A brewery, a rooftop lounge, a fried chicken spot. Closures rattle downtown L.A. again

Los Angeles Times

a day ago

Tokyo Fried Chicken has closed its doors in downtown. And a buzzy Mexican rooftop lounge along with a legacy L.A. brewery in the area said they would do the same, the latest in a string of businesses abandoning the city's core.
Founded in 2013 in a Monterey Park shopping center before moving to a location in downtown L.A. in 2023, Tokyo Fried Chicken is known for its fried chicken and sides that borrow inspiration from Southern and Japanese cuisines. The fast-casual diner, which marinates its chicken in soy sauce, ginger and garlic, has been ranked on The Times annual 101 Best Restaurants in L.A. guide two years running.
The company announced its last day of service, Aug. 10, in an Instagram post with less than a week's notice. When the day came, an hours-long line wrapped outside the building, with another hour wait for the piping hot chicken to arrive to the table once seated.
'It was so amazing to see the turnout and all the love people have for the brand and for the food,' said Elaine Yamanashi, who co-owns the business with her husband and chef, Kouji Yamanashi. 'That is what has kept us going every day.'
Elaine Yamanashi emphasized that the original plan was for the Olive Street location to be an expansion from the Monterey Park location, where she said many customers made the fried chicken joint part of their weekly routine.
Ultimately, with construction and permitting delays downtown — they signed a lease mere months before the pandemic started — coupled with staffing shortages in Monterey Park, the couple decided to go all in on launching the downtown location before resuming service in Monterey Park.
'Could we even run both at the same time? We didn't think we could,' Yamanashi said.
The downtown location had its perks: the Yamanashis' ultra-crispy chicken found a broader clientele, and a larger kitchen allowed for increased service hours. But the pandemic had also changed customer eating habits.
'We built our place for people to sit down and dine, but the majority of our food was being taken out,' said Yamanashi. A lack of parking and outdoor dining patio also led to decreased visibility in that location.
Tokyo Fried Chicken is also a victim of broader industry challenges, including a downturn in business following the writers' and actors strikes, the Palisades and Eaton fires and most recently, immigration raids and protests that scared diners away from downtown.
'By last October, people were starting to come out again and it was better,' Yamanashi said. 'Then most of this year has been filled with very challenging issues along with increased costs along with slim margins.'
'The things that were happening in the larger economy made us feel like, 'Oh man, we should scale back so we don't have to break ourselves to make it,'' she added.
Fans of the restaurant are in mourning, with many on Instagram saying they've followed the restaurant since its days in the San Gabriel Valley. But Yamanashi isn't saying the concept is gone forever.
'We're taking this time, not off, but to reflect,' she said. 'If we come back, we intend to come back intentionally and strategically to be able to survive long term in whatever location we find.'
The sister restaurant to Mexico City-based Grupo Palmares' open-air hit Terraza Cha Cha Chá, LA Cha Cha Chá is known for its tacos, strong margaritas and stylish rooftop in the Arts District designed by architect Lena Kohl. The lush two-story space weathered the pandemic, writers' strike and January fires, but co-owner Alejandro Marín blames recent ICE raids and ensuing protests in downtown L.A. for a significant drop in customers.
'After June, it seemed like everyone was avoiding downtown, and we don't see tourists anymore,' Marín told Eater LA, adding his team expected to remain open for 'a couple of months, maybe three' before closing permanently.
The group is also behind L.A. restaurants Loreto and Za Za Zá in Frogtown and Santa Canela in Highland Park.
LA Cha Cha Chá, 812 E. Third St., Los Angeles, CA, 90013.
Angel City Brewery recently announced it is slated to close at the termination of its lease in April 2026, according to a statement from its parent company Boston Beer Co., best known for its Samuel Adams brand. Its on-site sister taproom Truly LA, which serves the brand's hard seltzer, will only provide Friday and Saturday service by the end of the year, with the area converting to overflow and rental space.
'Our coworkers are our top priority, and we're making this move gradually to give our people the opportunity to do what's best for them,' said the statement. 'The goal is to absorb as many Truly LA coworkers as possible into our Angel City Brewery team for the duration of the lease and avoid a significant impact to coworker shifts.'
Angel City Brewery was founded in 1997 by Michael Bowe in Culver City before moving to its current location, a three-story 1913 John A. Roebling building on the corner of Alameda Street and Traction Avenue, in 2011. Boston Beer acquired the company in 2012 and completely overhauled the menu during a boom in L.A.'s craft beer industry.
Now, the company says, 'the brand no longer lines up with our long-term growth strategy,' adding that its focus is 'growing our core, national brands.' However, the company notes that the brewery has been 'doing well' and is earnestly looking for a buyer.
'We believe there is potential for this brand to succeed outside of Boston Beer as a strong local offering, and we'll be putting significant efforts behind selling Angel City so the brand can continue to live on,' said the statement.
The company confirmed it has no plans to close its other taprooms.
Angel City Brewery, 216 S. Alameda St., Los Angeles, CA 90012, [phone]