Fairfax Staple Golden State Stops Flipping Burgers After 12 Good Years

Twelve-year Fairfax restaurant veteran the Golden State is closing early next month. Ownership announced the forthcoming shutdown on social media last night in a stylized video overlaid with the Chef’s Table theme song. The goodbye post can be seen below.

The upcoming closure of the Golden State is a direct result of the ongoing pandemic, says ownership. “We tried our best to take [COVID-19] on,” the post reads, “ but it proved to be a formidable foe.” Indeed, the Golden State loss is just the latest in a long line of closures throughout 2020, from nationally-celebrated spots like Auburn, Bon Temps, Dialogue, and Ma’am Sir, to local staples like Pacific Dining Car and Koreatown’s beloved Beverly Soon Tofu.

Still, the Golden State team has had a mostly blessed run since opening on Fairfax over a decade ago. Jonathan Gold himself raved about the food back in 2009, calling the restaurant’s famed floats a “splendid sacrament” while also adoring the burgers. Owners James Starr and Jason Bernstein have since gone on to open Cofax (also on Fairfax) for coffee, pastries, and breakfast burritos; Prime Pizza, a chain of shops that opened on Fairfax first; and even a second now-closed location of the Golden State down in Little Tokyo.

Luckily, fans still have a few weeks to get over to Fairfax for one last burger, as the restaurant won’t close until January 4. As for what may take over the space, that remains to be seen. In the decade since opening, that block has become a sort of ground zero for restaurants, from Badmaash and Jon & Vinny to the new flagship Dave’s Hot Chicken up the street.

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