These 35 notable L.A. restaurants and bars have now permanently closed

After two decades as one of L.A.’s quintessential throwback diners and a gathering place for all walks, Hollywood mainstay the 101 Coffee Shop has closed permanently. According to Stacy Fratelli, a former 101 Coffee Shop server and manager, the charming and stylish restaurant closed what was meant to be temporarily in March 2020, but then never reopened.

In a statement to Variety, co-owner Warner Ebbink pointed guests to another of his concepts, Little Dom’s, and added, “This closure defines the end of an era. We’ll always be grateful for the shared moments and what the restaurant brought to the L.A. [food and bervage] community, as well as the incredible support of our loyal guests at all our establishments.” Regulars, one-time visitors and a number of A-list celebrities all took to social media to remember the ’60s-styled setting seen in the likes of Swingers and Entourage, posting memories of late nights and photo tributes of plush booths and swiveling counter stools.

“We are saddened to announce the permanent closing of the 101 Coffee Shop,” Fratelli writes on the Gofundme page for the restaurant’s staff. “This marks the end of an era. For many of us, employees and patrons alike, the 101 Coffee Shop wasn’t just a restaurant. It was home. It was our Cheers, our Central Perk. If you know, you know. Hollywood will never be the same. Twenty years of serving you, running to get your eggs, waffle brownie sundae celebrations, late night coffee dates, screenplays written, surprise engagements. Couples have met here and returned to renew their vows. Kids have grown up here and now come back with their own kids. It’s impossible to put into words what this place has meant to so many…

“We love you, and we will always cherish the time that we spent making your days brighter and bellies fuller. How blessed we were to know all of you, and to be surrounded by such amazing people on a daily basis. From the bottom of our hearts, we thank you, and we hope that some day, in some way, we will see you again.”

One of the world’s most famous bakers is leaving Angelenos with a Cronut-shaped hole in their hearts and stomachs. A representative for Dominique Ansel confirmed to Time Out L.A. that the James Beard Award winner and force behind some of the world’s most whimsical desserts has closed his L.A. bakery and full-service restaurant for good. 189 by Dominique Ansel served as a luxe restaurant for the French chef to showcase much more than his famed sweets, while his first-floor bakery offered L.A. all the frozen s’mores, monthly Cronuts, cakes and cookies we could have hoped for when news first spread that Ansel would open an outpost on this coast. Both concepts were housed inside the Grove, and both closed in March with the intention of shuttering only temporarily. 

Another celebrity chef, Curtis Stone, is taking over the building at least for a bit, launching a four-month, picnic-themed residency on both floors. While we love a good picnic, we’ll miss Ansel’s flair—and especially the sweets—in the space.

“It feels a little bit like the beginning, with our shop in New York and a smaller team of employees serving our neighbors and locals day in and day out,” Ansel tells Time Out L.A. “It’s humbling to come back to our roots and use this moment to center ourselves, and reflect on how fortunate we were to have a chance to open in Los Angeles and meet so many wonderful people. We’re grateful that we’re still standing in some part, and will forever believe in the return of the hospitality industry. One day, we’ll be able to return to the West Coast, and it’ll be a homecoming when we get to reunite with our team once again.”

It’s almost shocking to see one of Artisanal Brewers Collective’s concepts shutter, given how prolific the restaurant family has been throughout the years—and the mark it’s made on the city with its vegan-friendly menus and California-centric beer lists. But ABC’s brewpub in the middle of L.A. recently announced its permanent closure, and with it, its moody cocktail bar. At just over two years old, ABC’s 6th & La Brea closed due to the pandemic, also shuttering its tucked-away cocktail den, Brandon’s.

“When we opened 6th & La Brea, we wanted it to be a place where you could feel at home no matter where you came from,” the brewpub shared on Instagram. “And with all of the support you’ve shown us over the last couple of years, we think we’ve done a pretty good job at realizing that goal. Unfortunately, with the current state of the world, 6th & La Brea and Brandon’s will not be able to reopen. THANK YOU to all of the fans, friends, beer lovers, and everyone who has welcomed us so warmly.”

A sleek Japanese-food den known for its charcoal grill and reverence for technique is gone. West Hollywood’s Aburiya Raku, which sat along La Cienega, closed sometime by late October according to Eater LA. Its menu was sprawling and its scope was wide, offering sushi, traditional izakaya fare, light bites and a truly delightful omakase. Just last year the restaurant garnered a Michelin Bib Gourmand nod, denoting it as a value for its quality, and had flipped to a chirashi- and bento-forward takeout menu earlier this year to weather the Coronavirus-spurred storm. 

