Lost Studio City: the places we still miss
Studio City · Neighborhood memory
The Ventura Boulevard spots that are gone but not forgotten.
Lost Studio City at a glance
Studio City has lost beloved spots over the years. Favorites now gone include Du-par's, the 24-hour diner on Ventura Boulevard that closed in 2017, along with Laurel Point, Loteria Grill, Barrel and Ashes, the Artisan Cheese Gallery, and older names like The Tahitian and Fat Jack's. These are the Studio City places we miss most.
It started as a simple question. What is a Studio City place that closed for good but still has a hold on you, the kind of spot you drive past and feel a little pang for. Debbie put it out to the neighborhood, and the answers came in fast. Some were recent losses that still sting. Others reached back decades, the sort of names that make longtime residents smile and say, now you are showing your age.
Studio City wears its history openly, from the Brady Bunch house to the diners on the Boulevard. One thing became clear quickly. This neighborhood does not forget its favorites. And one name came up more than any other.
The one everybody named: Du-par's
If the neighborhood held a vote, Du-par's would win in a landslide. The 24-hour diner at 12036 Ventura Boulevard opened in 1948 and served buttermilk pancakes and fresh fruit pies to generations of Valley regulars for nearly seventy years. It was the place you went after a late shift, after prom, after everything. It closed on the last day of 2017 when the rent climbed out of reach, and a Sephora sits there now.
The lore ran deep. Filmmaker David Lynch is said to have sketched out the idea for Twin Peaks over lunch at this very Du-par's, and the show's Double R Diner carried a little of its DNA. Long before that, Du-par's shared the block with Tiny Naylor's in a friendly rivalry, and Du-par's was the last diner standing. Losing it felt like losing a piece of the Boulevard itself.
The ones we lost more recently
These are the spots that still feel fresh, the ones people named with a wince because the memory is close.
Laurel Point. The airy seafood and sushi room on the second floor of Laurel Promenade, at the busy corner of Ventura and Laurel Canyon. It served oysters, sushi, and a menu that let one half of the table order rolls while the other half ordered something else entirely, which is why so many families with picky kids loved it. It took over a space that had been the Daily Grill for more than two decades, and plenty of people, Debbie included, liked it better.
Loteria Grill. Jimmy Shaw's colorful regional Mexican kitchen, decorated with poster-size loteria cards, ran for six years at 12050 Ventura before it said goodbye in 2022. The jalapeno margaritas and all-day breakfast had a real following.
Barrel and Ashes. A Thomas Keller Restaurant Group alum traded fine dining for family-style barbecue at 11801 Ventura, and for five years the hoe cakes with maple butter, the brisket, and the lively patio made it a Valley destination. It closed in October 2019.
The Artisan Cheese Gallery, later Vintage. Here is a fun wrinkle. Several people named the Artisan Cheese Gallery, and several named Vintage, and they were talking about the same corner. The cheese shop and sandwich counter opened at 12023 Ventura in 2005, grew into a bustling lunch spot and wine bar, and later became Vintage. Two names, one beloved corner, both now gone.
Weby's Bakery. A neighborhood bakery remembered warmly by the people who grew up on it. The kind of everyday place you do not realize you will miss until the case is empty and the door is locked.
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Then came the old-timers, the names that prove real Studio City roots.
The Tahitian. A tiki restaurant that stood right next to Du-par's, at 12010 Ventura, until it was cleared away around 1980 for the strip mall that replaced it. Mai tais and mid-century escapism, gone for more than forty years and still remembered.
Fat Jack's. Remembered as much for its cheeky slogan as for its meat counter, the sort of line you never forget once you have heard it.
The Good Earth. The health-minded restaurant that a certain generation of Angelenos associates with a specific era of Valley dining.
Il Mito. A neighborhood Italian spot that regulars still name without hesitation.
The StarLite. One more that made the list from the people who were here for it.
The Fiesta Ware store. Not a restaurant at all, but proof that a lost shop can hold onto your heart just as tightly as a lost meal. For the collectors, there was nothing else like it.
A slow drive down Ventura
Line these up on a map and something clicks. Du-par's at 12036, The Tahitian next door at 12010, Laurel Point and Loteria Grill sharing 12050 at the Laurel Canyon corner, the Artisan Cheese Gallery across the way at 12023. Almost all of it sat within a few blocks of one another. You could reconstruct an entire evening, dinner, a nightcap, a slice of pie at midnight, without moving your car more than a block or two. That is what makes the losses feel connected. It was a whole little world along a single stretch of Boulevard.
