The genre-bending Guerrilla Tacos and farm-focused Sage are among some of the city's most influential restaurants of the past decade to announce their closures in the early days of 2025.
A series of closures in the first days of the year follows a Grim 2024 for the restaurant industrywhat did he see More than 100 prominent restaurants and bars close.
“Since COVID, things have been extremely tense,” Brittney Valles-Gordon, managing partner of Guerrilla Tacos, said in a video posted to Instagram over the weekend. “As the years went by and we were hopeful that things would get better, they just didn't.”
The famous sweet potato taco at Guerrilla Tacos.
(Danielle Dorsey / Los Angeles Times)
Founded by fine dining veterinarian Wes Avila in 2012, the celebrated guerrilla tacos helped ignite the Alta California culinary wave with scallop tacos, uncovered tostadas, and a rotation of other ingredients that might include squash, wild boar, or celery root. Local and national recognition earned Guerrilla Tacos its Bib Gourmand recognition from the Michelin Guide, a popular cookbook, and multiple television appearances.
Avila appeared in empty storefronts and on sidewalks until he bought a food truck and eventually, with Valles-Gordon, opened a brick-and-mortar restaurant and bar with a shared cafe in the Arts District. In 2020, Ávila stepped away from the kitchen and daily operations to focus on opening new restaurants, and Crystal Espinoza became head chef. The last day of service will be January 31.
“Guerrilla Tacos has always been a love letter to the city, so I hope that in these next few weeks the city will show us some love,” Valles-Gordon said in the Instagram video. “Although we have reached the end of the road here in downtown Los Angeles, you never know what awaits Guerrilla Tacos. So stay tuned.”
Ávila declined to comment. Valles-Gordon also declined to comment on the closure beyond her caption and Instagram video, but told The Times in a text message: “I am saddened that I will not be able to see our regular customers and my employees every day, But I'm very ready to receive it.” getting out of this REALLY difficult industry.”
Another long-standing restaurant, Sage, also announced its closure. He was a standard-bearer for the city's plant scene for more than a decade.
Customers dine at Sage in Echo Park in 2024.
(Jill Connelly / De Los)
The former all-vegan restaurant made waves last spring when chef-owner Mollie Engelhart announced that the Echo Park restaurant and her Pasadena gastropub would start serving meat and dairy along with a new focus on supporting regenerative practices. Last week, management posted on Instagram that both restaurants would close days later and end service on January 5.
“We all poured our passion into changing the concept to regenerative agriculture, but despite our efforts, today we find ourselves in the same situation,” the announcement said. “Thank you for 14 incredible years of support. With the love of the Sage family, Mollie and Elias, we say goodbye.”
on sunday, Gastropub and popular sports bar the Greyhound announced it will close its Glendale location on January 12. The outpost debuted in 2019 and offered a rotation of dishes exclusive to its location; the Highland Park iteration will remain open.
“We are very grateful to you, the Glendale community, who have supported [us] before, during and after a global pandemic,” the Instagram post read. “We are grateful to our regular customers, our fan clubs and the people who came once. When we opened this place, we didn't know what to expect and we didn't know who we would find. “This has been the most fun ever.”
Closing announcements continued throughout the week.
On Monday morning, chef Sean MacDonald's Bar Monette and Burgette restaurants in Santa Monica announced that they will both cease operations on January 31.
“We are incredibly grateful for your sponsorship and love and are proud to have accomplished so much in such a short time,” the Instagram statement read. “None of this would have been possible without our incredible team and their unwavering support. Thank you all for being part of our journey and we hope to see you in the coming weeks before we leave.”
Bar Monette launched in April 2023 as the Canadian chef's first American restaurant, specializing in Neapolitan-style pizza and wine, blocks from the beach and Santa Monica Pier. It has influence from Spain and Italy, with options such as a bread and tomato pizza topped with slices of Iberian ham.
Green beans with yuzu, fish sauce and toasted almonds at Burgette in Santa Monica.
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
About a year later, MacDonald Burgette opened next doora dimly lit Parisian-inspired burger joint where copper pots hang from the walls, the wine and cheese are primarily French, the seasonal small plates mix cultures, and the burgers are likely to include American classics like pickles and cheddar as high-end toppings. quality like bone marrow butter.
MacDonald was not available for comment before publication.
About an hour after MacDonald's joint closing announcement, Culver City restaurant Lustig announced its own end after a year of service. Chef-owner Bernhard Mairinger told The Times that the decision was driven by a number of factors during the restaurant's year-end review, including the cost of ingredients, the cost of labor, a surplus of competing restaurants by customers and inconsistency in business and foot. traffic.
“By the time you have a day where you're short on clients to make up the cost, it's almost like you can never catch up because it's so inconsistent,” he said. “You have a good month, you have a bad month, you have another bad month, and then you have a good month, and it's like: The bad month does so much damage that you look at it as a whole. , where it's like, 'What are we doing here?'”
After years working as a private chef, he opened the BierBeisl and Patina Restaurant Group veterinary your Austrian-leaning restaurant in Helms Bakery District with some recognizable local talent, including water sommelier Martin Riese. Lustig serves fresh sourdough pretzels with truffle mustard; chicken liver mousse with Riesling fruit pâté; and global variations of schnitzel. His last night of service will be January 26.
Mairinger said that in retrospect, Lustig should have charged 15% to 20% more than he did, but he echoed a feeling that many in the industry fear: Increasing food costs to a more sustainable commercial margin could drive away customers. In the coming years he hopes to achieve legislation and legal clarity that will help independent restaurants survive.
In the future, the chef said he might open “a more affordable version of Lustig,” a fast-casual concept that would not employ a full-service business model but would instead “focus on hits.” In the meantime, it could take a year or two to recover and get back into private cooking and catering.
“I'm not sure if the city is ready, or if I'm ready, to go back to the way I would have done it a few years ago,” he said. “I think I'm going to wait a little bit and see what happens in Los Angeles and what the direction is. Too many restaurants opening and closing. “Too many restaurants, period.”
