Pono Burger Grabs Former Hostaria del Piccolo in Venice Before it Even Hits the Market

Those Pono Burger folks must be doing something right, to go from a single Santa Monica quonset hut to an upcoming trio of restaurants in just under two and a half years. Their third — following news earlier this year of a second location heading into West Hollywood — is scheduled to land in Venice, right on the deathbed of one of the area’s most well-known neighborhood spots.

The switcheroo is taking place on ever-changing Rose Avenue, where the upcoming Pono will take over what was previously the three-year-old Hostaria del Piccolo. It’s a pretty wonderful location for the burger team, considering the big bar and all that patio space. In fact, the previous tenants were kind enough to leave behind a Type 47 booze license for the place, which is currently now pending under the Pono Burger name.

Of course, the ABC doesn’t mean much in terms of timeline — there’s likely going to be plenty of build-out to be done with the dimly lit interior space. Still, consider this a coup for casual eaters everywhere, as Rose Avenue and, by association, Abbot Kinney continue to price out the little guys with exorbitantly high rents.

Meanwhile, Pono Burger in Santa Monica is still going strong, and their West Hollywood location, right on the Sunset Strip, is slated for a fall arrival.

Pono Burger Venice
512 Rose Ave.
Venice, CA