In the past year, three Larchmont Boulevard storefronts changed hands. Each one went to a counter-service food or drink concept. Pressed Juicery at 201 N. Larchmont is becoming Alfred Coffee. Jeni's at 123 N. Larchmont is becoming Chamberlain Coffee. Holey Grail Donuts at 148 N. Larchmont is now Go Greek Yogurt. Taste explains part of this. The more lasting reason is a set of zoning rules written in 1992. Those rules ration sit-down restaurants by the foot and leave coffee, yogurt, ice cream and bakeries out of the count.
Three Leases, One Direction
The turnover happened quickly. Holey Grail ended its Larchmont run on November 30, 2025, according to the Larchmont Buzz. Go Greek Yogurt soft-opened in that space on Saturday, May 16, 2026. Owner Yan Yampolsky told the Buzz, "I am so glad we are finally open." The Larchmont Chronicle described the format as a fresh yogurt bar with self-serve frozen yogurt and European-sourced ingredients. It is the brand's fourth Los Angeles-area shop.
Pressed Juicery closed at 201 N. Larchmont after 13 years. Alfred founder Josh Zad told the Buzz in July that his shop was set to open in November. A local directory updated this week lists an October target instead. Alfred has not announced an opening date.
Jeni's served its last scoop at 123 N. Larchmont on Sunday, September 27, 2026. A company spokesperson told the Buzz the closing came at the end of the shop's lease. Chamberlain Coffee is taking the space and is expected to open sometime in 2027. It will be the brand's third location, after Century City and Abbot Kinney Boulevard.
| Address | Outgoing | Incoming | Status as of October 12, 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 148 N. Larchmont | Holey Grail Donuts, closed Nov. 30, 2025 | Go Greek Yogurt | Open since May 16, 2026 |
| 201 N. Larchmont | Pressed Juicery, after 13 years | Alfred Coffee | Expected fall 2026, no date announced |
| 123 N. Larchmont | Jeni's Ice Creams, closed Sept. 27, 2026 | Chamberlain Coffee | Expected 2027 |
These newcomers join coffee counters that already line the 100 and 200 blocks: Peet's at 124 N., Groundwork at 150 N., Starbucks at 206 N. and Go Get 'Em Tiger at 230 N. Once Alfred and Chamberlain open, six coffee shops will operate between 123 and 230 N. Larchmont.
The 1992 Rule That Counts Frontage
Larchmont's commercial blocks carry zoning qualifiers known as the Q Conditions. They were adopted through Ordinance 168,334, effective December 12, 1992. A 2014 City Planning report filed with the City Clerk summarizes how they handle restaurants on the main stretch, known as Subarea 2:
- Only one sit-down restaurant is allowed for every 270 feet of public street frontage.
- Each restaurant can occupy no more than 40 feet of frontage.
- A "restaurant" means a place where food is sold mainly to be eaten on the premises. Take-out food uses are excluded from that definition.
An appeal filed in the same city file quotes the ordinance's list of excluded off-premises food businesses. It names bakeries, ice cream and yogurt shops, doughnut shops, delicatessens and coffee stores. That list covers most of the past year's Larchmont leasing news. Doughnuts gave way to yogurt at 148 N., and coffee is replacing ice cream and juice at 123 N. and 201 N. Each of the incoming uses falls outside the sit-down restaurant cap.
A landlord with an empty storefront faces a simple calculation. Restaurant slots are limited and tied to frontage. Counter-service food is not limited in the same way. When a lease ends, the tenants who can move in without needing one of those slots have a clear advantage.
Where the Line Between Café and Restaurant Falls
The boundary between a take-out shop and a restaurant has been argued over for decades. A 1997 clarification from the Director of Planning, quoted in the 2014 appeal, set the line at seating. A food business with six or more seats, or with room for six, would count as a restaurant even if it was mainly take-out. The 2014 Planning report also noted that some take-out shops on the street had added tables and chairs and were in practice operating as restaurants.
