Following the sale of its original building, one of Los Angeles' most legendary Chinese restaurants closed its doors in May. But Genghis Cohen is now reopening its doors in a new space, with an even more elaborate dining room and new dishes and cocktails. It is also still on the same street, a few blocks further south.
A new velvet-covered dining room in Genghis Cohen's new home.
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
The legendary New York-style Chinese American restaurant serving stir-fries, tropical drinks and house specialties like the “Kanton Knish” hosted some of the world's most famous celebrities and generations of Angelenos in its roughly 40 years of operation at 740 N. Fairfax Ave. The venue featured a dining room adorned with red paper lanterns, an aquarium and a large paper dragon, as well as a tandem music venue.
Owners Marc Rose and Med Abrous said they were unable to renegotiate Genghis Cohen's lease after years of trying with the building's new owners, and came up with a plan: reopen other parts of the neighborhood, first with takeout and then with dine-in service.
“We've been working hard to find a solution, and I think we found the best possible solution to a really horrible situation that we found ourselves in,” Rose told The Times earlier this year.
They launched Genghis Cohen with delivery June 1, taking over the former Sweet Chick space at 448 N. Fairfax Ave. Now they've unveiled the new dining room, which features even more neon, color and the return of their red paper lanterns and dragon.
That circular-cut fish tank is now embedded in the wall above the bar, which is also larger; Given the extra seating at the bar, the team added a host of new tropical cocktails, like a boozy riff on the Dole Whip dessert, plus a late-night menu of weekend-only bar bites, like chicken popsicles and barbecue pork bao. New dishes available around the clock include shrimp and chive dumplings and five-spice marinated Volcano Chicken, which is set on fire tableside.
The new Genghis Cohen lacks a private dining room and music venue, but Abrous and Rose have partnered with Canter's Deli and its adjacent bar and venue, the Kibitz Room, to host a music series called “Genghis Cohen Live” on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Genghis Cohen is open Monday to Thursday from 4 to 10 p.m., Friday from 4 to 2 a.m., Saturday from midnight to 2 a.m. and Sunday from noon to 10 p.m.
448 N. Fairfax Ave., Los Angeles, (323) 653-0640, genghiscohen.com
An olive oil-tinged negroni at Funke in Beverly Hills.
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
Funke reopens
A fire in August temporarily closed Evan Funke's lauded namesake restaurant in Beverly Hills, but earlier this month Funke and all of his delicate, revered Italian cuisine returned.
According to a representative for the city of Beverly Hills, the small fire was primarily contained within the ventilation duct system and the restaurant suffered minimal damage. No one was injured in the fire, and Funke's team attempted to reschedule guests at the chef's other Los Angeles restaurants, Mother Wolf and Felix, while they waited to reopen.
As of October 1, Funke reopened its doors for reservations at both its restaurant and rooftop bar. Funke is open Monday to Thursday from 5 to 10:30 p.m., and Friday and Saturday from 5 to 11 p.m. The Funke rooftop bar is open Monday to Thursday from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m., and Friday and Saturday from 5 p.m. to midnight.
9388 S. Santa Monica Blvd., Beverly Hills, (424)-279-9796, funkela.com
Korean fried chicken, right, with shrimp toast and pink tteokboki at Chimmelier's new location.
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
Chimmelier expands
Some of the best Korean fried chicken in town just expanded to a new home on Melrose Avenue.
Chimmelier's Melrose Avenue location features a casual dining room.
(Stephanie Breijo / Los Angeles Times)
In Hospitality Group's Chimmelier launched in Smorgasburg in 2020 with huge fried chicken sandwiches and seasoned fries that still generate lines at the weekly food festival. Chimmelier, or “chicken sommelier,” took over the former headquarters of the restaurant group's previous operation, Hanchic, where it still operates in a walk-in format in a shopping center bordering Westlake and Koreatown.
But Chimmelier's new location, along Melrose in the Fairfax district, features indoor dining and pops of color in street art-inspired murals. The brand's signature Korean fried chicken, in both sandwich and wing form, can be found here alongside small plates and sides like shrimp toast bites, tteokbokki in pink sauce, cheese corn, and kimchi fried rice. Like sister concept Jilli, the owners plan to introduce more Korean drinking culture to Los Angeles with a program of soju, locally brewed beer, makgeolli and natural wines at Chimmelier's new home. Chimmelier is open every day from 11:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.
7363 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles, chimmelierusa.com
