Gone for Good - Even 10 More Great DTLA Businesses That Have Closed Due to COVID 19

It is with no great pleasure that Downtown Weekly reports on the effects COVID 19 has had on our City. What may have been an opportunity for many to simply enjoy our hospitality scene, for us, is the uncertainty of a future without our neighbors, clients, friends and fellow entrepreneurs, who similar to us, have worked their fingers to the bone and devoted their lives to promoting a healthier and more vibrant Downtown LA.

While our Gone For Good series does produce eerily high spikes in our ratings versus the feel good stories we’ve published in the past, Downtown Weekly sends only well wishes, encouragement and high hopes for our fellow business owners and their success wherever their new paths may lead. Here regrettably, once again, are 10 Great Places in DTLA that are Gone For Good.

Say Goodbye to the Pizza Pie

Late July saw the closing of Lupetti’s Pizza, an Arts District pie which came with extra toppings of artisan cuts and sides of eclectic beer and wine choices. The freshly made naturally-lit pizza parlor was growing its fan base organically and it seemed to have everything it needed to become one of Downtown’s favorite hotspots; from a location just off Alameda and 4th to its hip boutique bar annex “In Sheep’s Clothing” that hosted guests in their jazzy speakeasy type listening lounge, open only to those with reservations.

Now, the music has stopped, the oven has gone cold, with both websites and social media pages have been shut down. Not even the crust is left to remind us of how much we enjoyed their trendy spot loaded with potential.

Rode Out With the Wind

For the past two years, summers were just a bit cooler in DTLA thanks to the Arts District’s House of Machines. Mid-July saw the machine-shop themed entertainment hall close due to what their spokesperson said was “the ongoing uncertainty in California due to the nature of COVID 19”.

And they would know! With three other locations in China, Japan and South Africa, the crew put on their biker gear, revved up and hit the road.

For Downtown that’s one less party engine offering crafted beer, greasy bites, music and strong drinks, which undoubtedly led to a lot of road rage.

The Flame is Not Out Yet… Is It?

You know things are bad when Bäco Mercat closes its doors. One of Downtown’s favorite community food and watering holes seemed to never go a day without a customer in all of its 11 years, now gone for good.

Highly publicized Master chef Josef Centeno gave this statement about Bäco Mercat’s origins.

“Bäco, you were born one night out of hunger and a little too much booze and who knew it would spark the light that would guide me through the years ahead.”

And Bäco did just that, acting as the spark that would ignite Downtown’s culinary scene that grew quickly into a raging fire.

Bäco fans should know, all hope is not all lost. Downtown can still enjoy the flavor sensations of Centeno’s remaining kitchens Orso and Winston and Bar AMA and thanks to Josef Centeno’s amazing cookbooks now available on the Bäco Mercat website.

Broken Hearted Over Broken Spanish

DTLA was heartbroken after word of Broken Spanish closing its doors began circulating throughout the city in early August.

“To our beloved supporters – our guests, friends, family, community and city. It is with great sadness that we announce the closure of Broken Spanish for the indefinite future. With very much in our hearts but so few words, we want to thank you for an incredible five years, for sharing our culture and vision, and for making Broken Spanish what it is today.”

Up until making the announcement, celebrated chef Ray Garcia had used Broken Spanish to elevate the Latin food dining experience by providing the community with severe ambiance, style and presentation, fine wines and great service.

Mincing the experience of working with five-star restaurants with new flavors, the team at Broken Spanish created one of DTLAs most inclusive fine dining establishments. Since it’s closure patrons, fellow chefs and even those who missed the chance to ever visit continue to send their condolences.

Yet, as one taco shell closes another opens, with the chef’s newest endeavor Taco MILA already in the works. Taco MILA promises tacos and other handheld bites available for pickup or delivery – coming soon.

Looking Back at Looking Down

The cardboard sign that once read “closed for renovations” has been taken down now exposing the last of what remains of “Guilia”.

For fans, Guilia was a nothing less than a hidden gem, offering Italian cuisine, specialty cocktails and select wines within two stories of flowing organic handcrafted bars and tables of wood and iron.

Patrons could choose from four separate dining areas including an upstairs level and an elevated outside patio just high enough to look down on passerby’s while enjoying a busy happy hour along 7th in the Financial District.

Guilia, was a labor of love of Les Goodwin (Downtown Donuts) and Gary Gottlieb, lasting a brief three years after getting off to a slow start but then enjoying an uptake in patronage thanks to special events and delightful happy hour specials.

Despite this, the restaurant suffered immensely as more and more dine-in competitors moved into the area, namely Joey’s at the Bloc, located directly across the street.