One of L.A.’s most creative tasting menus—and one of our Best New Restaurants of 2019—closed in April, leaving us, at least for now, without a taste of Eric Bost’s cooking. The chef’s artful and modern Auburn offered a unique choose-your-dishes take on the tasting menu, and even went so far as to make a number of the fine dining menu’s courses available à la carte at the bar: a rarity to both the format and occasional stuffiness of cuisine delivered and conceptualized at Bost’s level. You can read more on the closure here.

“Our talented, hardworking team and I poured our collective experience and passion into auburn and the amazing community it created,” Bost shared on the restaurant’s Instagram. “It goes without saying that this is a crushing experience, having to close after being open a little over a year, yet I’m hopeful for the next chapter and the opportunity to cook for Los Angeles again.”

In a shocking turn, Michelin-starred chef Josef Centeno announced the closure of his innovative and wildly popular Bäco Mercat: not only one of the first restaurants to spur an interest in Downtown dining but also a reputable, consistent hallmark of L.A. cuisine that blended global flavor and California produce into Centeno’s fluffy bäco flatbreads. But the decade-old DTLA institution wasn’t just about its namesake sandwiches—Bäco’s menu was flush with hyper-seasonal small plates and specials, not to mention excellent fried chicken, its signature “bäzole” soup, and even its own house-made “Bäco POP” soda line. 

Bäco Mercat lives on through its fantastic cookbook, as well as occasional specials Centeno says we’ll be able to find at his neighboring restaurant, Bar Amá. Centeno also maintains Amácita in Culver City, as well as the Michelin-starred Orsa and Winston, located Downtown. All three are currently open for business.

“When I finally found you a home, I spent countless hours building parts of you and preparing you for the world,” Centeno wrote in an open letter to his restaurant. “You helped me develop into so much more than a cook. You introduced me to so many ideas, spices and flavors that would shape the way I see the world. You forced me to do something every day that scared me (running a business does that pretty easily). It made me a better chef, leader and owner. You taught me to run an extremely successful business that would provide things for me and my team that we never could have imagined possible. But we are at a crossroads now. The world changed, and I have to make decisions about how to move forward and though the choices are difficult it is all part of the process.”

While the Bazaar by José Andrés is still bringing whimsy and meticulously prepared Spanish tapas, paellas and pastries to South Beach and Las Vegas, the celebrity’s chef’s lauded multi-concept restaurant within the SLS Hotel is gone. After 12 years, L.A.’s Bazaar is now closed along with its sibling, fine dining restaurant Somni. Andrés helped to elevate the city’s dining scene with his seamless blend of cutting-edge technology and classic Spanish flavor profiles, giving us signature bites still beloved more than a decade later: foie gras “cotton candy,” wagyu “cheesesteaks,” and of course the wild and flavorful dessert “graffiti” scrawled across a table you ate directly off of during the final course.

“A huge thank you to the L.A. community and to the Bazaar family who we have loved serving and working with for over a decade,” reads a statement on the restaurant’s Instagram. “Thank you to [chef] Holly Jivin, [general manager] Ricardo Garrido, and [chef] Aithor Zabala. We will see you soon!”

One of Studio City’s best restaurants closed at first temporarily, then permanently, due to coronavirus. The Bellwether’s comforting menu of seared steaks, handmade pastas, beloved brunches and decadent burgers (including one of our all-time favorites, the Ploughman) was a neighborhood staple for five years, but could not stay afloat with curbside pickup service alone. Co-owners Ted Hopson and Ann-Marie Verdi used their kitchen to help feed frontline workers through World Central Kitchen and hoped to reopen to the public, but in late September announced that their Bellwether would never recover.

“We wanted to say thank you to everyone for the best 5 years we could hope for,” Hopson and Verdi wrote in a joint statement. “We have gotten to serve hundreds of thousands of people, cook at charity events around the city, and be recognized for the hard work by our whole team. We truly don’t believe we could have made it this far without everyone, from all of our cooks and bussers to the chefs and bartenders; from the people who gave us a chance on a saturday night, to the guests who would come every tuesday. We felt the Bellwether become part of the community, and we love that. Now, we have to say goodbye. There is nothing more heartbreaking to us than to see it all wash away.”

After 34 years of handmade silken tofu in bubbling cauldrons of spicy stew, Koreatown institution Beverly Soon Tofu was forced to close due to hardships caused by coronavirus. But founder and matriarch Monica Lee and her family-run restaurant brought so much joy to Angelenos throughout the decades, that upon announcing Beverly Soon’s countdown to closure, fans flooded the ordering systems—sometimes selling out the restaurant for days in a row or leading to hours-long waits for a final taste. The groundswell of support spurred the Lees to share that the outpouring of love from fans was overwhelming, heartwarming and even surprising.

