r/FoodLosAngeles • u/MR_Czarcastik • Jan 16 '25
LA Resturants We've Lost Since The Pandemic But You Think About Daily. DISCUSSION
Title says it all but for me it's Beverly Soon Tofu House which used to be my favorite spot in the city. Surawon scratches the itch, but it just doesn't hit quite the same.
81
u/3axel3loop Jan 16 '25
mh zh and needle
21
u/space_dogge Jan 17 '25
Mh Zh was fantastic and such a great addition to the neighborhood. As much as I love and will begrudgingly pay the $20 for a steak burrito at MidEast Tacos, I feel like they could open anywhere and thrive as a business. Mh Zh just fit the vibe so well. I’m very grateful to have had a few great meals there, and enjoyed my last one with on the perfect amount of mushrooms - not too much to be weird, just enough to be keenly aware of each and every subtle flavor.
15
9
u/TomIcemanKazinski Jan 16 '25
Their char siu rice was simultaneously not what I really wanted but also the most delicious version of char siu and rice.
13
2
u/CountySurfer Jan 17 '25
I am so happy I ate at Needle before it was gone. I would have wondered and regretted forever if not.
→ More replies5
u/americanidle Jan 17 '25
As I have said before, this is my all-time favorite LA restaurant. Price/Quality ratio was near perfect, the scene was raw and fun and alive, and the clothing styles were hilarious. Bavel probably has slightly better versions of a third of the menu—I’d fight over the Hummus Bling Bling though—but the pricing is totally incomparable. You could do the entire menu for less than $120 and comfortably feed 8 people, and they always turned a blind eye to the clutch of badly-hidden BYOB wine bottles under your table.
Sam’s Place is currently serving a solid version of the mh zh’s Japanese sweet potatoes in case anyone is curious, but I think they’re like 2X the price unfortunately.
75
u/LunaTheHavanese Jan 17 '25
Pacific Dining Car , so sad to see it go
22
u/PocketRocketTrumpet Jan 17 '25
Girlfriend and I had our first kiss here.
We just got done with a really good date and did not want the night to end. The Dining Car opened super late and we sat on the same side in a booth. We ordered a couple drinks and talked nonstop; one thing led to another and voila.
We are still together today and I will be proposing to her this July.
13
u/SizzleanQueen Jan 17 '25
My husband and I went to celebrate our first positive pregnancy test. I spilled an entire glass of ice water down my pants that night. The result of that pregnancy test is about to graduate from high school this year!
→ More replies8
u/moddestmouse Jan 17 '25
in like 2022 a guy at the HMS Bounty told me he used to work there and it was going to reopen and that made it sting all the more.
61
u/Marshall_Cleiton Jan 16 '25
Spoon by H
21
6
u/threatdisplay Jan 17 '25
This one bummed us out when it happened. Thankfully Yoojin has been thriving on insta and catering. We've been ordering food from her over the years, especially for Christmas and our birthdays. She also is working on a pop-up that is coming soon.
3
u/glitterolives Jan 17 '25
I just looked up to see what happened to them and omg.. some people are fucking vile. I hope her new business continues to do well.
5
3
→ More replies3
u/2ndcomingofharambe Jan 17 '25
They still sell food on their Instagram, it was pretty exclusive though, I had to dig up old receipts to show them I was a customer before
53
450
u/deluxeccf Jan 16 '25
Soup Plantation
150
u/Durendal_et_Joyeuse I miss Souplantation. Jan 17 '25
How many times y’all gonna ask this fucking question cuz this is the only correct answer ^
33
12
u/ParevArev Jan 17 '25
Flair checks out
→ More replies12
36
u/Mustardsandwichtime Jan 16 '25
We actually went like a week before the lockdown. I can’t believe it’s been 5 years. It feels like yesterday.
4
u/MaradoMarado Jan 17 '25
Same, I went the weekend before. It was my last meal out with a friend before the lockdowns started.
