The corner of Ventura and Woodman has had three lives in a short stretch. It held Samos, a Mediterranean restaurant whose owners put serious money into the room and kept it open for about two years. Then it went dark. Now Ludo Lefebvre of Petit Trois has signed the lease, and the plan is a sandwich concept that, as of September, still had no name.
The same thing is happening up and down the Boulevard this year. In several cases, the Sherman Oaks addresses that ran longest are going to operators who have already built a following somewhere else in Los Angeles. A handful of independents are still opening in the gaps. Over at Fashion Square, the same kind of turnover is happening on the outside of the building, along the side that faces the parking lot.
The French Institution Went First
Mistral is the clearest example. The Sherman Oaks Homeowners Association's Comings & Goings column put its run at thirty-eight years. The business changed hands last year, closed for a renovation, and reopened August 10 at 13422 Ventura Boulevard. Eater LA identifies the new owner as restaurateur Jonah Freedman of Greekman's and Freedman's, who took over after longtime owner Henri Abergel retired. Freedman reopened with business partner and culinary director Josh Migdal, a refreshed interior, French onion soup topped with a Comté grilled cheese, and four versions of steak frites.
According to SOHA's preview, the standbys stayed on the menu: tuna tartare, lump crab cakes, house-cured king salmon, the Mistral Caesar, duck, John Dory and rack of lamb. The one new item it flagged was a Mistral Burger. At Mistral, both the name and the address stayed, and an operator with a track record took over the room.
Where the Old Rooms Are Going
Elsewhere on the Boulevard the names are changing, but the new tenants often fit the same profile, and most of them sit within a few blocks of Woodman.
| Address | What was there | What's next | Status in mid-October |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ventura & Woodman corner | Samos, about two years | Ludo Lefebvre sandwich concept | Lease signed, name and date pending |
| 4319 Woodman Ave, north of Ventura | Santino's NY Pizza, nearly 20 years | Greco's New York Pizzeria, third location after Hollywood and Tarzana | Slated |
| 14633 Ventura Blvd, upstairs | Second floor of Daisy, formerly The Sherman | Gilbert Perez Bar, from the Mírate and Daisy team | Opening slated for October |
| Former Le Pain Quotidien space | Le Pain Quotidien | A bagel shop, operator not yet named | Coming |
| Ventura & Sunnyslope | Tony's Liquor, nearly half a century | Eagle Liquor, with Mother's Bread next door | Open |
Santino's closed in March. What Now Los Angeles reported in April that Greco's co-owner Nico Grasu was aiming for an early-June opening at 4319 Woodman. In June, SOHA still had it as preparing to open soon. Until Greco's announces an actual date, consider it coming.
Boneyard Bistro doesn't have a successor yet. Chef and owner Aaron Robins closed it on September 12 after more than twenty years of slow-smoked brisket and eclectic bistro food, and SOHA's September column made no mention of a new tenant.
Upstairs at Daisy, a Second Act From the Same Team
Gilbert Perez Bar shows how operators with a track record can work the Boulevard twice in one building. Velvet Hollywood reports that the team that turned The Sherman into Daisy in 2025 is now opening a Mexican rum bar on Daisy's second floor, led by Max Reis. Velvet notes that Mírate, the same group's other bar, made the North America's 50 Best Bars list. The Infatuation puts it on its fall openings list with an October opening.
Two house rules from the Velvet Hollywood report matter before you go. Photos aren't allowed, and the bar keeps short hours, Thursday through Saturday from 6 p.m. Reis also told Imbibe, in Velvet's account, that reservations will be staggered, not set at uniform times, because the decor and drinks change several times over an evening.
The Independents Are Filling the Gaps
The pattern isn't uniform. Several of this year's newcomers are single-location shops built around one person's craft, and they're opening in the smaller storefronts the bigger operators pass over.
Mother's Bread opened next to Eagle Liquor at 13368½ Ventura Boulevard. SOHA describes owner Nick, originally from the country of Georgia, baking three varieties of sourdough from his grandmother's recipes on a starter made from grapes. The loaves are shaped like long paddles, the shop turns out roughly a hundred a day, and many sell out before closing.
