Tar & Roses, one of Santa Monica’s favorite neighborhood restaurants with a menu centered around a wood-burning oven, will close this month after nearly 15 years.
At the first solo venture of chef Andrew Kirschner, a Santa Monica native and alum of Joe’s in Venice, Table 8 in West Hollywood and Wilshire in Santa Monica, walls are accented with brick, and nearly all of the plates make a pass through a large wood-burning oven. Some of the restaurant’s most popular dishes include oxtail dumplings and seasonal variations of fried cauliflower, the latter of which prompted The Times’ late restaurant critic Jonathan Gold to ponder how the vegetable could possibly be “more delicious than prime steak.”
The closure was announced on the restaurant’s Instagram account on Friday. “It’s difficult to put into words what these past 15 years have meant to us,” the post reads. “We are incredibly proud of what we created, but even more grateful for all of the people who became part of our story along the way.”
Tar & Roses debuted in 2012, two years after the opening of Santa Monica Place amid other major investments in downtown Santa Monica. Except for a six-month closure in 2016 due to an oven fire, the restaurant was a consistent presence for approachable fine-dining. Kirschner even opened a sister restaurant, Santa Monica Yacht Club, in 2015, though it shuttered only two years after its inception.
The steady buzz around Tar & Roses halted for COVID-19, when it, along with thousands of L.A. restaurants, were rocked by pandemic restrictions. With Tar & Roses’ proximity to the Santa Monica Mountains, Kirschner said the Palisades fires also led to a sustained drop in restaurant traffic. Since then, he’s seen a slow but consistent decline in business alongside rising rent, labor and insurance costs.
“It’s a myriad of things,” Kirschner told The Times in a phone interview. “It’s a lot of factors that have unfortunately plagued downtown Santa Monica in a terrible way.”
The restaurant has also been impacted by ongoing crime. Kirschner said that his staff has been overwhelmed with homeless individuals causing property damage and harassing customers. There have also been several cases of people defecating near the doorway or on the outdoor patio, necessitating power washing and city support. Just two weeks ago, Tar & Roses’ windows were smashed.
“There was no final incident,” Kirschner said. “It’s been something that’s been on my mind for a while.”
Once a thriving economic hub, Santa Monica has struggled more than neighboring Beverly Hills, Culver City and West Hollywood in recovering from pandemic-induced challenges, according to a new Rand Corp. study. The city’s once-popular shopping centers have been plagued with closures, sparking concern about public safety and homelessness.
Local restaurants have also suffered, including the closure of Socalo, a standby for modern Mexican cuisine from Border Grill chefs Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger, on Valentine’s Day. The Victorian, a popular nightlife spot for more than 20 years, announced last week that it will close permanently after this month’s Halloween bash.
“Santa Monica was once considered one of the greatest beach cities in the world. Now, tourists aren’t coming, there’s no foot traffic on the streets, half of the stores are closed,” Kirschner said of his hometown. “It’s death by a thousand cuts.”
Tar & Roses will continue serving its fall menu, with highlights such as balsamic-glazed ribs and wood-roasted baby carrots with chermoula crème fraîche. Oct. 24 is the last day of dine-in service.
Kirschner is unsure of what his next venture will be. “I’m just ready to do something different in a new area,” he said.
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