Petros, the Greek-Californian restaurant group built by chef Petros Benekos, has closed the Manhattan Beach flagship that made its name and is now angling to open a secretive new speakeasy concept just steps from its existing café in Playa del Rey. Petros MB Inc. filed a Type 47 on-sale general liquor license application, License #681858, with the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control for a venue called Petros Speakeasy at 431 Culver Blvd, though the site still needs local health and occupancy clearances before it can open.
The filing, submitted on Wednesday, was first detailed by VIBES, which noted that a Type 47 permit allows for both full bar service and eating-place operations. As WhatNow reports, Petros has not shared additional details about the speakeasy or announced an exact opening date, leaving the concept largely under wraps for now.
What makes the location notable is its proximity to an existing Petros outpost. The proposed speakeasy at 431 Culver Blvd would sit directly next door to Petros Kafe at 427 Culver Blvd, which serves coffee and casual Greek fare and also runs a food truck, according to Petros Brand. That would give the company a dual side-by-side footprint along Playa del Rey's main retail strip, raising an open question for the neighborhood: how a hidden speakeasy concept will distinguish itself from the casual café right next door while still delivering the brand's signature Hellenic-California, farm-to-table cooking.
The End of a 21-Year Run in Manhattan Beach
The Playa del Rey plans arrive just days after Petros closed the Manhattan Beach restaurant that launched the brand. According to the seed report, the Manhattan Beach location at 451 Manhattan Beach Boulevard served its final meals on September 13, 2026, capping 21 years in business. Petros announced the closure on Instagram, thanking the Manhattan Beach community for its support over that span and saying the closure marks a new chapter for the business, per the same account.
The Manhattan Beach original carried outsized weight for the brand. When Benekos opened it in 2007, the Zagat Survey named it a Top New Restaurant, cementing its high-end Chic Greek reputation in coastal Los Angeles, according to The Santa Barbara Independent. That acclaim helped set the template Petros has carried into every subsequent expansion.
A Chef's Roots in Greece, Grown Through California Farming
Benekos began his culinary career in Ioannina, Greece, learning recipes from his mother Frederiki before training in France and eventually settling in California, per the Hellenic News of America. Many of the chain's signature dishes still trace back to those family recipes. The company sources produce directly from its own organic farm in Los Olivos, in Santa Barbara County's Santa Ynez Valley, while importing Greek staples such as feta, olive oil, honey, and oregano, according to Villa & Vine Weddings. Petros also produces its own wine line from Central Coast vineyards.
That farm-to-table approach extends beyond the restaurants themselves. The broader Petros Brand portfolio includes the Petros Winery tasting room in Los Olivos and the Villa & Vine wedding and private event space in downtown Santa Barbara, which operates as a specialized event courtyard near the city's historic center.
Expanding Across L.A.'s Westside
The Playa del Rey filing is not an isolated move. In December 2025, Petros submitted a separate liquor license application to open a West Los Angeles restaurant at 2121 Sawtelle Boulevard, taking over the former Spoon & Pork space on what WhatNow describes as a bustling Westside culinary corridor. Together with a Petros on Sunset location at 9201 Sunset Boulevard in West Hollywood, the company now operates or has planned locations spanning Manhattan Beach, Santa Barbara, Playa del Rey, West Hollywood, and Sawtelle, per WhatNow's reporting.
The company has tried mall and commercial-hub locations before. Petros previously ran a location at Westfield Century City, a venture Hoodline covered in its 2017 Century City debut, before that shopping center underwent major redevelopment.
A Building With Its Own History
The commercial building at 431 Culver Blvd is a single-story flex structure originally built in 1964 and renovated in 2014, according to LoopNet listing data. The Culver Boulevard corridor it sits on links Playa del Rey directly to the Ballona Wetlands, giving the strip a distinct coastal character even as new concepts move in.
For now, Petros has offered no timeline for when the speakeasy might open its doors, and the pending health and occupancy approvals mean the concept remains, fittingly, still under wraps.
