A well-known Los Angeles seafood restaurant is getting ready to serve its final meals. Connie & Ted’s in West Hollywood will close on July 1 after 13 years in business.
The restaurant built a loyal following for its New England-style seafood and its connection to one of LA’s best-known chefs. Its shutdown is also the latest sign of how hard it has become to run a midpriced full-service restaurant in the city.
A longtime West Hollywood seafood destination is shutting down
Connie & Ted’s opened in 2013 at 8171 Santa Monica Blvd. in West Hollywood. It was created by chef Michael Cimarusti with partners Donato Poto and Crisi Echiverri, and quickly became one of the city’s best-known places for oysters, chowder, lobster rolls, and fried seafood.
The restaurant stood apart because it offered a more casual experience than Cimarusti’s Providence, the acclaimed fine-dining restaurant that earned three Michelin stars. Even with a more relaxed format, Connie & Ted’s still carried major culinary credibility through Cimarusti, who won the James Beard Award for Best Chef: West in 2019…