“We heard stories of Beverly Soon Tofu being the first Korean restaurant they ever went to in L.A. when they first moved here, a place to celebrate milestone moments, somewhere you could go for comfort food if they felt down, the first date restaurant with their spouse, a space where you could feel community and a sense of home,” they posted to the restaurant’s Instagram account. “We appreciate you taking the time to talk to us and for coming by to eat our mom’s food for the last time. Thank you from all of us at Beverly Soon Tofu! We are so very grateful for your love and support. We thank you from the bottom of our hearts.”

One of the best bars in L.A. poured its last drink in June. Bibo Ergo Sum launched in Robertson Plaza as a moody, velvet-tinged cocktail bar from the minds of the ArcLight’s Tait Forman (owner), and the lauded Proprietors LLC, who designed the beverage program (and a few others including, oh, Death & Co. and the Normandie Club). The thoughtful cocktails ran from moody and The Prestige-inspired on the opening menu to sunny, citrusy and spicy on their later L.A.-focused drinks list. You can read more on the closure here.

“I never planned on having a true last call, but I definitely didn’t plan on it being a to-go only experience,” Forman posted in June. “So much of why I opened Bibo was to share my love of a great drink and a good conversation with our community, so to have to say good bye from six feet is not what I would have planned. Regardless of the past three months, it has been a blessing to operate and share Bibo.”

Bon Temps lasted less than one year in the Arts District, but it’s already hard to picture the neighborhood’s dining scene without it. One of our Best New Restaurants of 2019, the sleek, industrial modern brasserie from Lincoln Carson gave L.A. one of the best pastry programs in the city, not to mention technically proficient and flawless French-leaning dishes, whether perfectly trussed roast chickens, phenomenal canapés or what was one of our favorite desserts in town: Carson’s chocolate soufflé featuring house-made green chartreuse ice cream. You can read more about the closure here.

“If you care about a place, if a restaurant or a bar or any business in your community matters in some way to you, don’t wait until we are gone,” Carson shared via Instagram. “Do something now, support them now, buy a dinner now, call them while they are still open and ask them now, write a letter or email or call your absolutely clueless legislators and politicians now. It’s really that simple. Don’t wait until the last bottle on the wall is the one that opened the restaurant, and the one that closed it.”

The loss of Ray Garcia’s trailblazing Alta-California gem feels cavernous. For more than five years, the lauded Broken Spanish brought vibrant Mexican and California flavor to Downtown, spread across iconic dishes such as the clam-and-lardo taco and wrapped in corn husks that carried some of the city’s finest tamales. Massive rounds of pork belly chicharrónes and heirloom-corn tortillas helped reimagine a new wave of Mexican cuisine, landing Broken Spanish on our guide to the best restaurants in the city and in countless accolades around the country. Broken Spanish is gone, as is his taco-focused restaurant, B.S. Taqueria, but Garcia is launching a new delivery-only taco operation, Mila, and you can follow it here.

“At one point my Dad looked at me and said, ‘Mijo how does it feel to have your dream come true?’ I paused, having never thought of it that way. But, instead of honoring the accomplishment and living in the moment, all I could see was what was wrong. Tables that wobbled, HVAC issues, dishes that weren’t quite right. Nothing was ever good enough. Now that I have had to make one of the most difficult decisions of my professional career, I look back and realize how right my father was. My dream had come true. With the love and support of my family and through the hard work and dedication of my team, we lived the dream every day. Broken Spanish was more than a restaurant, it was a family. Together we pushed each other to be the best ambassadors of a cuisine and culture that up to that point had been so often overlooked, underappreciated and underrepresented in the culinary community.”

A charming oasis and one of the best patios in all of Los Angeles, Silver Lake mainstay Cliff’s Edge announced its permanent closure this week after nearly two decades of an indoor-outdoor dining room that could be at times serene and romantic, and others, buzzing with energy.

“We wanted to take this opportunity to thank all our guests that have been a part of this magical restaurant for the last 16(!) years,” the restaurant team posted on the business Instagram account. “We are truly grateful. Of course, we could not have done it without the endless passion, dedication and hard work from all our staff over the years. We thank you for that. We hope our paths will cross again in another place in another time. Meanwhile, be well and be safe. And please vote.”