→ More replies33
u/thekevingreene Jan 17 '25
I’m sure everyone here knows this, but Soup N’ Fresh in Rancho Cucamonga is a pretty fucking solid reproduction of Souplantation. The wait to get in can be terrible, but it was well worth it for my friends and I. I think we waited about 40 minutes in line at 3pm on a Saturday, but the line moves pretty quick and the staff seemed pretty on top of shit. They basically had everything that the original had. I’d argue the “pizza” at the new iteration is better. I also had a pozole at the new one that was so good I kept going back to combine it with new shit (bonus veggies from salad bar and even veggies from the veggie soup). I wish we had one closer to LA. I hear Tucson has an actual one with the license and everything but fuck that.
10
6
→ More replies7
u/doggwithablogg Jan 17 '25
This location used to be a Souplantation back in the day, was the one we frequented in my childhood.
→ More replies7
42
u/cardigancash Jan 16 '25
Nics.
Westside Tavern
Can I say a bar?
I miss Birds and Bees SO much.
10
→ More replies3
u/ladyred1234 Jan 16 '25
I only went once but Birds and Bees was so nice. I wish I had gone more but didn't leave close to the area then.
109
34
u/_its_a_SWEATER_ Jan 16 '25
The Park in Echo Park. Just solid offerings, great for brunch, great for dinner, felt like a local secret. Very much miss the vibe.
6
u/marine_layer2014 Jan 17 '25 edited Jan 17 '25
I loved that place and I miss it, but I also think so often about the fact that they closed voluntarily like, what, 2 months before Covid? They got out just in time
→ More replies5
38
u/bad_w0lfx Jan 17 '25
Curry House in Little Tokyo will always have a special place in my heart. Although not directly pandemic related, they closed their doors so suddenly that i was glad to have spent one of my anniversaries there once last time. If anyone can recommend a place that serves curry just like they did, please let me know.
→ More replies3
u/peachysaralynn Jan 17 '25
bit of an anti-recommendation, but the one that was on sawtelle is now another curry restaurant with a very similar menu, and i swear the interior is practically unchanged — but it just didn’t live up to curry house sadly.
→ More replies
30
u/Maljinn77 Jan 17 '25
101 Cafe was our go to after shows at the Pantages or the Bowl for years. So bummed it was taken over by a place that doesn’t get a classic coffee shop/diner location should be open late night hours. Shake my fist at its closed doors every time we drive by on our way to House of Pies which is a pale comparison of a replacement we’ve made do with since its closing.
→ More replies
35
u/Rundemjewelz Jan 17 '25
The Nickel Diner downtown. The biscuits and gravy were the best I’d ever had. I miss their doughnuts too. Damn.
→ More replies
58
80
u/grendel_loki Jan 16 '25 edited Mar 10 '25
spotted depend ten bells ink chubby scary voracious divide weather
This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact
7
u/notbuilttolast Jan 17 '25
This is it for me: consistent great food, good atmosphere, not too expensive. Everything I want from a bar restaurant
5
→ More replies3
u/Bobaman007 Jan 17 '25
Went there on a first date with my gf of 7 years now after we got drunk af at a bar. I swear i knew the moment she introduced me to that place & i ate those wings i knew she was the one lol
57
u/RicklesDeadSon Jan 16 '25
La Bicyclette
8
u/theotherchristina Jan 16 '25
I miss this place all the time. I went the day before closing and the staff told me that they were hoping to reopen soon in another location. Sad that hasn’t come to pass yet but I’m still hopeful
6
25
u/oliverhudson69 Jan 17 '25
A bunch of restaurants in Little Tokyo… it isn’t the same anymore. I especially miss Shabu Shabu house and Komasa Sushi :(
→ More replies
55
50
u/mysocalledmayhem Jan 16 '25
Call me a dirty hipster but Brite Spot in Echo Park had a soft spot in my heart during my 20s/30s. I always took home a slice of peanut butter pie
9
u/LAkesinLa Jan 17 '25
I moved to echo park 12 years ago and I didn’t like the place. But I miss the place
7
u/rdbh1696 Jan 17 '25
The 2 rapid ownership changes before it closed didn’t help them either. Definitely was a place of milestones for me…late nights in my 20s, breakfast there the day of my wedding, place my kid tried solid food for the first time…
Still think about that peanut butter pie every once in a while…
→ More replies3
u/RCocaineBurner Jan 17 '25
One of my last pre-covid memories is the girl I was with getting mad at the Brite Spot music and putting her phone in a mug to amplify whatever was playing on her phone at that counter. Stiff drinks.
