Crustica Pizza has closed and left the building in the city of West Hollywood, and it’s for real this time. The pizza parlor, known for its healthy rolled pizzas, currently sits empty at 9045 Santa Monica Boulevard. Their website is down, inside signage is gone, tables, and chairs have been removed from the premise, pantries have been cleaned out, and the patio reeks of human feces.
It took them over four years to open near the Beverly Hills gateway due to delays related to the pandemic, and it they have gone out of business in less than a year after opening in October 2023.
A spokesperson has confirmed its closure, stating that the people who ate there really liked the food, but unfortunately the business did not generate enough traffic to keep them open. “It’s unfortunate that the people who live in West Hollywood didn’t support it a little bit more,” she said. “It was a beautiful restaurant and it’s an excellent concept, so we’re hoping to open another restaurant in a different location at some point.”
The torrential rain was another factor that contributed to their low numbers because people loved the patio and were not always aware that they had indoor dining.
On July 24, 2023, the landlord served owner Nile Niami with two 3-day notices that were posted on their storefront –one notice was to “Pay Rent or Quit,” and the other was to “Cure or Quit.”
Crustica Pizza – West Hollywood – WEHO TIMESAccording to the first notice, Crustica LLC was in breach of its monetary obligations under its lease and had failed to pay Base Rent and other monetary obligations under the Lease for the premises totaling $60,962.00, as of the posting of the notice.
A breakdown of the monies owed is as follows per the post:
- February 1, 2023 (2nd install/2022-2023 property taxes): $10.211.56.
- April 1, 2023 (Base Rent): $12,298.73
- May 1, 2023 (Base Rent): $12,666.77
- June 1, 2023 (Base Rent): $12,666.77
- July 1, 2023 (Base Rent): $12,666.77
The subtotal is $60,510.60, plus late fees and interest in the amount of $6,962.06. Therefore, the Landlord is owned $67,472.66 as of the date of the notice.
“Demand is hereby made upon Lessee to cure within three (3) business days of this 3-Day
Notice to Pay Rent or Quit (excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and judicial holidays) the defaults, by payment in full of the sum of $67,472.66, or quit the Premises,” reads the notice.
The second notice alleges the tenant failed to provide proof of insurance to lease the space and it failed to provide proper to security “to minimize potential vandalism, and by commission of waste and acts of nuisance, including allowing unauthorized individuals, including unhoused individuals.”
A spokesperson points out that it took them years to open and that they paid rent while they were shut down during COVID.
A sign announcing their opening first went up at the location in 2018, promising that a “New Wave of Pizza” was coming to West Hollywood and the building stayed empty for years.
Crustica Rolled Pizza had a private opening event for friends and family on October 20, 2022. They had their grand opening to the public on October 24.
The business was the victim of a hoax back in May, when a sign was posted at their main entrance stating, “Sorry for the inconvenience! Moving to a new location. CLOSED!!!” However, the sign was allegedly posted by a disgruntled employee according to a rep.
The restaurant was a new venture for Nile Niami, offering a one-of-a-kind pizza restaurant. For those unfamiliar, Niami is a real estate developer famous for building the largest home in Los Angeles also known as The One.
With the slogan, “New York folds it, Los Angeles rolls it,” the fast casual pizza restaurant offered pizza that you rolled. Crustica’s menu included a wide variety of savory and dessert pizzas, salads and in-house sodas. From mushroom to meatball pizza and banana Nutella to fruit compote, what made the pizza stand out, besides the ultrathin crust and new way of eating it, were the low calories.
A spokesperson said big things for on the horizon for Crystica Pizza back in May. The small business was approved for an On-Sale Beer and Wine license by Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC). Their liquor license became active on June 7, 2023 according to ABC.
Despite all the frills of a gourmet pizza and the promise of beer and wine, the rolled pizza place couldn’t make it work. The empty building joins a long list of shuttered businesses in West Hollywood, but new businesses keep opening throughout the city.
Sad to see another business close..we have too many shuttered commercial spaces. The pizza was tasty. At least the property is now fixed up and looks much better (even as a closed business) than the Indian place that existed on that corner. Hopefully something new will move in…but with the Melrose Triangle project still a pit after years…it’s kind of a dead end of town…still. =(
Maybe best to wait 20 more years until the Melrose Triangle Project across the street is completed.
Mr Niami must have been successful at one point, but his latest projects have cost his investors millions. Tough location as well, away from the main drag and across from a construction hole.
WTF is going on with the Melrose project? Can WeHo Times update us please?