Cuties is gone in storefront but not in spirit. East Hollywood’s LGBTQ+ coffee chop and community space announced its permanent closure in early August, but Cuties cofounder and former owner and CEO Virginia Bauman isn’t sending it off completely: Instead, she’s handing the ownership and the reigns to a member of the management team, Sasha Jones, who’s taking the community digital in light of the storefront’s closure. The move centers Black ownership and perspective, allowing Jones to steer much of the ship she was already manning throughout 2020. Through the Cuties Instagram page, you can find Jones-curated queer-focused digital listening parties, LGBTQ+ book clubs, sound baths, fundraisers and other functions to help aid the community.

“Cuties is going to have to change,” Bauman shared to Instagram. “Our mission, as an organization, is to center belonging. We have always attempted to create an infrastructure that supports acceptance for folks in this community, as best we can through many imperfect vehicles. A break-even coffee shop used to be our main vehicle.” She continued, “This brand began with two white folks. If this project is to continue to fulfill its original values, it comes with ownership and leadership, with both centering Blackness.”

L.A. just lost one of its most intricate, inspired tasting menus: David Beran’s Michelin-starred Dialogue is gone, a 20-plus–course ode to the neighboring Santa Monica Farmers Market; the Alinea vet’s eye for detail; and a playground for flavor and form. The lauded fine dining restaurant received a five-star review from our restaurant critic, Simon Majumdar, and brought a true feeling of adventure and exploration with its near-hidden entrance at the back of a food hall. 

“One of the many reasons I often avoid tasting menus is that the meal becomes a war of attrition between the kitchen and your stomach capacity… However, if I am going to be knocked out by anyone, I would be happy for it to be Dave Beran,” Majumdar wrote. “Arranging to eat at Dialogue may well be a bloody palava, but, eating there is, quite frankly, bloody brilliant.”

On its Instagram account, the restaurant wrote “Thank you so much to everyone for all of your support, your friendship, and your willingness to follow all of our instructions to find the elevator in the alley. We never could have imagined what this restaurant would become.”

Though Dialogue—tucked within Third Street Promenade’s Gallery Food Hall—is now closed, the official statement from the restaurant specifically mentions the closure “in its current location,” so perhaps one day Dialogue will return elsewhere. In the meantime you can find Beran’s exquisite cooking at his French restaurant, Pasjoli, whie his limited-run wine bar and restaurant, Tidbits, will run through November 7.

The Taipei-founded dim sum specialist was already an international name, but here in North America it started in Arcadia: After success in Taiwan and Tokyo, the family-owned chain eventually spread to America, landing in a neighborhood strip mall. The restaurant heralded for its xiao long bao, consistency and transparency—with windows into the kitchen where guests can watch as the dumplings get hand-folded—still maintains L.A. outposts in Burbank, Century City’s Westfield mall and in the Westfield Santa Anita. But in June, Din Tai Fung decided to close its first North American location, which was in its 20th year of business.

“Din Tai Fung has always been a family-owned restaurant. We first opened this location 20 years ago to introduce Taiwanese cuisine, culture, and our signature xiao long bao to our guests here in the United States,” founder Bing-Yi Yang, son Yang Ji Hua and the rest of the family shared on the restaurant’s site. “Since then, through the gracious support of our community, we have been able to share the Din Tai Fung experience throughout the West Coast. This year marks the 20th anniversary of this location, making this decision all the more heartbreaking.”

One of Koreatown’s oldest surviving restaurants is shutting its doors for good on August 15. Citing multiple shutdowns and other coronavirus-spurred hardship, Dong Il Jang’s Kim family, who run the KBBQ stalwart, announced their Korean restaurant will cease operation after 41 years of service. Originally founded in 1945, the family-run operation launched a Los Angeles outpost that carried old-school charm with it: plush leather booths, wood paneling, formica tables, and servers donning black-and-white uniforms. The Kim family has set up a Go Fund Me page for its staff here; you can still order takeout with grilled meats and box lunch specials now through August 15.

“It has been an honor to serve you and your family over the 4 decades we have been in Los Angeles,” the Kim family wrote in a public statement. “Over the four decades we have been through many difficult situations but the Covid-19 pandemic has made it very difficult for us to survive after being shut down twice in less than five months. My family apologizes to our staff and our customers for such a short notice. Once again thank you for letting our family serve your family for four decades.”

Longtime and beloved Echo Park neighborhood spot Elf Cafe is permanently closed as of mid-December, but ownership still has hope and a hail Mary. After 14 years bringing us countless date nights and late nights, Elf faced, like so many others, the realities of takeout-only business models and little to no aid and decided to close—but a Gofundme is now up and running. Contributions will help make payroll for its employees, maintain the space’s lease and reopen the sunny vegetable-forward restaurant. Until Elf’s (hopeful) return, they may host pop-ups and other events in the space along Sunset.

