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Food

Before and after: A remembrance of the iconic restaurants that burned down

Gab Chabrán
Gab Chabrán covers what's happening in food and culture for LAist.
Published Jan 17, 2025 5:00 AM
Burnt metal pieces are intermingled in a heap, with some standing vertically; behind them is the sparkling ocean
Moonshadows January 2025
(
Brian Feinzimer/LAist
)

One year ago, Congress defunded public media. Now that we're 100% community funded, please become a sustaining member or increase your existing membership today.

We mourn the loss of the restaurants, bars, and cafes that were the cornerstones of the Altadena and Malibu communities, and feel deeply the hardship being experienced by owners and staff. (If you'd like to support them, here's how to help).

To illustrate the scope of the devastation, we've put together some before-and-after photos of the beloved businesses. We hope it honors their place in the cultural landscape.

More news

Altadena

Side Pie

900 E Altadena Dr
A single-story green stucco building features a small rectangular sign just below its roof that reads "Side Pie," along with a green awning above its large windows. The window directly beneath the sign is painted with the word "Pizza" in bright orange font. Pink bougainvilleas frame each window.
Side Pie pizzeria in July 2022
(
Google Earth
)
SOCAL-FIRES
Side Pie January 2025
(
Brian Feinzimer
/
LAist
)

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The Little Red Hen Coffee Shop

2697 N Fair Oaks Ave

A row of small buildings lines the sidewalk. In the center, there's a quaint café called the Little Red Hen Café. Underneath the covered entrance are glass windows and doors, and the signage at the entrance features a painted design
Little Red Hen Café May 2024
(
Google Earth
)
The burned remains of a restaurant next to a sidewalk. In the background are hills and a clear sky; on the right is a burned out car
Little Red Hen January 2025
(
Brian Feinzimer
/
LAist
)

Cafe De Leche

A small café on a hillside, painted in blue and white. On the right side, there is a large square window with the words "Café de Leche" displayed above it. In the center, a small glass door is framed in brown. To the left, the word "COFFEE" is written in capital letters in white, next to a yellow wrought-iron bench and a white patio umbrella.
Cafe De Leche May 2024
(
Google Earth
)
The wreckage of a burned out restaurant outlined against a deep blue sky
Cafe de Leche January 2025
(
Brian Feinzimer
/
LAist
)

Fox's Restaurant

A small, painted red building features black suspended awnings affixed to the top of its windows. In between them is painted white iconography in the center, displaying the words "Good Food". Next to the building is a concrete parking lot with two cars. In front of the red building is a sign that reads "Fox's Restaurant".
Fox's Restaurant July 2022.
(
Google Earth
)
A burnt out restaurant with only metal chairs and tables standing amid the debris. In the background is a perfect blue Californian sky with tall palmtrees
Fox’s Restaurant January 2025
(
Brian Feinzimer/LAist
)

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Rancho Bar

2485 Lake Ave

The single-story building is constructed with half wood and half red brick. In front of it, there is a small parking lot. The exterior of the building is painted brown, featuring identical red signs on both sides that both read "Rancho Bar". On the right-hand side is a small outdoor patio enclosed with a gate featuring two brown patio umbrellas side by side.
Rancho Bar May 2024
(
Google Earth
)
The burnt out remains of a restaurant. In the back you can see the remains of a white building; in the front is assorted tangled broken large metal structures
Rancho Bar January 2025
(
Brian Feinzimer
/
LAist
)

Amara Kitchen

A grey brick building features a row of three identical black awnings, each displaying the name of a different business. The middle one says Amara Kitchen. Several cars are parked at an angle in front of the building.
Amara Kitchen May 2024
(
Google Earth
)
The view through a burned out brick structure, which shows tangled metal in the foreground and mountains and blue sky in the background
Amara Kitchen January 2025
(
Brian Feinzimer/LAist
)

Minik Market

2507 Lake Ave

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A small, stand-alone structure covered in green foliage with a small white-framed entrance. The building is between two parking lots, with various parked cars in front of it.
Minik Market May 2024
(
Google Earth
)
The burned remains of a store with only its metal entrance standing, along with its brick walls at the front.
Minik Market January 2025
(
Brian Feinzimer
/
LAist
)

Pizza of Venice

2545 N Fair Oaks Ave

A strip mall with a concrete parking area in the center is filled with cars. At the back, there is a sign that reads "Pizza of Venice."
Pizza of Venice May 2024.
(
Google Earth
)
A wide vista of a burned down restaurant, with a tangled mess of metal chairs and tables through the picture. Behind it trees are standing.
Pizza of Venice January 2025
(
Brian Feinzimer/LAist
)

Malibu

The Reel Inn

18661 Pacific Coast Hwy

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A single story building with a series of rectangular windows in the center. At the top, there is painted red signage that reads "Seafood Mkt Restaurant." Beneath the windows, the words "The Reel Inn" are displayed in red lettering, with each word shaped like an individual fish and flanked by two red lobsters facing the text. In the background, there are hills and trees.
The Reel Inn December 2023
(
Google Earth
)
A burned landscape outlined against a blue sky and mountains. In the foreground a burnt sign reads the Reel Inn
Reel Inn January 2025
(
Brian Feinzimer
/
LAist
)

Cholada Thai Cuisine

18763 Pacific Coast Hwy.

A small, roadside shack-like structure is painted white and features half-barrel planters filled with large succulents positioned in front of the building, just below a row of five identical square windows. The slanted metal roof has a sign near the back on the right side that reads "Cholada Thai Cuisine."
Cholada Thai Cuisine December 2023.
(
Google Earth
)
A small heap of twisted burnt metal is sitting in front of a big muddy slope, outlined by the deep blue sky
Cholada Thai Cuisine January 2025
(
Brian Feinzimer
/
LAist
)

Rosenthal Wine Bar and Patio

18741 Pacific Coast Hwy

A single-story building that looks like a house is located next to a highway, surrounded by a long row of faded brown wooden barrels. There is an outdoor sign above the entrance that reads "Rosenthal Wine Tasting." Below the sign, a large tanker truck is driving by. In the background, two series of hills are covered with various types of vegetation.
Rosenthal Wine Bar & Patio December 2023
(
Google Earth
)
The remnants of two blue wooden chairs and a yellow table sit among the detritus of a destroyed restaurant. In the back you can see trees outlined against a blue sky.
Rosenthal Wine Bar and Patio January 2025
(
Brian Feinzimer/LAist
)

Moonshadows

20356 Pacific Coast Hwy

A single-story restaurant named "Moonshadows" is located alongside a highway on a strip of beach, offering water views. The signage for the restaurant is prominently displayed at the top of the building. In front of the restaurant, a row of cars is parked along the curb.
Moonshadows December 2023
(
Google Earth
)
Burnt metal pieces are intermingled in a heap, with some standing vertically; behind them is the sparkling ocean
Moonshadows January 2025
(
Brian Feinzimer/LAist
)

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