Wabi on Rose, the sushi and cocktail spot that built a loyal Venice following around its flower-lined patio and pink booths, has permanently closed. The restaurant's closure leaves a visible gap in one of Venice's most active restaurant districts, and no reason for the shutdown has been given.
The closure was announced Tuesday, according to Westside Current, which reported that the announcement gave no explanation for why the Rose Avenue restaurant was shutting its doors. In its farewell message, Wabi on Rose said it was “heartbroken to say goodbye but grateful you were part of our Venice love story,” ending the post with a simple “Forever, Wabi.”
A Second Act Born From Disaster
Wabi on Rose wasn't the original restaurant's first chapter. Its predecessor, Wabi Sabi, operated on Abbot Kinney Boulevard for 19 years before an electrical fire gutted the location in December 2018, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Owners Sam Marshall and Tricia Small didn't walk away. Instead, they secured a new name and a new lease at 512 Rose Ave., #F, determined to rebuild.
The timing of that rebuild turned out to be brutal. Marshall and Small reopened Wabi on Rose in April 2020, just as the COVID-19 pandemic brought sweeping new restrictions to indoor dining nationwide. The restaurant's own website has described its return as rising from the literal ashes of its Abbot Kinney predecessor, per the outlet's reporting, a framing that underscored just how improbable the comeback was at the time.
The Hollywood Reporter noted that Wabi on Rose reopened for takeout and delivery, including curbside pickup, on April 6, 2020, before eventually resuming full operations. Time Out later described the restaurant as a trendy Japanese fusion spot offering small plates, excellent sushi, and plenty of options for vegans and vegetarians, located at 512 Rose Ave. Unit F — the same address that would define the restaurant's second act for roughly six years.
One More Closure in a Tough Year for LA Restaurants
Wabi on Rose's shutdown lands amid a rough stretch for Los Angeles restaurants generally. The city's dining scene has faced pressure in 2026 from the lingering effects of Hollywood labor strikes, rising operating costs, the 2025 fires and ICE enforcement, according to Eater LA. Research firm Black Box Intelligence, which tracks more than 120,000 restaurant locations nationwide, has found that 9% of full-service restaurants are now at serious risk of closing this year, as reported by FOX 11 Los Angeles.
Restaurant owners around the city have pointed to rising food costs, tariffs, regulations and competition from street vendors as mounting business pressures, FOX 11 reported. The West LA Chamber of Commerce's CEO told the station that more than 20 small businesses have recently closed in Westwood alone, while long-running institutions like the 118-year-old Cole's French Dip and Echo Park's Taix French Restaurant have also shut down. FAT Brands, the Beverly Hills company behind Fatburger and Johnny Rockets, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy carrying more than a billion dollars in debt, per the same report.
Nearby closures this fall have added to the sense of churn. In Santa Monica, Tar & Roses is set to close after nearly 15 years, with Oct. 24 marking its last day of dine-in service, the Los Angeles Times reported. Owner Andrew Kirschner attributed that closure to a slow but consistent decline in business alongside rising rent, labor and insurance costs. In West Hollywood, Employees Only poured its final cocktail on Sept. 27, with managing partner Tom Sopit citing a dining slowdown and higher labor, rent and ingredient costs, according to Eater LA's reporting. The same report noted that Van Nuys' Macleod Ale Brewing Co., open since 2014, and the nearly 30-year-old Sushiya on Sunset also closed their doors at the end of September.
No word yet on what, if anything, will take over the Rose Avenue space that once housed Wabi on Rose's pink booths and sushi counter. For now, Venice loses another longtime fixture — one that had already proven, once before, that it could rebuild from nothing.