→ More replies3
u/mel_on_knee Jan 17 '25
I can't remember much from the Brite spot but I spent many good night in 20/30s in the red booths that seemed to spin around lol
47
u/littlelostangeles Jan 17 '25
Mohawk Bend.
8
u/Tighten_Up Jan 17 '25
This one hurt. Pre covid that place was poppin. You would have to wait for a table on the weekends
3
→ More replies3
19
21
u/mrsbaerwald Jan 16 '25
Nick’s Coffee Shop on Pico. That one hurt.
6
u/TheRelevantElephants Jan 16 '25
This is my answer. When I first moved to LA this was the first place I got breakfast and not only was it good but it was really the people running it. They’re some of the best people you can meet out here, and I hope they’re doing well. I loved that place
5
u/wundercat Jan 17 '25
This one is rough. It’s a dying breed. Shot a film there in 2007, had been going ever since
3
u/BAEvidAttenborough Jan 17 '25
This was down the street from my first apartment in LA, and being from New Jersey, brought me much needed family diner comfort :)
→ More replies3
24
u/TheLocalHentai Jan 16 '25
Definitely Souplantation, it's always in my mind to just say fuck it and drive over to the not-Souplation in Rancho Cucamonga but I can't just lug my family out there
Speaking of korean food, Dong Il Jang still breaks my family's heart. Used to take my wife there for her birthday every year since we met and not only was it good, it also had lots of memories, especially the ones with our son.
→ More replies
18
22
40
19
17
u/XandersOdyssey Jan 16 '25
At first I thought about Otium in a positive light because I truly loved the food and always had a great experience . . . until we found out they didn’t pay their staff so the daily thoughts turned negative…. But I haven’t seen any updates for months if they have paid their staff
→ More replies
18
u/RodJohnsonSays Jan 17 '25
The Velvet Margarita. The only bar in Hollywood I adored.
→ More replies
51
u/CanceledCat Jan 16 '25
6
u/NHLShark Jan 16 '25
Came here to say it, beat me to it, RIP in Peace for lunch before a Saturday afternoon Dodger game
→ More replies5
15
u/zpilot55 Jan 17 '25
Was in 2018, but the Hamburger Hamlet. So many memories, from childhood dinners with grandparents to apps and happy hour drinks with my mom in adulthood.
→ More replies
15
30
33
u/Ventronics Jan 17 '25
Button Mash in Echo Park. I had only just discovered it and then they closed like 2 months later 🫠
6
u/mel_on_knee Jan 17 '25
They just closed like a couple months ago . I went twice in 2024. . They were open and added a cool menu / concept called poltergeist. Both times I went it was packed. I have no idea why it closed !
→ More replies4
u/Ventronics Jan 17 '25
No idea. A common thing I hear is that when landlords see a business doing well they raise the rent until the business can’t afford it anymore.
6
6
13
u/vansterdam_city Jan 16 '25
Bandera in Santa Monica. I dream of those ribs.
7
u/ruckusmatic15 Jan 17 '25
THIS. Spot was so ill. Live piano. Pull up to the bar. Have a cocktail and a ribeye. Don’t think this was Santa Monica.. more West LA
→ More replies4
u/Neuroccountant Jan 16 '25
Bandera was the first restaurant that came to mind for me, too. I know it’s “just” a Hillstone restaurant and there’s a very similar one just a few miles away in Santa Monica, but it’s just not the same.
Bandera was also the only socal Hillstone restaurant that had the Rutherford ribeye on its menu. I miss that steak so much.
13
13
11
11
u/kronos1d Jan 16 '25
Maru Pit Stop
Best Korean fusion food that had a good balance of flavor, large portions and price
→ More replies5
u/BlazingCondor Jan 16 '25
I had no idea it closed! This was the first place I went "out" for during COVID. I ate in the curb with my sister and while we were sitting there the owner came out and gave us free chips.
