California’s latest losses follow another wave of beloved restaurant closures across the state. This time, diners are saying goodbye to a historic burrito stand, a celebrated seafood destination and a Beverly Hills Italian favorite.
Connie & Ted’s in West Hollywood
Connie & Ted’s closed July 1, 2026, after 13 years at 8171 Santa Monica Boulevard.
Chef Michael Cimarusti opened the restaurant in 2013 with Donato Poto and Crisi Echiverri. Its name and menu were inspired by Cimarusti’s grandparents and his childhood memories of Rhode Island seafood.
Customers came for lobster rolls, clam cakes, oysters Rockefeller, fried clams, crab cakes and an extensive raw bar. The wave-shaped roof and casual atmosphere helped Connie & Ted’s stand apart from more formal seafood restaurants.
The owners said pandemic-related losses and rising labor and ingredient costs eventually made continued operation untenable.
That explanation did little to soften the loss for regulars. Connie & Ted’s had become one of Los Angeles’ most reliable places for New England seafood without the formality associated with Cimarusti’s Michelin-starred Providence.
Burrito King in Los Angeles
Burrito King appears to have closed at the end of June after more than 50 years in Echo Park.
The Sunset Boulevard walk-up opened in the late 1960s and has been described as Los Angeles’ first dedicated burrito stand. It eventually expanded into a chain with approximately 20 locations before shrinking back to the original restaurant.
Customers found the restaurant emptied out in late June. Ownership did not release a formal closing announcement, but the vacant interior and end of operations inspired emotional tributes from neighborhood residents and restaurant preservation groups.
Burrito King never depended on an expensive dining room or elaborate presentation. Its appeal came from inexpensive burritos, tacos, combination plates and the feeling that the colorful corner stand had survived nearly every transformation surrounding it.
Singer Warren Zevon was among its famous admirers, but its importance was primarily local. Generations of Echo Park customers could stop at the same walk-up window for a familiar meal.
That kind of history cannot be recreated by whichever business eventually occupies the space.
Nerano in Beverly Hills
Nerano served its final customers July 26, ending a 10-year run in Beverly Hills.
Brothers Carlo and Andy Brandon-Gordon opened the modern Italian restaurant in 2016. The name came from a village on Italy’s Amalfi Coast, and the menu reflected Southern Italian and California influences.
Customers knew Nerano for handmade pasta, wood-fired pizza, seafood, steaks and a polished bar program. It offered the type of comfortable sophistication that worked equally well for a business dinner, neighborhood meal or special occasion.
The brothers also operate Toscana and Bar Toscana in Brentwood, along with S.Y. Kitchen on the Central Coast, so Nerano was part of a respected California restaurant family.
No detailed reason for the closure was publicly announced. The restaurant simply reached the end of its decade-long Beverly Hills chapter.
These three restaurants occupied very different corners of California dining. One served New England seafood, one sold burritos through a walk-up window and one brought Amalfi Coast style to Beverly Hills.
What connected them was the loyalty they built. California will continue gaining new restaurants, but history, routine and personal memories do not transfer automatically to whatever opens next.
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