This place is closing down<\/a> in early 2026. But the Hotel Caf\u00e9 won\u2019t be gone forever \u2014 bucking the normal narrative of closures, it\u2019s shutting down in order to expand.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s dig into what made the small space special.<\/p>\n Keep up with LAist.<\/p>\n If you’re enjoying this article, you’ll love our daily newsletter, The LA Report. Each weekday, catch up on the 5 most pressing stories to start your morning in 3 minutes or less. <\/p>\n The Hotel Caf\u00e9\u2019s humble origin<\/p>\n It started out as a bit of a sidequest.<\/p>\n Back in 2000, an idea popped into the minds of screenwriting partners Marko Shafer and Max Mamikunian. Why not open a coffee shop together that could serve as a creative home base?<\/p>\n The two bought a vacant space right below a hotel. The plan was simple: Be successful enough to have a staff and go back to screenwriting. The Hotel Caf\u00e9, as they named it, reached that milestone right before Sept. 11 rattled America \u2014 and consumer habits nationwide.<\/p>\n \u201c\u200aWe were in that position of just having made our success as a coffee shop and then all of a sudden nothing,\u201d Mamikunian said. \u201cWe thought we were going to close down.\u201d<\/p>\n Then musician Gary Jules came in, fresh off the heels of his hit version of \u201cMad World<\/a>\u201d in the Donnie Darko movie. He wanted to do a set, which put them on a trajectory no one could have seen coming.<\/p>\n \u201c\u200aThe line was down the block, and half of the people in line were musicians,\u201d Mamikunian said.<\/p>\n After his show, the Hotel Caf\u00e9 gradually morphed into a regular music venue. Jules stuck around to perform and handle some of the booking, then Shafer took the helm.<\/p>\n Magical nights<\/p>\n The intimate, dimly lit setup quickly drew music agents, crooning fans and audiophiles. In the early days, they\u2019d get inundated with demo CDs (now it\u2019s SoundCloud). Shafer hid sometimes from hopeful performers because the demand was just too much.<\/p>\n Musician James Bay’s performance in 2022.<\/p>\n (<\/p>\n Justin Higuchi<\/p>\n \/<\/p>\n The Hotel Caf\u00e9<\/p>\n )<\/p>\n A crowd at the Hotel Caf\u00e9 in 2022.<\/p>\n (<\/p>\n Justin Higuchi<\/p>\n \/<\/p>\n The Hotel Caf\u00e9<\/p>\n )<\/p>\n He and Mamikunian credit the Hotel Caf\u00e9\u2019s following to its consistently curated performance and group showcases, like Songwriter Sunday and Monday Monday. Shafer remembered a time in 2003 when Weezer joined one of those nights.<\/p>\n \u201c\u200aTheir manager called me on my Razr flip phone, and so there was no proof it was actually her. I had to take her word for it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n It was real. Weezer showed up, loaded in some stools and played an acoustic set. Another fond memory, production manager Gia Hughes said, is when Chris Martin\u2019s team called in for a last-minute show. The Coldplay frontman arrived on a Vespa.<\/p>\n \u201c\u200aHe\u2019s sound checking \u2018The Scientist,\u2019 and it\u2019s just me and the bartender and the sound engineer,\u201d she recalled. \u201cI’m just like, \u2018holy sh–, this is unreal.\u2019 It was just one of those super magical nights.\u201d<\/p>\n Hughes said their success also comes from the respectful culture the Hotel Caf\u00e9 is known for. It\u2019s as much of a place for music fans as it is for artists. They can sing for a tuned-in audience, or \u2014 like Radiohead did \u2014 roll up to enjoy a show undisturbed.<\/p>\n A new era<\/p>\n As more and more people came, it was clear the performance space needed more room. They later expanded<\/a> in 2004 to include the stage next door. Today, they\u2019re in a similar predicament.<\/p>\n A closure date for the Hotel Caf\u00e9 hasn’t been set yet.<\/p>\n (<\/p>\n Gia Hughes<\/p>\n \/<\/p>\n The Hotel Caf\u00e9<\/p>\n )<\/p>\n That\u2019s why they\u2019re moving to a bigger space inside Lumina Hollywood on Sunset Boulevard in the first half of 2027, which they recently announced<\/a> on Instagram. The new spot will have two stages and a restaurant component.<\/p>\n While many Hotel Caf\u00e9 fans are sad to see it move, Mamikunian said it\u2019s another period of reinvention. He\u2019s proud of their time on Cahuenga Boulevard.<\/p>\n \u201cAny business lasting anywhere for 25 years is an accomplishment,\u201d he said. “I think we want to go out in a kind of celebratory way.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s unclear when exactly the Cahuenga spot will close, but they have several farewell performances scheduled<\/a> through at least the first couple of months in 2026.<\/p>\n \u201cA lot of people are asking us, especially because everybody wants to be one of the last to play the room,\u201d Mamikunian said. \u201cI \u200athink we\u2019ll know within the next few weeks for sure that we can put an actual date on it.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n