Sponsored message
Audience-funded nonprofit news
radio tower icon laist logo
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
Subscribe
  • Listen Now Playing Listen
  • Listen Now Playing Listen

This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.

This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.

Food

Sad Mac: DTLA's Mac & Cheeza Closing Sunday (But They Aren't Going Away!)

mac-and-cheeza-zb.jpg
One of Mac & Cheeza's creations (Zach Behrens/LAist)

This story is free to read because readers choose to support LAist. If you find value in independent local reporting, make a donation to power our newsroom today.

Has the comfort food bubble burst, or is this restaurant closing story just another case of landlord-tenant strife? The latter seems to be the case when it comes to the impending shutter of Mac & Cheeza, the Downtown eatery that specialized in macaroni and cheese.

LA Downtown News says the restaurant, which is run by Larkin Mackey and Joshua McBride, is closing Sunday, January 29, due to "issues with the landlord."

Luckily, Mackey and McBride also operate Larkin's Joint, a soul food restaurant in Eagle Rock, where they say a "quick service" Mac & Cheeza outpost will soon open. We've also long heard scuttlebutt they're looking to launch a food truck, and now that looks to be happening in March.

Shortly before Mac & Cheeza's February 2010 opening, LAist got to taste-drive several of their quirky mac and cheese dishes, including some vegan ones. "I've been obsessed with mac and cheese since I was really little. So I was like 'why hasn't anyone done that?'" Mackey said at the time.

Also: Mac Attack: 28 of the City's Best Mac & Cheese Dishes

You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our connected community. We are free to tell the full truth, to hold power to account without fear or favor, and to follow facts wherever they lead. Our only loyalty is to our audiences and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen our community.

Right now, LAist has lost $1.7M in annual funding due to Congress clawing back money already approved. The support we receive from readers like you will determine how fully our newsroom can continue informing, serving, and strengthening Southern California.

If this story helped you today, please become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.

Your tax-deductible donation keeps LAist independent and accessible to everyone.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief

Make your tax-deductible donation today