Near Woodman, Florahound has taken the storefront with the painted facade at 13711 Ventura Boulevard, where the Green Queen dispensary used to be. It's a rare-plant shop built around horticulturist Leon Massoth, who has spent decades growing tropical species from seed. Just past Casa Vega, LLAMA at 13443 Ventura Boulevard runs art and sewing classes, workshops and birthday parties, plus Grown-Up Nights for adults.
Then there's sushi. SOHA counts more than thirty sushi restaurants on Ventura already, and Sumi Sushi has added one more next to Burger She Wrote. Sumi's own site lists 14245 Ventura Boulevard. Lunch runs 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Dinner runs until 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and it opens at 4:30 p.m. on Sunday. The fish arrives fresh every day, so what the chef recommends changes from night to night.
The Coffee Corner at Fulton
At Ventura and Fulton, a long-quiet corner has turned into Fulton Crossing, a mixed-use project across from Casa Vega with shops on the ground floor, offices above, and a vintage Airstream parked out front to mark the spot. Its anchor is Blank Street Coffee. SOHA described a line out the door in September. Blank Street's own locator gives the address as 13273 Ventura Boulevard with a Studio City mailing address, which shows how close Fulton sits to the line between the two neighborhoods.
Together with the bagel shop going into the old Le Pain Quotidien, it's the corner SOHA had in mind when it called this season "the Great Coffee-and-Bagel War."
Fashion Square, Turned Inside Out
The same handoff has reached the mall, though at Westfield Fashion Square it's happening on the exterior. In his October column, SOHA president Matt Epstein writes that some of the busiest spots at the mall now line the outside edge facing the parking.
"Some of the most active parts of the mall are once again on the outside."
That's from Epstein's October Comings & Goings. The tenants he names fit this year's pattern closely.
- Noodle St, serving hand-pulled noodles, is frequently crowded. Fashion Square is the company's eighth location.
- Kura Revolving Sushi Bar sometimes has people waiting to get in.
- Panini Kabob Grill serves Mediterranean-style food.
- BoxUnion runs 45-minute fitness-boxing classes, and no boxing experience is required.
- Orangetheory Fitness, next door to BoxUnion, offers a one-hour total-body workout.
Epstein ties it to the mall's own history. Fashion Square began as an open-air center where people walked from store to store, and now some of its liveliest activity is back outdoors. His column describes what's happening on the ground. It doesn't announce any redevelopment plan for the mall.
The Next Eight Weeks on and Around the Boulevard
The new rooms will keep filling in through the holidays. In the meantime, these are the dates closest to home, starting Friday night.
- Friday, October 23, 10 p.m. to Monday, October 26, 5 a.m. SoCal511 lists the southbound I-405 down to three lanes between Ventura Boulevard and Mulholland Drive. The southbound on-ramp from Ventura and the Valley Vista/Sepulveda ramps will be closed.
- Saturday, October 24, 6 p.m. Salsa Night at the Sherman Oaks Galleria.
- Wednesday, November 4, noon to 1 p.m. A Zoom scoping meeting for Metro's Sepulveda Transit Corridor. The Metro Board's January 2026 choice is underground heavy rail from the Van Nuys Metrolink Station to the E Line's Expo/Sepulveda Station, with a connection at Van Nuys Boulevard.
- Monday, November 16, 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. The in-person Sherman Oaks scoping meeting at the East Valley Adult Center, 5056 Van Nuys Boulevard. Comments are due November 18, and Metro says a construction timeline isn't available yet.
- Friday, November 27. Tina's Trees opens its lot at Westfield Fashion Square, 4725 Woodman Avenue, open daily 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
- Friday, December 4, 5:30 p.m. The Galleria's annual tree lighting, with Santa photos and an artisan market.
- Monday, December 7, 5:30 p.m. The Galleria's Hanukkah celebration, with the menorah lighting at 6 p.m.
The Galleria posted its calendar in June, so check times before you head over. By the tree lighting, Ludo's corner may have a name, and the Le Pain Quotidien space may have its bagels.
Whether you own a long-held home off Ventura or a residence you lease out for part of the year, it helps to know which rooms on the Boulevard are changing hands and who is taking them over. If you'd like a quiet conversation about your own Sherman Oaks property, the team at LA Luxuries is glad to talk it through. Contact Us.
