Topline:
Genghis Cohen, the Fairfax-based restaurant famous for inspiring the legendary Larry David-written Seinfeld Chinese food scene, lost its lease at its original location at 740 N. Fairfax Ave. earlier this year. While owners Marc Rose and Med Abrous look for a new permanent space, they're opening a temporary location just down the street from the original site at 448 N. Fairfax Ave., with the doors opening Thursday afternoon (Sept. 25).
'80s kitsch lives on: Rose and Abrous have preserved some of the charm of the original, known for its kitschy '80s decor, such as the popular fish tank and red booths, while adding several new elements, including a mirrored wall and even more neon. While the temporary space won’t have a live music area like the original, the restaurant is teaming up with Fairfax legend Canter's Deli to host a weekly "Genghis Cohen Live" series at the Kibitz Room on Wednesdays and Thursdays.
The backstory: Genghis Cohen was opened in 1983 by music producer Allan Rinde, who was working for Cherokee Studios at the time. A former New Yorker, Rinde missed the ubiquitous N.Y.-style Chinese food; it's also how it came to be that the restaurant had an attached venue, where Rinde would have bands he worked with perform, along with the broader music community. In 1997, Rinde sold Genghis Cohen to longtime maitre d’ Raymond Kiu, whose family ran the restaurant until they sold it to Rose and Abrous in 2015.