Beloved Japanese Restaurant closes after 32 years of business
One of Los Angeles’s oldest restaurants has permanently closed. Shabu-Shabu House’s closure is particularly saddening given the wave of restaurant closures that have been occurring in Little Tokyo in recent years. This beloved shabu-shabu restaurant, which was the first of its kind in the US, was a staple in the community and will be sorely missed.
The announcement of the closure was first made public on the official Shabu Shabu House Instagram account, where they wrote: ‘We apologize for the inconvenience that this announcement was made after the restaurant closed to avoid confusion. We miss you so much.’ The post gained thousands of likes and comments which wished the owners well and thanked them for decades of delicious food. The news was also confirmed on Yelp where it was also noted as permanently closed.
The post also gave an insight into the closure, claiming that the building was soon to be demolished. With this in mind, it looks like the restaurant closed down reluctantly rather than out of choice. Currently, it is not known what will replace the building in the future.
This closure also highlights the trend of gentrification that has been affecting the neighborhood, which has led to the displacement of many of its historic restaurants. It’s a sobering reminder of the challenges that independent restaurants face in today’s rapidly changing urban landscape.