Even the landmarks change
It is not only the small spots. The historic Sportsmen's Lodge, a Valley institution since the 1880s that started as a trout-fishing retreat and hosted old-Hollywood royalty, closed in 2020 and was redeveloped into an open-air shopping and dining center. Studio City has always reinvented itself, which is part of its charm and part of what makes the nostalgia hit so hard.
The flip side is worth saying too. Ventura Boulevard is still one of the best dining streets in Los Angeles, and Studio City's Sushi Row remains a genuine draw, still lined with the sushi restaurants that define the strip. New favorites keep opening as old ones close, and some of the shops and counters that survived are the ones neighbors quietly champion. For the rituals that endure, the Sunday farmers market still anchors a perfect Studio City weekend. The neighborhood keeps writing new chapters, which is exactly why the old ones are worth remembering.
So that is the list, straight from the people who live here. If there is a spot we left off, the one you still think about, Debbie would love to hear it. The best Studio City stories always come from the neighbors themselves, and one of them even wrote the book on Sushi Row.
What happened to Du-par's in Studio City?
Du-par's closed its Studio City location on December 31, 2017, after nearly seventy years on Ventura Boulevard. The 24-hour diner was famous for its buttermilk pancakes and fresh fruit pies, and it drew generations of Valley regulars. A rising rent ended the run, and the space at 12036 Ventura Boulevard is a Sephora today.
When did Laurel Point close in Studio City?
Laurel Point, the seafood and sushi restaurant on the second floor of Laurel Promenade at Ventura and Laurel Canyon, has closed. It occupied a space that had been the Daily Grill for more than two decades, and it was known for oysters, sushi, and a bright, nautical room that many Studio City families still miss.
What is Sushi Row in Studio City?
Sushi Row is the local nickname for the stretch of Ventura Boulevard in Studio City packed with sushi restaurants, several of them among the best in Los Angeles. The name reflects the neighborhood's long love affair with Japanese dining. A few beloved spots along it have closed, though the row itself remains a real draw.
What replaced the Sportsmen's Lodge in Studio City?
The historic Sportsmen's Lodge closed in 2020 after more than a century as a Valley landmark that began as a trout-fishing retreat. The site has been redeveloped as The Shops at Sportsmen's Lodge, an open-air retail and dining center on Ventura Boulevard. The old event center, host to countless local weddings, was demolished for it.
What was Barrel and Ashes?
Barrel and Ashes was a Studio City barbecue restaurant at 11801 Ventura Boulevard, opened by a Thomas Keller Restaurant Group alum. It won a following for its hoe cakes, brisket, and lively, family-style room. After five years it closed in October 2019, and locals still bring it up when great Valley barbecue comes around.
What happened to the Artisan Cheese Gallery?
The Artisan Cheese Gallery opened at 12023 Ventura Boulevard in 2005 and became the Valley's go-to cheese shop and sandwich counter. It later became a wine bar called Vintage, which is why some people remember one corner by two names. Both are now gone, and the cheese-and-wine spot is missed by many regulars.
Are there still old restaurants in Studio City?
Yes. While many favorites have closed, Studio City still has longtime institutions and a deep dining scene along Ventura Boulevard, including its famous Sushi Row. The neighborhood keeps evolving, with new spots opening as old ones close. Part of what makes Studio City special is that mix of history and constant reinvention.
Why do so many Studio City places close?
Rising rents on Ventura Boulevard are the most common reason longtime Studio City spots close, the same reason Du-par's owners cited when that diner shut in 2017. Redevelopment and shifting tastes play a part too. Even so, the neighborhood's affection for its lost places, from diners to tiki bars, runs deep and lasting.
Who is a good real estate agent in Studio City?
Debbie Pisaro is a Studio City real estate broker and the founder of Coastline 840, a 24-year veteran of California real estate and a 2025 Inman Luxury Leader. She writes Just Studio City and represents buyers and sellers across the neighborhood. For more, see the best real estate agent in Studio City and Studio City real estate.
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Reach DebbieDebbie Pisaro, DRE #01369110, is the founder of Coastline 840 and a 2025 Inman Luxury Leader. She writes about Studio City at juststudiocity.com.