Bar Covell’s Matthew Kaner Taking Over Ozu East Kitchen in Atwater Village

Ozu East Kitchen’s last days are this coming weekend, after a year-long stint in a rather lovely space in the heart of Atwater Village. And coming into the space is Eastside industry vet Matthew Kaner, who cut his teeth at Silver Lake Wine and later helped found Bar Covell in Los Feliz, easily one of the city’s best wine bars. Kaner also helped open Augustine in the Valley before partnering at Dead or Alive in Palm Springs.

This new venture is Kaner’s first solo project, which doesn’t yet have a name but has a compelling concept: curated wine served with wine country cuisine from around the world. And yes, they’ll be serving beer in addition to wine. They’ll have dinner service nightly at 5 p.m. with daytime service on the weekends that should be a boon for brunch warriors on the Eastside.

Kaner’s been wanting to do a project in Atwater Village for years, and with this space becoming available his dream has finally come true. With the upcoming Journeyman going into the almost closed Canelé, the new Wanderlust Creamery, plus Kaner’s new restaurant, Glendale Blvd is really coming up this year.

Wonho Frank Lee

Ozu East Kitchen’s normal service will cease on April 1, but they won’t vacate the space immediately. They’ll have some suppers and pop-ups during the month of April.