Topline:
The food hall, located in a historic 1929 Beaux Arts building in Culver City, announced that it would be closing after being in business for less than five years. It has seen a revolving door of restaurants from prominent chefs, and the location had struggled with parking and transportation issues.
Why the closure? Despite opening to great fanfare with well-known chefs, such as Keith Corbin and Nancy Silverton, the food hall has struggled to retain tenants.
What were the problems? Apart from a revolving door of eateries, the surrounding area faced many issues: lack of parking, reduced bike lanes and a high volume of inexpensive dining options nearby.
Citizen Public Market, the 5-year-old food hall located in the heart of Culver City, has announced on Instagram that it will be closing permanently on Nov. 2.
The food hall is located in the historic Citizen Publishing Company Building, a 1929 Beaux Arts and Art Deco landmark that once housed The Citizen, a local newspaper.
The space, which contains eight restaurant stalls and a rooftop bar, opened with much fanfare during the peak of the pandemic, initially offering only take-out and outdoor seating before welcoming customers indoors the following year.
Since opening, Citizen Public Market has struggled to keep tenants, hosting a revolving door of eateries from well-known chefs. Restaurants have included Louella’s Cali Soul Kitchen, a joint venture between Chefs Keith Corbin and Daniel Patterson, which closed in 2021; Nancy Silverton’s Pizzette, which closed in early 2023; and Jolly Oyster and Goodboybob Coffee Roasters, which both closed in 2024.
The location has faced several challenges, including a lack of dedicated parking, transportation issues stemming from unpopular local City Council decisions, and a saturation of cheaper chain restaurants nearby.
Co-owners Rick Moses and Jeff Appel, who also own Grandmaster Recorders, a restaurant in Hollywood’s historic core, which shut its doors in April, issued the following statement:
"The multi-year restoration project to turn this historic building into a food hall was a passion project we loved dearly. Ultimately, the economic ups could not outpace the impact of the economic downs of the past few years."
