The Strip Lost a 1998 Original and Gained a 2000s Homage Within Three Weeks

Sushiya on Sunset served its final dinner on September 29, after 28 years at 8650 W. Sunset Boulevard. Twenty days later, on Monday, October 19, the Hwood Group opened Little Luck at 9229 W. Sunset. It is an izakaya built on purpose to recall the early-2000s run of moody, music-forward Asian restaurants in Los Angeles.

So a restaurant that had been part of the Strip since 1998 went dark at almost the same moment that one modeled on the Strip of 2005 arrived. On November 14, the City of West Hollywood will close Sunset Boulevard for a free concert it describes as a celebration of the Strip's musical legacy. This fall, the Strip's past is being carried forward by new concepts and civic events. The long-running rooms that used to hold it are fewer than they were a year ago.

The Last Original at Sunset Plaza

The Pride LA called Sushiya the final remaining legacy dining establishment at Sunset Plaza. It opened in 1998 and became a gathering place for musicians, industry workers and Westside regulars, and its Sunset frontage made it a frequent backdrop for television and film shoots.

The same outlet put the closing in context. Sushiya's neighbor, the French bistro Le Petit Four, had long shared that role, and the two served as anchors of the corridor. Le Petit Four closed on March 31, 2025, after 44 years in business. Its owner, Alexandre Morgenthaler, told the Los Angeles Times that rising costs and rent, along with reduced foot traffic, had weighed on the business.

Between them, the two restaurants logged more than seven decades on one block of Sunset. Both closed within about eighteen months of each other.

Little Luck Was Built Around a Memory

The Hwood Group's new restaurant takes over the former Bootsy Bellows nightclub space, and it is upfront about where its ideas come from. As Eater LA reported, the concept looks back to the era of Koi, Katana and Geisha House, when those rooms showed that Asian restaurants in Los Angeles could pair ambitious food with low light, strong design and steady music. Co-founder John Terzian explained the thinking to the outlet:

"We live and breathe West Hollywood, have been in that space for 13 years, plus clubs and lounges on Sunset and in surrounding areas. Coming up as promoters 30 years ago, the best food was Asian cuisine. It's the right time to do a new version and homage to what it was back then."

Chef Erik Idos, whose résumé includes Per Se, Jean-Georges and Nobu, recently moved back to his native Los Angeles to lead the kitchen. The menu opens with egg salad on milk bread, with caviar on request. From there it moves through quail karaage, a Japanese fruit-tomato salad with burrata, a blue-crab California roll, garlic lobster noodles, Santa Barbara spot prawns, and bone-in short rib ssam with gochujang miso and lettuce cups. Kevin Lee of Long Beach's Tokyo Noir wrote the cocktail list. His lychee drink is a reworked version that brings in Ketel One, bergamot, alpine herbs, Daiyame Shochu and dry vermouth.

The room seats up to 196. It has a 10-person bar, two private dining rooms, a dedicated DJ booth and a vinyl wall holding about 4,000 records, with DJs on Fridays and Saturdays. Little Luck is open Monday through Saturday from 5 p.m. to midnight. The kitchen closes at 10:30 p.m. Co-founder Brian Toll summed up the bet for Eater LA: "The era of just great food with a boring ambiance is over."

Little Luck isn't the only new arrival that leans on atmosphere. In August, SAGA Hospitality opened two concepts at The Sun Rose, according to Los Angeles Magazine. Yuhi is a 12-seat rooftop omakase counter led by chef Naomi Kubo. Oleander is a coastal-Pacific restaurant in the former Merois space.

What Comes Next for Sunset Plaza

The plaza's next chapter is still coming together, one lease at a time. Here is where each space stood in the most recent reporting:

• 8618 Sunset Blvd., former Chin Chin: Trisha Langer's Daughter's Deli announced a move into the space, with an opening target of April–May 2026, as WEHOonline reported in January. Coverage from SFGate on June 1, 2026 still described it as under construction.
• Blank Street Coffee: The same SFGate report said the coffee chain had signed a lease in Sunset Plaza. No address or opening date was given.

Both signed tenants are new to the plaza, and both are daytime businesses.

November 14 Turns the Strip's Music History Into a Free Show

On Saturday, November 14, the City's free Live On Sunset concert fills Sunset Boulevard between Doheny Drive and San Vicente Boulevard from 4 to 11 p.m. The lineup was clearly chosen for its ties to the Strip.

Sheryl Crow headlines. In the City's announcement, Mayor John Heilman pointed out that she played the Roxy and the Viper Room early in her career, and Crow called the street the place "where people first gave me a shot and really listened." The show will be her first major performance after Pick You Up, her 12th studio album, released October 9.

The rest of the bill follows the same pattern. Empress Of has sold out the Roxy twice. Doug Locke built his career at Hotel Ziggy. Mia Moretti, a longtime West Hollywood resident, got her start playing vinyl at the Standard on the Sunset Strip. Local Natives mark the 10th anniversary of Sunlit Youth, and Grace Bowers, whose breakout came at the Troubadour, releases her debut EP, Grace, on November 5.

Plans include one main stage, outdoor activations, food and drink, and fan engagement along the corridor. Admission is free, and guests need a scannable ticket. Registration opened October 14, and ticketed guests are guaranteed entry. The FAQ describes the event as geared toward adults. Guests 12 and under don't need a ticket, but they must come with a parent or guardian.

The Closure Runs Far Longer Than the Show

The concert runs seven hours. The main Sunset closure runs 48. Here are the windows from the event's official FAQ:

The FAQ has a separate entry for people who live or work inside the footprint. They can use the Local Access Lane at San Vicente and Sunset to walk in without going through ticket scanning. They still pass through security, oversized bags aren't allowed, and no vehicles may enter while the road is closed. For anyone coming in from elsewhere, the FAQ points to the Metro and local bus lines on Sunset, San Vicente and Santa Monica Boulevard. It warns that routes may shift over the closure weekend and suggests checking service alerts closer to the date. Updates also come by text if you send "sunset" to (323) 848-5000.

Separate roadwork is also underway on the eastern end of the Strip. S E Pipeline, a contractor for LADWP, is doing permanent roadway restoration at Sunset Boulevard and Holloway Drive. The work includes bus-pad replacement and asphalt paving, with lane closures, traffic shifts and turn restrictions. In its update of October 21, the City scheduled the work through Thursday, November 12. The City calls that schedule tentative and subject to field conditions, so the paving could run right up to the Friday the concert closure begins.

The Weekend Before Is Quieter on Sunset

This Saturday, October 31, the city's big night happens off the Strip. West Hollywood's free Halloween Carnaval runs from 6 to 11 p.m. on Santa Monica Boulevard between Doheny Drive and La Cienega Boulevard. On Sunset, it's a normal Saturday night, with Little Luck serving until midnight and DJs in the dining room.

If you live along the Strip or own property near Sunset Plaza and want to talk through what these changes mean for your block, Barbra Stover is glad to share a careful, local view whenever you're ready. Let's Connect.