Highland Park’s longtime Mexican bakery closes shop, as well as a vegan institution, and more
Los Angeles’s restaurants continue to face difficult headwinds, starting in 2020 with the onset of the global pandemic and exacerbated by the Hollywood labor strikes in 2023, which led to an industry-wide slowdown that continued into 2026. From the lingering effects of the Hollywood strikes to rising costs (labor, rent, ingredients, etc.), many factors continue to strain restaurant owners operating on razor-thin margins. Los Angeles restaurants also continue to struggle with the impact of the 2025 fires, including slow business and devastating property loss, as well as the ongoing effects of ICE enforcement. Here are notable restaurant closures from August 2026. For more closure news, read our past closure coverage.
Delicias Bakery and Some — Highland Park’s 35-year-old bakery closed in June 2026, after the longtime bakery faced multiple challenges as new businesses popped up along Figueroa Street and Avenue 56. The Sanchez family adjusted as much as possible in the rapidly gentrifying neighborhood by introducing new menu items, securing reduced rent from the landlord, and launching a GoFundMe campaign in 2020 to help with operating expenses.
Uka — Chefs Yoshitaka Mitsue and Shingo Kato debuted UKA in 2023, where the duo served a nine-course kaiseki menu at Ovation Hollywood, previously known as Hollywood & Highland. The restaurant announced on Instagram that its final day would be on July 31, 2026, with a closing message from its chefs.
Sky’s Gourmet Tacos — After more than three decades, Mid-City’s Sky’s Gourmet Tacos announced it will close its full-service restaurant on August 15, 2026, and transition to a catering and ghost-kitchen business. In early 2026, Barbara “Sky” Burrell celebrated 34 years on Pico Boulevard near Cochran Avenue, but Burrell tells Eater operational challenges forced her to take immediate action…