“It is with bitter disappointment and broken hearts that we are announcing that, as a direct result of the ban on outdoor dining, Elf will be suspending service as of Monday, December 14. It has been our great privilege to serve you these 14 years,” the announcement says. “We are deeply grateful to our phenomenal Elf team and for the support from you, our dear friends and community. Our plan is to take some well-earned time to rest and reflect, then who knows? If there is a point in the future where it makes sense to return, we will be back at our home on Sunset Boulevard. As Osho used to say, ‘Be realistic: plan for a miracle!’ In the meantime, be on the lookout for some special events and pop ups in the space. We will let you know when they happen. We love you, friends, and hope you will enjoy some photos of Elf in the old world. To all of you who have been a part of Elf: Thank you, it means everything. We’ll meet again some sunny day, as Vera Lynn sang… Until then, na zdraví friends!”

One of L.A.’s best burger joints is bowing out on January 4, giving Angelenos precious few weeks to enjoy a Golden State burger for the last time. Founded with meaty, cheese-dripping burgers and one of the more robust craft-beer lists at a time when craft beer was only just becoming a thing everywhere, Fairfax’s go-to burger spot was somewhat of a trailblazer, and a delicious one at that. Whether it was collabs with other L.A. gems like Bludso’s and Ugly Drum or simply their own gloriously stacked house burgers showcasing California’s bounty, the Golden State was a trendsetter and a burger destination. Be sure to get your final taste by January 4.

“Thank you,” the announcement says. “Twelve years ago we opened up a burger place. We quickly grew to love the Fairfax neighborhood and it loved us back. On top of that we won some local and national recognition. We even won a few awards. This year we were faced with a global pandemic. You may have heard about it, Covid-19. We tried our best to take it on but it proved to be a formidable foe. We are closing forever on Jan 4th. Please enjoy your final burger before then.”

The celebrated Koreatown restaurant cherished for its vibrant and varied menu—and its congenial hospitality from owners Lien Ta and chef Jonathan Whitener—shared that, despite reopening thanks to a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan, the restaurant still might not survive the industry collapse caused by coronavirus. Ta shared that there is a slight possibility the restaurant might reopen in the future, but that it also could very well be permanent. After multiple days of pop-ups, special menus and a sidewalk sale, Here’s Looking at You closed just at the restaurant’s fourth anniversary. You can read more about the closure here and still visit sibling restaurant, All Day Baby, in Silver Lake.

“After sending out the last order on the second night of our farewell tribute to HLAY, I took in the breeze, the gradual moonlight, the scent of fried pig pressed against the pandemic-era KTOWN quiet, listening to the foreground sounds of my family sharing food around a table, and I felt consoled by all of it,” Ta shared on Instagram. “Desperately grateful for all of it. Even a brief moment of wishing I could capture the memory without ruining it all at once. The double noun-meaning of present is perhaps my favorite lesson: learning one provides for the other.”

After a quarter of a century of mom-and-pop cooking and some of the best galbi we’ve ever tasted, one of the most beloved Korean restaurants in L.A. is closing. K-town’s Jun Won announced its end on Instagram, citing the industry’s perilous economic situation spurred by coronavirus. The family-run operation has been a fixture for homestyle cooking in multiple locations, offering the Juns’ flavorful banchan, pancakes, stacks of bossam and fantastic house-made kimchi, among other classics.

“We had such an amazing run thanks to our loyal customers that have been dining with us since 1994,” the Instagram post says. “We wanted to extend our appreciation and gratitude for everyone that has supported us throughout these years and hope that our paths will cross in the future. Thank you.”

North Hollywood’s way to the Big Easy is sadly shuttered, and with it goes an exemplary vegan restaurant. Baton Rouge native Krimsey Ramsey brought plant-based Cajun cuisine to L.A., with hearts of palm “shrimp” po’ boys; veggie sausage with red beans and rice; totally dairy-free pecan bread pudding; and sold-out orders for vegan king cakes every Mardi Gras, all while brightening up a strip-mall space with a bit of purple, green and gold. We’re holding out hope that Krimsey’s isn’t gone forever, though; a second location was in the works at the top of 2020, and the restaurant’s Instagram page currently reads, “Keeping this page active in case we decide to reopen.” Hey, we can hope!

“Goodbye for now, friends,” Ramsey posted to Instagram alongside a heartwarming montage (above). “I will always remember this place with immense love and gratitude—it changed me forever. Thank you all for being a part of this journey. I put together this little sappy montage—I hope you enjoy watching it as much as I enjoyed making it. Love, Krim.”

