Exclusive | LA’s restaurant and bar apocalypse as 300-plus spots close this year over red tape and insane bills

Exclusive | LA’s restaurant and bar apocalypse as 300-plus spots close this year over red tape and insane bills

At least 301 restaurants, bars and cafes have closed in Los Angeles alone since the beginning of 2026 — 25% more than the 241 recorded in all of 2025.

POLITICS: Why LA can’t hold onto its local haunts and dives

Local haunts and dives in Los Angeles are disappearing at an alarming rate. The reason? These restaurants can’t keep the government’s hands out of their cash registers. Everyone in LA laments the loss of their favorite neighborhood restaurant: Week after week, it seems another beloved institution is closing its doors. This sorry news is followed by an outpouring of nostalgia, frustration and questions about what went wrong — not to mention some …

Why LA can't hold onto its local haunts and dives - Dining and Cooking

Local haunts and dives in Los Angeles are disappearing at an alarming rate. The reason? These restaurants can’t keep the government’s hands out of their cash registers. Everyone in LA laments the loss of their favorite neighborhood restaurant: Week after week, it seems another beloved institution is closing its doors. This sorry news is followed [...]

LA’s restaurant and bar apocalypse as 300-plus spots close this year over red tape and insane bills

It’s last call across Los Angeles as hundreds of dining destinations have shuttered so far this year — blaming everything from skyrocketing minimum wage and insurance costs to endless red tape. From legacy Beverly Hills dining rooms and legendary Sunset Strip hangouts to beloved neighborhood dive…