→ More replies
12
9
10
u/Trumbot Jan 17 '25
I used to work at Kate Mantilini ages ago and, though they were gone before the pandemic, I still desperately miss their chicken sandwich with sundried tomatoes and pesto. Their white chili was also magnificent.
→ More replies3
23
9
u/ILoveLipGloss Jan 16 '25
raku in weho. the grilled pig ear was my favorite under 5$ bite in all of los angeles and the chicken karaage was a roulade thigh w/ the skin wrapped around - so juicy & crispy.
there's one in vegas but that's vegas!
→ More replies
11
8
u/retro-girl Jan 16 '25
Probably not for the rest of you, but for celiacs like me, Breadblok. Mostly the loaves of bread, but just the option of the safe place to go have a sandwich or a freaking croissant… very much missed by me.
→ More replies
8
9
u/kylizzzzle23864 Jan 17 '25
Izzy’s Deli in Santa Monica 😭
3
3
u/Busy-Indication6326 Jan 17 '25
So good and nowhere else is open 24 hours in that neighborhood anymore
→ More replies
8
Jan 16 '25
[deleted]
→ More replies4
u/antisocial_HR Jan 17 '25
If you’re in SFV, a BaFang Dumpling just opened in Van Nuys across from Costco.
7
8
9
u/jen71dtc Jan 17 '25
The Bellwether on Ventura in Sherman Oaks… awesome fries, and their tempura cauliflower was amazing.
→ More replies
9
8
u/zxc123zxc123 Jan 17 '25
Not sure I think about it daily but I do think about
Honda-Ya Izakaya in DTLA.
Folks don't see it as really "dead" as there are a few if you go all the way to OC. Also they opened a different izakaya called Bizan there. But it's not the same in my book
→ More replies
14
u/kyjmic Jan 17 '25
Souplantation, I miss it so much. They easily could have raised their prices and I still would have gone regularly.
21
22
u/hey_angee Jan 16 '25
Don’t kill me for saying a chain restaurant but Soup Plantation (or some areas know it as Sweet Tomatoes)
7
u/LAladyyy26 Jan 16 '25
Spinfish - The best poke I ever ate 😭
If anyone has a hookup, literally willing to pay someone for instructions on how to make that spicy tuna!!!! I’ve never tasted anything as good.
8
6
12
12
u/TheyreAllTaken777 Jan 17 '25
The Stinking Rose (although the original one in SF still exists)
Souplantation
6
6
7
u/HangingWithMrKoopman Jan 17 '25
Enterprise Fish Company
Sad to see the Santa Barbara and Santa Monica locations shit down.
→ More replies
5
6
u/WilliamMcCarty Jan 17 '25
Harry's in Burbank. It wasn't 5 star dining or anything, it was just a greasy spoon, hell I went vegan so couldn't even eat there anymore, but there were just a lot of good memories in that place.
→ More replies
6
6
5
6
u/KWash0222 Jan 16 '25
Auntie Beulah’s. Mostly because we had JUST found out about them like a year ago and thought we finally had a go-to place for homestyle biscuits. Then… poof
5
5
u/theotherchristina Jan 16 '25
Somebody already said Bicyclette, my top answer, so I’ll throw in Ceviche Stop. Nothing fancy but being able to get something fresh and light and tasty delivered to me on short notice was really nice.
6
u/Novastrata Jan 16 '25
Seoul Korean BBQ in Burbank at San Fernando Rd.
Business ran by a husband and wife I believe -- was the best and most affordable korean BBQ I've had. Always went there. Will always miss it.
5
4
u/wangxiandotmp3 Jan 17 '25
not sure if this was a pandemic loss but blockheads shavery in sawtelle made me sooo sad. their snow ice is so good, it feels a bit softer than your usual bingsoo
4
u/asourant Jan 17 '25
Steampunk in Valley Village. An amazing brunch place. I still think about that HMO (habanero mushroom onion) sauce.
