{"id":506333,"date":"2026-10-24T08:02:18","date_gmt":"2026-10-24T08:02:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/506333\/"},"modified":"2026-10-24T08:02:18","modified_gmt":"2026-10-24T08:02:18","slug":"downtown-las-original-pantry-cafe-is-back","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/506333\/","title":{"rendered":"Downtown LA\u2019s Original Pantry Cafe Is Back"},"content":{"rendered":"

The iconic Original Pantry Cafe<\/a> will reopen on November 19, and the timing couldn\u2019t be better for Los Angeles. After the century-old diner closed in March 2025, the owners announced that the Downtown restaurant would reopen, but no one knew when. With restaurant closures continuing at a constant pace in 2026, the return of one of Southern California\u2019s oldest restaurants comes as welcome news, first reported by SF Gate<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Original Pantry Cafe will collaborate with the nonprofit Hope the Mission<\/a>, a prominent service provider for the unhoused in Greater Los Angeles. Real estate entrepreneur Leo Pustilnikov became the new owner in September 2025. SF Gate\u2019s report also states every meal will help fund the nonprofit while providing job training and support to those caught up in the cycle of home insecurity. Some former Original Pantry employees, many of whom worked at the restaurant for decades, will also return to work, as Pustilnikov has struck a deal with the hospitality workers union, Unite Here Local 11.<\/p>\n

The Original Pantry debuted in 1924 on the corner of Figueroa and Ninth Streets. Former LA mayor Richard Riordan purchased the restaurant in 1981; when it closed its doors on March 2, 2025, two years after Riordan\u2019s death, a conflict between then-owners the Richard J. Riordan family trust and Unite Here Local 11 over allegations that the closure would violate federal labor law remained. The trust alleged at the time that the primary reason for the closure was to \u201cmaximize the value of the real estate.\u201d<\/a> Longtime fans waited in line for hours over the final weekend for a last taste of the homey diner\u2019s ham steak and eggs, steak, pancakes, fried potatoes, and crunchy coleslaw.<\/p>\n

In addition to operating the Original Pantry Cafe for decades, feeding generations of Angelenos, Riordan opened Riordan\u2019s Tavern next door in 2007. The Pantry remained open at all hours \u2014 it was famous for its lack of door locks \u2014 and only closed a handful of times throughout its history. It served customers throughout the 1992 Los Angeles uprising<\/a> but was forced to stop temporarily during the COVID-19 pandemic. After pandemic restrictions lifted, the restaurant resumed operation but no longer stayed open around the clock.<\/p>\n

The Original Pantry isn\u2019t the only Downtown restaurant staging a comeback. The new operators of Clifton\u2019s Republic<\/a> and the new owner of Cole\u2019s French Dip recently announced plans<\/a> to resume operations. Clifton\u2019s first opened at the Broadway location as Clifton\u2019s Cafeteria in 1935 (an earlier location opened in 1931); former owner Andrew Meiran sold the building<\/a> to Robhana Group in 2022<\/a> and closed Clifton\u2019s Republic in 2025. Cole\u2019s began selling its legendary French dip sandwiches in 1908, and after multiple rounds of extending<\/a> its closure date, the restaurant shuttered<\/a> in March 2026. The Los Angeles Times<\/a> reports that Cole\u2019s will reopen in March 2027 under new ownership.<\/p>\n

A hot review for West Hollywood\u2019s Darling<\/p>\n

Los Angeles Times<\/a> reviewer Bill Addison adores Darling<\/a>, the West Hollywood restaurant that chef Sean Brock opened last year. Addison was charmed by Brock\u2019s recent return to his Southern roots and a more personal narrative now discernible in his cooking.<\/p>\n

A new Porto\u2019s coming to the Inland Empire<\/p>\n

Porto\u2019s Bakery & Cafe announced that it\u2019s got a new Ontario location underway<\/a>. The longtime Southern California-based restaurant will commence construction in 2027 and open in 2028 at the corner of Archibald Avenue and Inland Empire Boulevard. Porto\u2019s has six other locations across the region.<\/p>\n