19 Los Angeles Restaurants That Closed This Fall

November

— In a failed battle to save a historic building, Kura Fine Japanese Cuisine announced its closure. That property will eventually turn into a Frank Gehry-designed 229 apartment unit and multi-use project, while former Kura chef/owner Daniel Son focuses on other local projects. Kura is also one of LA’s best sushi spots and closes on November 26. That’s tomorrow, so get in there.

— For the second time, Church & State closed in the Arts District. Former owners Esnault and Yassmin Sarmadi sold off their ten-year-old space and moved to Orange County to open Knife Pleat. In June, Bill Chait and partner Taylor Parsons came on and kept the Church & State name before the closure.

October

— Ricardo Zarate’s Pikoh closed in West LA.

— In a Facebook post, the owners of Los Feliz’ Sit Down’s detailed its struggle with a landlord and untimely eviction. The Melrose location is still open.

— McConnell’s Fine Ice Cream spent three years next door to Go Get Em Tiger in Los Feliz. The space will eventually flip into a hand roll bar called Sogo by Sushi Note’s David Gibbs and his operating partner Sarah Dietz.

— Five-year-old barbecue spot Barrel & Ashes said goodbye to Ventura Boulevard. Barrel & Ashes was chef Timothy Hollingsworth’s first landing spot before departing to Otium, where the Studio City restaurant became part of the modern barbecue wave in Los Angeles.

— Brooke Williamson closed her Mar Vista shop Small Batch Ice Cream.

— Longtime Eagle Rock restaurant Capri closed. The decades-old Italian restaurant garnered a bit of local fame a few years back after appearing on an episode of Gordon Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares.

— Rascal on La Brea Avenue just south of Wilshire closed after eight years on the block.

September

—Echo Park’s all-day restaurant Winsome shut down, but the Playa del Rey location is still in the works.

— Little Tokyo’s Baldoria closed after a three year run.

— Baldwin Hills’ popular eatery Mexicano closed up shop in Crenshaw. It was a quiet departure, but chefs/owners Jaime Martin del Campo and Ramiro Arvizu switched gears to focus on a new Mexican wine bar right next to their well-established Bell restaurant La Casita Mexicano.

— West Hollywood’s 36-year-old Cafe D’Etoile closed. The owners cited rising food, drink, and labor costs as the reason for its shutter.

— Sometimes a well-known pop-up plus a rave review from a beloved critic isn’t enough to keep a restaurant going. Santa Ana’s Modern Filipino spot Irenia ceased service after four years.

— Ten years is a good run for any restaurant, and Momed Beverly Hills closed its Beverly Hills location. Atwater Village is still going strong.

— Westwood’s Fundamental LA ended its nearly nine-year run.

— Cake Monkey closed its Westlake Village location and chose to refocus on the original Beverly Boulevard bakery.

— 50-year-old Francelli’s is no longer in business. The Long Beach shutter is part of an unfortunate trend in Long Beach, where longstanding Italian restaurants are closing, including Papalucci’s and Russo’s.

Pending Closures

— Fairfax’s Fat Dog will close on December 23. Owners Susann and Richard Mandeville will only keep only happy hour through dinner hours (starting at 4 p.m.), meaning no more lunch or brunch. The North Hollywood location remains open.

• Los Angeles restaurant closings [ELA]