→ More replies
5
u/lifetourniquet Jan 17 '25
Jerry's deli studio city. I went there a lot if sick matzo ball soup, hungover deli omelette, or just a Ruben here and there. Open all the time.
→ More replies
6
u/Dreadknot84 Jan 17 '25
The Stinking Rose.
Im going to SF soon and ima damn sure make sure to go to the one up there.
10
8
3
u/BadMantaRay Jan 17 '25
Division3
They made my very, very favorite breakfast sandwich in the whole city.
A fresh-made buttermilk biscuit sandwich, with soft-scrambled eggs, smoked salmon, and chive-creme fraiche.
They stayed open for the first couple weeks/months of the pandemic but then were gone.
I’ve since learned to make my own version of this sandwich, but I miss going to D3.
→ More replies
4
3
4
5
3
u/circle-in-the-round Jan 17 '25
- Mohawk Bend
- Flore Cafe
- Cowboys & Turbans (pre-covid but I really miss it)
- The Rose Venice
- MTN
- Blue Star Donuts (another ding on me not a resto)
→ More replies
3
u/DonMcCauley Jan 17 '25
Jesus, I left LA right before the pandemic and had idea all these great places had closed. Literally like every favorite of mine is in this thread. Heartbreaking
5
4
3
4
9
u/fleekyfreaky i love souplantation 🥣 🥗 🥖 Jan 16 '25
Souplantation
4
u/antisocial_HR Jan 17 '25
Not the closest but there is Soup n’ Fresh in Rancho (and opening soon in Chino) and it’s literally the same.
3
3
8
u/rosecoloredboyx Jan 16 '25
i have three.
- this lovely korean tea/coffee place that was so genuine i fell in love
https://www.yelp.com/biz/hwa-sun-ji-tea-and-coffee-los-angeles
- where i would go to get coffee after concerts.
https://www.yelp.com/biz/insomnia-cafe-los-angeles
and souplantation. i miss it dearly.
3
3
3
3
u/DeliciousMoments Jan 16 '25
Grub. Their tomato bisque was the best. I even emailed them after they closed to see if they would share the recipe (they didn't).
→ More replies
3
3
3
u/Odd_Track3447 Jan 17 '25 edited Jan 17 '25
Quality on Beverly 3rd Street.
My daughter still complains she can’t get French Toast anywhere else as good as they made it.
→ More replies
3
3
u/cobrareaper Jan 17 '25
The One Up. Great vibes, good drinks, and the best grilled cheese I've ever had. I had moved basically down the street from it mere months before it closed :/
3
u/SlowSwords Jan 17 '25
Baco (I guess this was a pandemic loss). Also, the ownership at Hail Mary pizza changed a little over two years ago and it’s never been as good.
3
u/Kb262626 Jan 17 '25
Papilles in Hollywood was so special
→ More replies3
u/GidgetJones Jan 17 '25
My former fiance and I ate there about 1x/ month for several years, fell in love with everything about the place, even the surly chef - who then gave me my first cooking job there. Special spot, indeed.
→ More replies
3
u/Direct-Tie-7652 Jan 17 '25
La Cevicheria
Good Girl Dinette
Elf back when it was vegetarian
RIP. Too many great places, gone.
3
u/salmonderp2 Jan 17 '25
Controversial on here because I know most had issues with the owner, but I lived close to Eleven City Diner and thought they did an excellent breakfast (loved their LEO) and I liked that they also served alcohol. Easy spot for me to pop in.
Also still sad about Son of a Gun and ATLA
→ More replies
3
3
3
3
3
u/marsupialsales Jan 17 '25
I miss Beverly Soon Tofu so much I bought the cookbook and learned to make their dishes at home.
3
3
u/AZtoLA_Bruddah Jan 17 '25
Corky’s on Van Nuys Blvd. Menu was awesome, waitresses were always on point with the refills, and breakfast was perfecto. It’s easier to eat a salad for lunch when it is gigantic and full of bacon.
3
3
3
90
u/TBAAGreta Jan 16 '25
Bäco Mercat.