Charles Olalia already gave us something special with his now-closed RiceBar, but he built something truly remarkable with Ma’am Sir in Silver Lake. The city fell in love with RiceBar’s Filipino rice bowls, longganisa sausage and stripped-down, reverent classics, but in Ma’am Sir—Olalia’s follow-up—Filipino rice bowls and flavors had the space to grow and evolve into creative and even more colorful dishes: Classic lumpia came stuffed with shrimp and garnished with uni; Olalia’s longga sausage found its way between a potato bun with papaya slaw; toward the end, when offering even more takeout-friendly options, the chef’s stellar sisig slid into a burrito. All this while still cooking hearty, comforting, vibrant classics and, for the record, some of the best fried chicken in town.

The welcoming, familial and comfortable nature of Ma’am Sir can’t be understated, and in fact was imagined with family in mind: Olalia recently shared that he had dreamt of a space where his son could play and where the community could gather.

“Thank you to all,” he posted to his personal Instagram account. “It was a pleasure to have welcomed you once upon a time. There will come a time when I can welcome you again. There will come a time when I can celebrate your birthdays with you. There will come a time I will meet your babies again. As generic as it sounds, I may have closed this chapter, but I gained family in you all. Thank you, Ma’am Sir. Salamat sa inyong Lahat. Mabuhay ang Filipino.”

Tucked into the back of Highland Park’s La Tropicana corner store, Erika Ponzo’s deli, Monte 52, served some of the neighborhood’s best breakfast burritos and sandwiches for years. A hidden-away gem beloved by locals, Monte 52 kept locals smiling and well-fed for nearly eight years before announcing its permanent closure in August.

“It’s been extremely significant to me,” Ponzo posted to Instagram. “I’ve been through an engagement, a wedding, a house, a baby and a love of growing my first baby, Monte 52. I’ve made a lot of good friends and hired a lot of great, amazing folks who really care. How refreshing it is to see. Closing her down now feels like losing a loved one. Monte 52 is a part of me and always will be.”

Travis Lett’s moody and thoughtful version of a Venice izakaya closed quietly in June following coronavirus economic hardship and Lett’s own departure from the restaurant group he co-founded, which included some of L.A.’s most iconic and popular restaurants—Gjusta and Gjelina—as well as MTN. The Abbot Kinney restaurant made a splash with bowls of ramen priced above $20, but to those who tasted them, it was clear why: Immaculate produce, heritage-breed meats, and a rainbow of house-fermented goods and intricate sauces proved MTN’s cuisine a labor of love and technique in each bite.

“Lett and his chef de cuisine, Pedro Aquino, have done their izakaya due diligence and present a menu that nimbly balances Japanese techniques with ‘Cali’ sensibilities,” Time Out L.A. restaurant critic Simon Majumdar wrote in a 2017 review, adding that despite any of MTN’s shortcomings, “the kitchen never failed to deliver food that was always interesting, and on occasion, outstanding.”

An iconic Westside steakhouse is gone. Santa Monica’s Pacific Dining Car “closed permanently as a consequence of the Covid-19 shutdown,” leaving only the DTLA/Westlake location—which, despite auctioning off many of its own items, is set to reopen someday, according to Los Angeles Magazine.

In 1921 founders Fred and Grace built their own dining car—modeled after the popular train cars of the day, but a slightly larger version—and opened to acclaim with steaks, fries and pies. In 1990 the Santa Monica location opened with a 24-hour menu of breakfasts, steaks, bisques, salads and plenty of steakhouse charm.

In June the Santa Monica location announced its closure, along with an online auction allowing fans the chance to buy kitchen items as well as iconography: the bull signage out front, for instance, as well as the dining room’s curtains and even the old-timey oil paintings and light fixtures. The DTLA/Westlake remains temporarily closed.

“We’re deeply grateful to our staff and customers for nearly 30 years in business on the Westside,” the restaurant’s Instagram account shared. “We are working to reopen our Downtown Los Angeles location, with consideration to the city mandates, as well as your optimal enjoyment. We’ll be sure to update you with any changes in restaurant hours of operation.”

One of L.A.’s most lauded French restaurants and a beacon of fine dining in the city closed abruptly and without any official mention this summer. Once home to artfully plated California-sourced produce, dairy, seafood and meat that sometimes took familiar forms and other times the form of foams, emulsions or gels, Patina Group’s namesake and flagship shuttered at the base of the Walt Disney Concert Hall in August. According to Eater LA, employees were discharged “unceremoniously,” even some who’d spent decades in the French restaurant’s employ. Patina has been removed from the group’s website listing of their robust collection of properties in L.A. and Orange County, and while we can still enjoy Patina Group’s destination-worthy steakhouse, Nick + Stef’s, just a block from where Patina last made its home, the French gem’s loss is a large one. 

