No, Bottega Louie WeHo is Not Opening Anytime Soon

People passing by Santa Monica Boulevard this week may have noticed that the plywood has come down at the Bottega Louie WeHo restaurant and workers have been spotted cleaning the patio area and setting up tables and chairs for what appears to be part of a much long awaited grand opening of the Italian restaurant and bakery. Community members have been sending WEHO TIMES photos of the open patio area and asking if the wait is finally over. Will Bettega Louie WeHo finally be opening soon in the heart of WeHo’s Rainbow District?

We are here to report that the wait continues and the restaurant located on 8936 Santa Monica Boulevard is not opening any time soon. An architect at the location today, tells WEHO TIMES that the restaurant will remain closed until further notice. He explained that the plywood has come down and the place has been setup to appear it is open for business in preparation for an upcoming City inspection. Depending on the results of the inspection, he assessed that it would take about six weeks to get the restaurant fully staffed again and ready for operations. He thinks the inspection will go well at the 8,900 square foot space. He pointed out that there is plenty of outdoor dining space in the patio area, however the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic may further delay from its estimated six-week start time.

The architect also revealed that plywood will go up again as soon as the inspection is over. He said they will leave the patio open and only put plywood on the windows.

Bottega Louie WeHo has been under construction since 2016. It was supposed to open in 2017 and it was supposed to open again back in December of last year. An estimated 200 workers were hired and were in the midst of the training process when they were all let go unexpectedly. The restaurant was forced to shut down. It was supposed to open in March of this year, but March came and went and the restaurant remains closed, with an opening that may or may not happen later this year. The Boutega Louie in Downtown Los Angeles also remains closed at this time due to concerns of health risks during COVID-19.