closure in an Instagram video. She founded the company in 2005 and went on to make waves with her baked goods’ bountiful flavors, long lines and famous cupcake ATM. Though Nelson sold the company in 2014, and though Sprinkles is closing its shops, her sweets can still be found on the dessert menu at her newer chain, Pizzana.
Stella
A celebrated Italian restaurant announced its sudden closure in August, with the Sunset Strip’s Stella citing a general range of issues for its “pause” in service. According to its Instagram: “We’ve made the decision to pause operations at Stella West Hollywood as we navigate the challenges so many restaurants in Los Angeles are facing right now.” Staff told Weho Times that “the closure was abrupt and sounded final,” that they would be laid off, and that they were unaware of a temporary hiatus. Stella remains closed.
Sun Nong Dan
The original outpost of this Korean stalwart shuttered in November after more than a decade of galbi, long-simmered sulung tang and handmade dumplings. It debuted along Sixth Street in 2013, and though that outpost is now gone, Sun Nong Dan maintains its other locations: in Koreatown (along Western Avenue), in Rowland Heights, in San Gabriel and, more recently, in Sawtelle.
Superfine Playa
Rossoblu restaurateurs Steve and Dina Samson launched this spinoff of their Fashion District pizzeria in 2023 with all of the seasonal toppings and fresh pizzas found in Superfine plus a range of new California-meets-Italy dishes. Earlier this month the husband-and-wife team shared via Instagram that the Playa Vista restaurant will close today. The Samsons’ Rossoblu, along with Superfine’s Sunday pizza service, remain open in the Fashion District.
Tilda
Echo Park wine bar Tilda — from the team behind Italian restaurant Bacetti — closed in February after five years of French-leaning snacks and conservas. But the owners quickly reimagined the space as Bar Bacetti, which launched in June with aperitivi and a decidedly more Italian bent.
Chicken plates with sides at Tokyo Fried Chicken in downtown Los Angeles.
(Ron De Angelis / For The Times)
Tokyo Fried Chicken
Some of the city’s most celebrated fried chicken — and a frequent L.A. Times 101 List awardee — closed its downtown location in August. The Japanese-tinged Tokyo Fried Chicken was founded 12 years prior in Monterey Park, and served soy-marinated chicken and sides like curry creamed corn and dashi-braised collards. Its owners expanded to a new downtown outpost, and later closed the Monterey Park originator. This year, they realized operating downtown was untenable too. “We secured this space in 2019 with big hopes for location #2 — dreaming it would be the first step in growing our brand, but building through the pandemic and everything that followed brought challenges we never could’ve predicted,” the restaurant’s Instagram announcement read.
Wax on Hi-Fi
Chef-owner TJ Johnson launched her restaurant and vinyl bar in 2024, but earlier this year quietly closed the downtown business. Pulling inspiration from Japanese hi-fi bars and culinary cues from Creole, Southern and Japanese dishes, guests dug into andouille-studded katsu curry and nori mac and cheese during hip-hop and R&B dJ sets. Wax on Hi-Fi currently exists as an online vinyl store, but Johnson plans to revive the food component in New York City in 2026.
Vinyl bar and restaurant Wax on Hi-Fi served Japanese-and-Creole dishes such as chicken katsu curry with andouille.
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
Wexler’s Deli (both locations)
Smoked-fish specialist Wexler’s Deli shuttered both locations this year: first its stall in Grand Central Market in March, then the Santa Monica restaurant in August — each after a decade in operation. The company is transitioning to wholesale operations and changing its brand to Wexler’s Smokehouse, hoping to sell its smoked lox via “cafés, bakeries, bagel shops, delis, hotels and more” in the coming months, according to an announcement on social media. An outpost of Wexler’s Deli remains open in Las Vegas’ Proper Eats Food Hall.
Willie Mae’s
The highly anticipated restaurant from New Orleans fried chicken legend Willie Mae’s debuted in Venice in 2022 after soft launching out of a West L.A. ghost kitchen. The Southern-cuisine specialist famous for its chicken, mac and cheese and sweet yams closed its ghost kitchen, and then in February 2025, the Venice restaurant also shuttered.Challenges included not only L.A.’s January fires but a previous structural fire that had damaged the New Orleans location. Catering services are still available in L.A.
Banchan at Yangban in the Arts District.
(Bill Addison / Los Angeles Times )
Yangban
Last December lauded Korean restaurant Yangban announced it would close for renovations. In April its owners shared that Yangban would not reopen . With fan-favorite sticky wings, matzo ball soup, soft serve, tasting menus and an opening incarnation as a casual deli, Yangban (formerly Yangban Society) lived multiple lives in its two-year run. Husband-and-wife team John and Katianna Hong can occasionally be found cooking around town, including earlier this month in the last run of Birdie G’s annual Hanukkah pop-up; follow on Instagram for updates.