The cheeky, stylish pub—and easily one of the best British pubs in town—gave us ample room to party in leather booths or at the wooden bar, and just as many places to crawl toward when we needed a fry-up and a bit of hair of the dog the next morning. The Hollywood mainstay lasted nearly eight years and brought the neighborhood live performances, late nights and a ton of fun. We’ll always remember it for the pints, the thick-cut fries and the raucous, joyous atmosphere. That, and the hangovers. 

“With a heavy heart we say goodbye to our home of almost eight years, The Pikey,” bar manager Steve Lucarelli wrote on the business’s GoFundMe for its employees. “I’m still at a loss for words. It was my home, your home, where I met some of my closest friends, where I met my wife. It’s been such a pleasure meeting you all, I will carry this experience forever. Take care of your family, your friends, and the places you cherish.”

Home to frozen daiquiris galore and reliable New Orleans-inspired eats, Downtown’s Preux & Proper officially came to a close at the end of August, leaving us one less space to find Southern charm and down-home hospitality in L.A. The festive restaurant and bar offered po’ boys, shrimp and grits, hush puppies and other signature Louisiana bites since its opening in 2015, not to mention a cozy patio in the heart of Downtown. While we don’t know the details as to the closure, ownership does point to an upcoming project—meaning it might be the end for Preux & Proper, but there’s more on the horizon for chef and co-owner Sammy Monsour and co.

“The team that we cultivated happily gave this restaurant their all, and for that, we thank them endlessly,” the restaurant’s Instagram post says. “To our regulars, guests, and long time supporters—it was truly a pleasure to serve you. There aren’t enough words to express how much we appreciate every single person who walked through that door. The love and support we’ve received from y’all over the past few months has been truly remarkable, and we will carry that energy onto our next project (yes, there is a next project). As we turn our keys in, our hearts are filled with love and gratitude. Excited for what’s next. Until next time, L.A.”

After only two years, one of L.A.’s most ambitious and whimsical tasting menus has come to a close. José Andrés and his restaurant group’s culinary ambassador, Aitor Zabala, rebuilt Somni on the ashes of Saam—creating an entirely new fine-dining concept from what came before. The tasting menu was inspired by the flavors of Spain, and one of only a handful of L.A. restaurants to win two Michelin stars in the prestigious guidebook’s most recent city ratings. Meals at the 10-seat counter explored flavor and form with a playful bent, serving razor-thin tulip cookies sprouting out of "dirt" and a soigné slice of "pizza" within a sleek and modern alcove of the more colorful, flamboyant SLS Beverly Hills Hotel dining room. Citing the closure as the choice of hotel management, Zabala says that he is still dreaming; this is not goodbye forever.

“While this is sad news, Somni deserves to be remembered not for its end but for the happiness and positivity that it provided to so many,” Zabala posted to his Instagram. “Most of my dreams revolve around how to make a moment for our guests that will outlast the experience, creating beautiful memories that last forever. I have faith that this same principle will extend not just to the meals at Somni but also to the restaurant itself, providing a forever impact on the dining landscape in Los Angeles and beyond. Thank you to every single member of the Somni team that made special this small place. I will never forget all the times we shared together. It’s your dedication that allowed for our shared success. It’s your attention to detail that made us unique and I admire you for that. I finally want to thank all our guests. You were the reason why we woke up every morning trying to make every bite, every moment unforgettable. We are grateful for the loyalty and love you brought us.”

One of the most popular gastropubs in Hermosa Beach said farewell on December 20: The pier-adjacent location of the Standing Room—whose original Redondo Beach outpost is still around—is now closed. The raucous sports bar with live music and piled-high burgers attracted locals and others strolling near the pier and became a neighborhood favorite. While this location is gone, ownership hints that we haven’t heard the last from this team: The announcement post on the restaurant’s Instagram page said, “When one door closes, another one opens (more to come later)” and we know that at very least there’s already another, unaffiliated concept taking over the space.

“We are so thankful to the South Bay community for your support throughout the years,” the announcement reads. “We had the pleasure of meeting so many wonderful people who became our regulars and friends. We also had the pleasure of having so many talented musicians play here. We will definitely miss hosting live music and all the kick ass shows but we were lucky enough to find a new owner who has intentions of keeping the music alive here. To all the people who’ve stopped by over the years and shown love to our staff; thank you from the bottom of our hearts.”

