Los Angeles’s restaurants continue to face difficult headwinds, starting in 2020 with the onset of the global pandemic and exacerbated by the Hollywood labor strikes in 2023, which led to an industry-wide slowdown that continued into 2026. From the lingering
effects of the Hollywood strikes to rising costs (labor, rent, ingredients, etc.), many factors continue to strain restaurant owners operating on razor-thin margins. Los Angeles restaurants also continue to struggle with the impact of the 2025 fires, including slow business and devastating property loss, as well as the ongoing effects of ICE enforcement. Here are notable restaurant closures from April 2026. For more closure news, read our past closure coverage. The following are closings from May through July.
Merois— Wolfgang Puck’s rooftop restaurant Merois closed on May 1, 2026. This news arrives one year after West Hollywood’s Pendry Hotel rebranded into the Sun Rose Hotel. Merois followed the standard Puck approach of French techniques with Asian influences, and offered unfettered views of Los Angeles. Puck’s second restaurant in the Pendry, Ospero, closed in 2024.
Cinque Terre West— The Venice location for Cinque Terre West closed permanently in early June. Co-owners Marlo and chef Gianbattista “Gianba” Vinzoni lost their Pacific Palisades restaurant in the Palisades Fire, and reopened it on Rose Avenue in mid-2025. The couple recently relocated to Texas and reopened Cinque Terre West Austin in July 2026.
Voodoo Doughnut Venice— After only a year, Portland’s popular doughnut chain closed its Venice location in June. Voodoo Doughnut opened its first Los Angeles location at Universal CityWalk in 2017. Its Venice and Melrose additions started serving doughnuts in mid-2025. The other Southern California locations remain open.
Connie & Ted’s— After 13 years, West Hollywood’s Connie & Ted’s closed on July 1, 2026. Chef Michael Cimarusti of three-Michelin-starred Providence opened Connie & Ted’s in 2013 with co-owners Donato Poto and Crisi Echiverri. Inspired by Cimarusti’s Rhode Island roots and his grandparents, Connie and Ted, the restaurant sprang onto the scene with lobster rolls, oysters Rockefeller, and an expansive raw bar.
Dialog Cafe— The trendy Dialog Cafe was impacted by the July 16 water main rupture on the Sunset Strip. A leak damaged Dialog’s floors, basement, storage, and equipment with mud, dirt, and sand. Co-owner Todd Ghazalian says the team is navigating a challenging recovery path around insurance and staffing. Ghazalian tells Eater the team might open a potential temporary space.
Joplin’s Ojai— Ojai barbecue restaurant Joplin’s shuttered on July 26 after a year open; the restaurant announced the closure on Instagram. In the post, owners Brittany and Saw Naing, who are also partners at Ojai Burmese spot the Dutchess, write that high costs, overhead, and other circumstances made it clear that the barbecue restaurant needed to cease operations.
Nerano— Owners Carlo and Andy Brandon-Gordon closed their 10-year-old Beverly Hills restaurant on July 26, 2026. The modern Italian restaurant was run by the same team behind Toscana Brentwood, Bar Toscana, and S.Y. Kitchen on the Central Coast.
Drake’s Hollywood— After a three-year run, Drake’s Hollywood closed the week of July 20, 2026. The WeHo Times reported workers were clearing out the space on June 24, and employees were given final paychecks without advance notice. Drake’s Houston and Dallas locations remain open. Vandelay Hospitality Group founder and CEO Hunter Pond also owned the Sunset Strip’s Hudson House until its closure in 2025.
