Westside Dining Scene August 5, 2021
By Kerry Slater
High-End Sushi Restaurant Expanding to Montana Avenue
Montana Avenue in Santa Monica is getting a high-end sushi restaurant. As reported by Toddrickallen, The Brother’s Sushi will be moving into the space at 1008 Montana Avenue, former home to Maria’s Italian Kitchen. The restaurant, currently with one location in Woodland Hills, is helmed by Chef Mark Okuda and features both season omakase courses alongside à la carte options. The eatery has received praise from critics, including Time Out who wrote The Brother’s Sushi has “some of the freshest, most buttery and flavorful seafood available in Los Angeles. The pricing can certainly reflect this, but it’s well worth the splurge, and chef-owner Mark Okuda offers affordable omakase tracks, lunch deals and takeout specials that make the Brothers Sushi a must-visit across budgets,” in a review from June of this year. An opening date for the Montana Avenue location has yet to be announced.
Monty’s Good Burger Coming to Culver City
Plant-based burger chain Monty’s Good Burger is coming to Culver City, What Now Los Angeles reports. The restaurant, which first opened as a Riverside food hall stand and a Koreatown takeaway spot in 2018, will be coming to 3849 Main Street in Culver City as the chain’s fifth location. An opening date for the Culver City location has yet to be announced.
Venice’s Zelda’s Corner Closes
Venice breakfast and lunch spot Zelda’s Corner, located at 9 Westminster Avenue, has closed its doors permanently. The news was announced in an Instagram post from the restaurant’s chef and owner Edward Klevens, who cited the pandemic and the conditions in Venice as the reason for the closure. “It is with a heavy heart that I wanted to announce that Zelda’s Corner has closed. Between the pandemic and the situation in Venice Beach we were unable to continue. It has been a privilege and pleasure to create food in Venice for the last five and half years,” reads the post.
Bay Area Tea Shop Set to Open in Sawtelle
A Bay Area tea shop is set to open in Sawtelle. As reported by Toddrickallen, Teaspoon will open on August 7 at 1947 Sawtelle Boulevard Unit E. Teaspoon currently has 19 locations in Northern California and the Sawtelle shop will be the chain’s first store in Southern California. The Sawtelle location will be operating under the following soft opening hours to begin with: Monday-Thursday noon – 9 p.m. and Friday-Sunday noon – 10 p.m. On August 7, the first 100 customers will receive a drink of their choice in the shop’s special bamboo bottle. In addition, between August 7 and August 15, the shop will be offering buy one get one free deals for in-store drink purchases.
Alfred Coffee Opening in Malibu
Alfred Coffee, currently with 16 locations worldwide, will be opening a shop in Malibu soon. As reported by What Now Los Angeles, Alfred Coffee–known for their slogan “but first, coffee”–will be opening later this summer in the Malibu Country Mart. The Malibu location will be the chain’s 12th Los Angeles location, having recently opened shops in Westwood Village and on Abbot Kinney Boulevard.