Well-Reviewed Arts District Restaurant Bon Temps Closes Permanently

Arts District restaurant Bon Temps has closed permanently, less than one year after opening. The restaurant from star pastry chef Lincoln Carson arrived in June of last year, working a formidable breakfast pastry program, casual lunch hours, and an upscale French brasserie menu at dinner, all just steps from the Art District’s most prominent restaurant, Bestia. The final day of service was last Sunday.

Carson and his team struggled to find a consistent daytime audience in the cavernous Arts District space, despite a slew of promising reviews including a best new restaurant nod from Esquire and a warm look from LA Times co-critic Bill Addison. During the COVID-19 crisis, Bon Temps pivoted to delivery and takeout, even offering pastry boxes and family-style meals with a rotating menu, but now Carson has thrown in the towel. Previously, the space was a location of Petty Cash Taqueria and before that, the ambitious but ultimately short-lived restaurant Fifty Seven.

In a statement to Eater, a Bon Temps rep says “Lincoln is grateful to his hardworking team who helped the restaurant quickly become a mainstay of its surrounding Arts District community and earn accolades,” including a semi-finalist nomination for Carson for best pastry chef.

Bon Temps joins other prominent restaurants that have closed permanently during the coronavirus pandemic and ensuing lockdown, from Stan’s Donuts in Westwood to Swingers on Beverly to Nate’n Al’s in Beverly Hills.

• For Some LA Restaurants, Closing Now Means Keeping Everyone Safe [ELA]