Five Guys, a burger chain popular on the East Coast, will be opening soon in Westwood Village on Broxton Avenue.
The AMC Avco Cinema on Wilshire Boulevard closed down last month, and there are tentative plans for a new theater to replace the cinema.
Students looking to try new food will now have more options, with Westwood welcoming a handful of new eateries ““ including a pizzeria, a burger chain and traditional Mexican fare.
Of five new restaurants slated to come to Westwood in 2012, two have already opened their doors.
One of these additions is 800 Degrees Neapolitan Pizza, which opened Jan 3. on Lindbrook Drive.
The pizzeria boasts ovens that bake individual-sized pizzas in mere minutes, with Chipotle-like serving style where patrons pick their own toppings at the counter.
“Westwood has the demographics to keep us busy all day long,” said Anthony Carron, founder of 800 Degrees. “And it needs more great food. There’s not a lot of restaurants here that aspire to that.”
Carron said he wanted to create a restaurant reflecting the atmosphere of Naples ““ busy and lively. Many of the ingredients are also locally grown or made. For example, the cheese is made in Los Angeles, and the chicken is organic, Carron said.
Some students have already flocked to the pizzeria in the hopes of finding their new favorite dinner spot.
“The ambience (of the pizzeria) is really cool,” said Matt Hong, a second-year business economics student. “It’s casual, good for groups and open really late ““ that’s a bit tougher to find in Westwood ““ and it’s always exciting to try something new.”
Hong has been to the pizzeria twice since it opened.
Those looking for an option in traditional Mexican food offerings can check out Casa Azul, a cantina that opened this month. The restaurant is named after artist Frida Kahlo’s Mexican residence of the same name.
Casa Azul stands in the former location of sushi restaurant Tengu on Lindbrook Drive.
Three restaurants are still on the way, including Five Guys, a popular burger chain that originated on the East Coast.
The chain has been expanding into California over the past two years, with 15 locations slated to open soon in the state. It will replace Damon and Pythias on Broxton Avenue, which recently shut its doors.
“I was excited, because I’ve been waiting to try (Five Guys), and I’ve heard a lot about it from East Coast friends,” said Joanne Lee, a second-year undeclared student.
Two other independent restaurants, Lucia’s Cafe on Le Conte Avenue and Skylight Gardens on Glendon Avenue, are also preparing to open soon, said Andrew Thomas, executive director of the Westwood Village Improvement Association.
As new restaurants move into the Westwood scene, other businesses have moved out ““ which did not go unnoticed by local residents.
“I was actually really sad when Damon and Pythias closed down,” said Daniel Chong, a graduate student in biophysics. “It seems the smaller places are closing down a lot and being replaced by chains.”
The AMC Avco theater on Wilshire Boulevard closed Dec. 4. The theater chain and the landlord were not able to reach agreeable lease renewal terms, said Ryan Noonan, a spokesman for AMC.
“The AMC was expensive but it did play a lot more movies,” said Marianne Verguda, a longtime resident of Westwood. “The other two big theaters in Westwood can only play one each, so I’ll probably have to go to Santa Monica to see some movies now.”
There are tentative plans for a new theater to replace Avco, but nothing has been finalized, Thomas said.