In 2015, Planning described a different test. Under that approach, a business is classified by its primary use, judged by whether most of its floor area serves food eaten on site with seating. The determination was appealed, and the floor-area method was called unclear. The public record reviewed for this piece does not show how that appeal ended. That leaves two tests on file, and neither says how any particular shop on the street is classified today.
Either test points tenants the same way. A food business that keeps seating small or puts most of its floor area toward the counter stays further from the restaurant definition. Outdoor seating went through its own process. Clark Street Bakery's removable street dining platform was finished in April 2025 after more than a year of approvals, the Buzz reported. The same report estimated that platforms on the boulevard had taken about 20 parking spaces.
Alfred's Window Fits the Rules
Alfred's plans for 201 N. Larchmont show how a tenant can design around these rules. Zad told the Buzz the shop will use Alfred's "window format," the walk-up model the company built on Canon Drive in Beverly Hills and in Burbank. Pass-through windows open the whole shop onto the sidewalk. "You order, you talk to a friendly barista, you run into someone you know, and you are back on the street in a minute with something great in your hand," Zad said. "The sidewalk becomes the shop."
He also said the format was "designed for exactly this kind of block." A shop where customers leave within a minute does not need dining-room square footage. On a street where seating can change how a food business is classified, that design is efficient as well as a matter of style.
The storefront is also notable. Studio Sucio, the firm that designs every Alfred location, is drawing the Larchmont shop specifically for this street. Zad told the Buzz he plans to keep the original window bays of the four-store building at 201 and 205 N. Larchmont. Three of the four units are still intact. As the Buzz pointed out, Larchmont has no design review process to protect historic storefront features. The Q Conditions govern what a tenant sells and leave the facade to each tenant's choices. Alfred has also promised a drink available only at this location, starting on opening day.
The Rooms That Hold the Restaurant Slots
When sit-down dining is capped, each full-service room on the street matters more. Louise's Trattoria at 232 N. Larchmont has been family-owned since 1978. In December 2025 the Chronicle reported that the restaurant had rearranged its seating to fit large parties. On a street with few sit-down restaurants, a dining room that can seat a big family table is worth more.
Max & Helen's opened at 127 N. Larchmont in November 2025. The Chronicle described it as a family diner serving breakfast and lunch. Other places to sit down for a meal include Le Pain Quotidien at 113 N., Burger Lounge at 217 N., Great White at 244 N. and Kiku Sushi Bar at 246 N.
Counter-service food fills the space between those rooms. The bakeries include Clark Street Bakery at 139½ N., Sweet Lady Jane at 203 N., Levain Bakery at 227 N. and Erin McKenna's Bakery at 236 N. Salt & Straw at 240 N. Larchmont marked its 12th anniversary on the boulevard this month, the Buzz reported. Even inside an existing coffee shop, the seating question comes up. Starbucks at 206 N. refreshed its interior in late 2025 and added work-friendly seating, according to the Chronicle.
The Conversation About Revisiting the Rules
The people who manage the street have connected the rules to what they see on the sidewalk. In September 2025, the Larchmont Chronicle reported on new trash cans for the boulevard. Heather Duffy Boylston, executive director of the business improvement district, told the paper she sees the Q Conditions as part of the reason there is so much trash. The conditions "limit the number of sit-down restaurants and the type of retail outlets permitted on the Boulevard," the Chronicle wrote, and "coffee shops and to-go restaurants fill in the space."
Boylston has walked the boulevard with Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martínez of Council District 13 and raised her concerns about the conditions. The Chronicle reported that the rules could be reviewed when the Wilshire Community Plan is updated. Emma Howard, CD13's community development and planning director, said that possibility is "up in the air." No amendment has been reported. Until one is adopted, the 270-foot rule from 1992 will keep shaping who signs the next Larchmont lease. Alfred Coffee at 201 N. Larchmont is next on the calendar, followed by Chamberlain Coffee at 123 N. Larchmont in 2027.
Zoning rules like these affect what a Larchmont storefront is worth, which tenants can lease it and how its block will change. If you own property near the boulevard or are weighing a purchase close to it, The Pennel Group can walk you through how these rules apply to a specific address. Request a Confidential Consultation.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