Surely, mandates of COVID added to the despair and now it seems the restaurant is gone for good with not so much as a word from the owners or a post for admiring neighbors and fans.

Lights Out at Kasih

The gigantic doors have shuttered at Kasih in Little Tokyo, another restaurant that closed during COVID without saying a word to the public.

Kasih neighbors and happy hour enthusiasts are suffering in that same silence, wondering when they will be able to enjoy the exotic flavors of Indonesia brought to the District by Kasih chef Zachary Hamel.

Kasih made Downtown Weekly’s list of 10 Great Places for Oysters in 2019, and of course highly noted by other local publications for sharing the diversity when it came to cuisine from the South Pacific.

Kasih also had one of the town’s favorite smart light interiors that could change the mood of the room with each hanging lantern.

Spread is Dead?

Spread Mediterranean in the Old Bank District got off to a slow start when it opened back in 2015 but held its ground as a top option for city workers during lunch thanks to its location on 4th and Main, just south of the Civic Center.

Being surrounded by some very tasty competitors and most recently another Medi restaurant just catty-corner kept Spread with its list of decent food and drink options on its toes. Most know if it hadn’t been for COVID shutting offices down, Spread would most likely still be serving the town’s favorite hummus.

However, with the steady lunch flow of customers being replaced by a steady flow of BLM protestors, like so many others caught between COVID and the protest, Spread has now closed.

Is Main Street Cursed?

Main Street from Olvera Street seems to be taking the worse hits with DTLAs most adored restaurants closing at one time or another over the past 5 years. In addition to the rapid pace now because of the pandemic, this list includes Pete’s, Pussy & Pooch, Spread, The Cecil, the Artisan House, Dr. J’s, and most recently Baco Mercat all boasted as the top as community favorites.

It’s starting to feel more like a curse along with COVID lingering above us. Even the future of Terroni’s is hanging in the balance.

Perhaps having a building that shares a bit of Spring Street may give some protection against the forces that be but at this point, there’s just no telling. And now news of Preux and Proper’s closing may suggest the street needs an exorcist.

Wait..what? Did we just say Preux and Proper? This can’t be right?

P&P was the epitome of good times, great drinks, live music, and community get-togethers with two levels of dining, and a full bar complete with spiked slushies. The brick laden historic location fit an outdoor patio welcoming all at the intersection to the Historic Core at Spring and Main.

Partners Josh Kopel, Chef Sammy Monsour and Drink Tempress Cassidy Wiggins told a story of a restaurant once struggling only later having to switch to “reservation required” status as they grew in popularity thanks to their innovative Southern-style menu and Juju magical cocktails could easily carry DTLA away to the Bayou.

Gone are their southern inventions and buttery diddies, spiced right seafood, choice cuts and chicken sandwiches and by golly that just ain’t right. No doubt, the team will bounce back sometime in the unseeable future but for now please enjoy Josh Kopel’s informative PODCAST, Full Comp, featuring the top chefs and their expert advice on how to deal with these tumultuous times.

A Kayne Moment for Happening in DTLA

“What the hell is happening with Happening in DTLA?”, was the question on their follower’s minds as the highly popular social media platform known for reposting photos and editorials, and promoting local events seemed to fly off the beaten path, switching its posts from DTLA topics to personal political protest and COVID Conspiracy theories, this past August.

Fans and we here at Downtown Weekly sent messages to coax the team into staying focused but in response, in what can only be described as a “Kayne moment”, HIDTLA decided to throw in the towel, step out of the ring and thank everyone in a series of even more erratic farewell posts that have since been taken down off the page.

Then, three weeks later, their social media posts appeared again, this time without the politics and without all of the out-of-town real estate listings they kept posting that also seemed to keep loyal DTLA fans in a tiff.

Well, let’s forget about the past and the drama! If HIDTLA is back to helping the community stay afloat, we are all for it. Welcome back guys.

Look Good Or Die Trying

No Nancy Pelosi didn’t go get her hair did (without a mask) in the middle of the epidemic at a salon, in a time in which no other salon in California can normally operate?

Angry business owners are wondering if the Speaker of the House will be enjoying a shot of whiskey at the bar or 3D movie next?

May we suggest she visit the 5Star Bar for a healthy dose of Punk Rock Metal after a screening of “Keep Things Fair” at the Downtown Independent, written and directed by the numerous businesses affected by mandates she just blatantly ignored?

Six months later, just about every bar, inside dining restaurant, dance floor, and theater house is still in a coma; the rest of us endure this COVID nightmare fully awake.