We’ll be mourning the loss of this South Bay brewpub for a long time, especially because this means the loss of one of our favorite burgers in L.A. The wife-and-husband team of Brooke Williamson and Nick Roberts cite hardship and industry uncertainty due to coronavirus, and when coupled with the restaurant’s building being sold, decided to close the operation. The pair also run Playa Provisions, down the street, which is still up and running.

“The Tripel has brought so much joy and an overwhelming sense of community to our lives and to our neighbors, but at the same time, this business decision needs to be made without emotion,” they posted on Instagram. “If it were left to just that, The Tripel would exist forever… regardless of how you pronounce our name ;) We want to thank you all for your support over the past 10 years… It is because of you all that The Tripel was able to exist to in the first place.”

A true bastion of fine dining and from behind the front of a defunct pizza shop, Ludo Lefebvre’s Trois Mec plated elegant tasting menus that wound through France, California and L.A. The menus and aesthetics were arresting and inspired, and the restaurant won a Michelin star in the guide book’s return to Los Angeles last spring. Given the intimacy of the space, Lefebvre noted that the concept could find no way forward given coronavirus.

“In 2013 the intent of the concept of Trois Mec was to make people feel like they were sitting in my kitchen and experiencing the meal I decided to cook that night. I wanted everyone to feel like one big family, guests and staff alike. Covid-19 has changed everything and there is still such an unknown period ahead of us,” Lefebvre posted to his Instagram page. “I had to accept the reality that it was time to let the idea of reopening Trois Mec go. I am so grateful to all my staff over the years both in the kitchen and front of the house for working tirelessly to maintain Trois Mec atop the L.A. dining scene for seven years. When we got our Michelin Star last year, it was for all of us, not just me. I am forever indebted to all of you.”

With fried rice darkened the perfect shade of soy-sauce brown and affordable combo meals that drew fans from all over the city, long-standing Chinese-American takeout spot Wah’s Golden Hen has rightfully grown a legion of fans since its 1972 opening. Crushingly, it’s closing at the end of 2020. A favorite of the neighborhood and of food professionals such as Smorgasburg’s Zach Brooks, who first posted about the closure, Wah’s is an old but still current guard of the rapidly changing Virgil Village and a fixture we’re sad to see go for a number of reasons. Everyone seemingly loved Wah’s, especially New York transplants in search of their remembered and beloved New York-style Chinese spots, though native Angelenos appreciated its sizable portions—and again, those perfect combo meals—just as much. Go and get your final taste of Wah’s Golden Hen before it closes forever on December 31.

“Just over 30 years ago, we came to America with many hopes and dreams,” ownership posted to Yelp in a “From the Business” statement. “We soon joined the family business where we would raise our children and see many of our dreams fulfilled and more. We enjoyed sharing our food with the community, and with the many customers who have become friends and family along the way. It was a joy to see the families around us grow, as ours has. We thank you for your support over the decades. It has been a blessing to be able to establish our roots here in America, and in this community, for so long. Though it is bittersweet to say farewell to this labor of love, we look forward to our next chapter: enjoying a quiet retirement. We will spend our time gardening and cooking at home with our family. We will be closing our doors on December 31, 2020. We wish you and your family happy holidays and a new year of good fortune and health. Thank you!”

Chef Vartan Abgaryan’s Abbot Kinney restaurant was exciting. It was also one of our top Best New Restaurants of 2019. In one of the most sudden and frustrating closures of the year, the creative and bold and globetrotting Yours Truly never even announced its closure, which occurred in November; only its chef-partner did. Plates like cacio e pepe potatoes and a tremendous chicken liver mille crêpe borrowed from cuisines from around the world, reimagining Mexican, French, Italian and Middle Eastern touches with California produce and serving them up in a buzzing industrial-modern setting. The place practically hummed, and the vibe was electric, matched only by Abgaryan’s playful and lively cooking. This is undeniably a restaurant with so much promise, cut short. 

“So thankful for this restaurant [Yours Truly] WHILE IT LASTED,” Abgaryan shared on Instagram. “Thank you to [partners] Paul Pruit and @dfrone and the teams both front and back for allowing me to guide my vision and support me with heart, care and dedication. I have to learn to let go because being a person that at all times needs to be in control, this one was hard! I am trying find my faults to learn and grow, but I can’t. Maybe why it’s hard to let go. I am not alone to say that we are dealt and very unfair and tough hand and forced to play for our and our staff’s livelihoods. I will miss all aspects of this restaurant and I hope I can recreate it one day again. But for now, thank you.”