Silver Lake's Newest Dinner Tables Are In Buildings You Already Know

None of the Silver Lake restaurants getting the most attention this fall needed a new building. Sous Sous opened in a church built in 1931. Josephine moved into the yellow cottage that used to be Bowery Bungalow. Briciola took the narrow Sunset storefront where Spoon & Pork served for six years. A few blocks east, El Condor closed its doors on August 31 at an address that had held a restaurant for more than half a century. That closure followed a change in who owns the building.

Each of these openings and closings depended on a lease, an owner, or a change in ownership, and each address carries an old name that neighbors know. Here's what changed, and when.

The Church On Lucile Avenue Took Fifteen Years

The hotel plan for the old church at Lucile Avenue and Griffith Park Boulevard dates back to 2011. That year, developer Dana Hollister began seeking city approval to turn it into a hotel. She sought permits for a hotel with alcohol and dancing, and they were approved in 2014 despite opposition from many nearby homeowners and businesses worried about traffic. Hollister declared bankruptcy in 2018. In 2020, Los Angeles-based Casetta Group took over her long-term lease from the Presbytery of the Pacific, which still owns the property.

Before all that, the building had already been several things. The Eastsider's history of the site says East West Players used it as a theater in the 1960s, and a Korean congregation joined the church in 1980. The Los Angeles Times adds spells as an antique shop, a filming location, and the setting for the interactive horror show "Delusion." Casetta spent six years renovating before Sous Sous opened on Monday, September 14.

Not all of Hotel Lucile is open to people who aren't staying there. The hotel cafe serves guests only, at breakfast and lunch, and Eater reports that the rooftop deck is also limited to guests.

The restaurant sits in the old sanctuary. Chef Patrick Costa and beverage director Lee Zaremba both come from De La Nonna. Under the chapel's arches and restored stained glass, they serve a menu that mixes French and Southern cooking. The bar is built to look like a church organ. Drinks include a fried green tomato tequila cocktail with an Old Bay rim, an espresso martini made with mezcal and chicory, and a Sazerac made with coconut-infused rye. The kitchen sends out hush puppies with honey butter and serrano, bouillabaisse for two, and an eight-ounce bistro burger called Le Burg. The room seats about 120, and live music on the old stage is planned now and then.

Practical details:

• Hours: Sunday through Thursday 5 to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday until 10. Reservations are on Resy.
• Parking: The hotel has no on-site lot. It relies on valet and street parking, which the Times calls "already tight in the neighborhood."
• Locals rate: If family is visiting, rooms start at $441 a night plus a $50 amenity fee. At launch, the hotel is offering 15% off to guests with a California state ID.
• After dark: The cross on the roof stays lit at night. The old church bell stays silent.

Ties to the neighborhood go beyond the building. The hotel partners with Skylight Books in nearby Los Feliz, and the kitchen uses herbs from its own rooftop garden.

The Yellow Bungalow Kept Its Patio

The church needed fifteen years and three operators to reach opening night. The cottage at 4156 Santa Monica Boulevard went from one restaurant to the next. Josephine opened in late May in the former Bowery Bungalow. It is the first restaurant for its owners, two lifelong friends. The restaurant is named for both owners' grandmothers. It kept what made the old space memorable: the historic yellow bungalow, a string-lit gazebo, and a large vine-covered patio out back.

Chef and co-owner Marco Gagliardi cooks seasonal Italo-French food. In an October 2 dining report, Eater named the chicken Josephine and the steak frites with duck fat fries as early favorites. The chicken comes in half or whole portions with a lemon thyme jus and roast potatoes. The $48 hanger steak frites come with a sansho peppercorn sauce. The beef tartare with tallow aioli is served in cones and stays on the menu as other starters rotate. Eater's tip is to order whatever pasta is on that night. Gagliardi often works duck into it, as in an early-fall duck cannelloni with fig gastrique.

A Smaller Room On Sunset

Spoon & Pork opened its storefront at 3131 W. Sunset Boulevard in 2019 and served its last meal there on October 26, 2025. About eleven months later, in mid-September, Briciola opened in the same space.

The name means "crumb" in Italian, a nod to how small the dining room is. Chef Matteo Di Nicola and Mattia Raimond previously ran Cedro, a Michelin-recognized Italian restaurant in Newbury Park. They closed it in late 2025 to move to Los Angeles. The menu is mostly Italian, with Brazilian ingredients in many dishes. Bolinho de bacalhau comes with red pepper sauce. Cavatappi is tossed in a pink sauce made with cachaça in place of vodka and topped with linguiça calabresa. Spaghetti alla nerano swaps provolone for queijo Minas. For dessert, there's queijo Minas with guava paste. The wine list is mostly natural bottles from Austria, Germany and France, and the owners are working on adding Brazilian labels.

"We already have some regulars. It's just exciting to be here and part of the community right on Sunset."

Mattia Raimond, speaking to Eater LA

The Address That Went The Other Way

At 3701 Sunset Boulevard, the same forces worked in reverse. El Condor served its last customers on August 31. Before El Condor, the space was El Conquistador for 40 years. The Eastsider reports that the closure followed a rent increase after the building changed owners in 2025.

Hotel Lucile opened because a new operator took over a stalled lease and could fund six years of renovation. El Condor closed after a new owner and a new rent. In both cases, what happened inside the room depended on who held the building. As of early October, no new tenant, lease or plan for 3701 Sunset has been reported.

Two Openings Without A Backstory

Some fall additions had no old tenant to replace in local memory. Breakfast by Salt's Cure opened at 4348 Fountain Avenue. It serves daily from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., walk-ins only, and the oatmeal griddle cakes lead the menu. It's a new location, and the Hollywood shop on North Highland stays open. Silver Lake is the brand's third Los Angeles location and its sixth overall.

Bar di Bello at 3300 Sunset Boulevard, Suite 109, opened earlier in 2026. In August, the Los Angeles Times still called it one of Silver Lake's buzziest and busiest restaurants. Alex Wilmot, Kristin Olszewski, Michael Kassar and Mike Moonves are behind it. It's known for delicate pastas, a chicken cutlet sauced at the table, and the oversized Negroni di Basso.

A Fall Week, Address By Address

1. Weekday breakfast: Breakfast by Salt's Cure on Fountain, any day before 3 p.m. Walk in; there's no waitlist.
2. Patio dinner while the evenings are warm: Josephine's back garden on Santa Monica Boulevard.
3. A Wednesday at 7 or a Saturday at 3: Steinholding during Oktoberfest at Red Lion Tavern, 2366 Glendale Boulevard. Oktoberfest runs through November 14.
4. A small table on Sunset: Briciola, in the former Spoon & Pork space.
5. A reserved dinner: Sous Sous, booked on Resy, with time to find street parking or use the valet.

Every one of these addresses changed because a building changed hands, a lease changed, or a renovation finally finished. The same is true of the bungalows and Spanish-style homes on the streets around Sunset Junction, where a home's history affects its price as much as its square footage. If you'd like to know how your Silver Lake home compares, Alexander Trevino and our team are happy to prepare a Free Home Valuation, built block by block.