Craft Beer Giant Lagunitas’s SGV Taproom and Restaurant Costs $2 Million, and More

Big, big money

Now that major craft beer brewer Lagunitas has been sold off completely to the likes of Heineken, there is apparently a ton of money to throw around. That includes a tidy $2 million sum to be paid out in the small town of Azusa, well east of Downtown, where Lagunitas is opening up a flagship west coast brewery and expanding their currently minimal taproom to include a restaurant, tasting room, lounge, and more.

Curious minds can find the permits over on BuildZoom right now, along with the price tag of $1,995,540 (including $26,000 to the city in permits alone). There’s still no official timetable for opening, but with loads of money and construction officially starting up, a fall/early winter arrival is still on the table.

Ramen Bangaichi is here

Silver Lake’s latest casual option is Ramen Bangaichi, which opened this week in the former Saito Sushi strip mall space off Sunset Boulevard. The international chain has locations in Japan and the Philippines, and works a tight menu of lighter broths that are punched up by big dabs of butter on top. The restaurant at 4331 Sunset Blvd. is still getting its bearings (and is cash only at the moment) but expect hours from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.

One big block party

Legendary Harold & Belle’s is throwing another block party and crawfish boil this Saturday from noon to 6 p.m., and basically the whole world is invited. Tickets are $35 presale/$40 at the door, and comes with everything from all you can eat gumbo and jambalaya to live music.

Banking and coffee

Toddrickallen shares news of a new kind of coffee shop coming to Santa Monica: The Capital One Cafe. Located inside a Capital One bank branch at 4th and Broadway, the idea is that folks can come for a cup of joe, relax during transactions, or just peer through the windows and wonder aloud why people with laptops have taken over the lounge seating inside a bank.

Cinnaholic is here

Echo Park’s Mohawk Collective property is starting to activate along Sunset Boulevard, with the arrival last weekend of Cinnaholic. The Shark Tank-backed all-vegan cinnamon roll shop has locations across the country, and is now open daily across from Mohawk Bend.

Another food podcast

Looks like another food podcast has sprung up, this one from comedian Karl Hess and chef Joel Miller of The Wallace in Culver City. On the latest episode the pair talk to food writer Esther Tseng about her life eating and traveling for work, and the nitty gritty of how it sometimes goes down on the food media side of things.

The story of Kreation

There’s another Kreation Organic coming to town, this time in West Hollywood at 8910 Santa Monica Boulevard. The store is throwing a grand opening celebration on Thursday from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. that will include gift bags, a DJ, and (predictably) a whole lotta juice.