Don't Worry: Rose Cafe's Familiar Venice Vibe Is Only Being Updated

Piggybacking off of yesterday's news that Venice's Rose Cafe was locking the doors on February 9, tipsters, PR, and chef Jason Neroni himself have begun to weigh in on the next iteration of the longstanding local hang.

Despite some previous discussion, Rose isn't slated to become an outlet of Neroni's B-Side Pizzeria after all. Instead, the overall plan is for more of a revamp than a reset. Think: a fresh new interior look and much-needed tinker under the hood to make the place run smoother than ever, but Rose Cafe (aka The Rose) will hopefully stay as familiar as ever. The mural will remain, alongside some of the other distinct touches that have meant so much over the years.

The new ownership plan, which came about last fall and includes Bill Chait / Sprout Restaurant Group, won't entirely wipe out the old guard at Rose Cafe, either. Longtime owners Kamal Kapur and Manhar Patel are sticking around and working alongside the Sprout Restaurant Group on the new look. No buyouts, no forced sale. While the Rose will be shuttered until sometime in early summer, staff members even have the opportunity of returning when the place gets up and running again — they can work within the Sprout restaurant network until then. That's good news for many of the people there, some of whom have worked on site for decades.

Neroni himself has jumped into the discussion, adding:

“This is a dream project and I definitely want to honor its legacy.  My intention is to create a special space for a community that I consider myself a part of - ever since I moved to LA.”

Rose Cafe will continue to serve breakfast and lunch, and will add a dinner service when it returns later this year.