Total bummer alert: After only five months, Culver City’s excellent MoKo is calling it quits. We loved the place and were waiting for J. Gold to bring it the crowd it deserved, but sadly the critic’s praise arrived just one week before the restaurant, which we noticed was dark on Tuesday evening, disappears. Even worse, a PR rep for MoKo tells us chef Gary Robins is facing “severe health issues.” We truly wish the super-talented chef well with a full recovery. So what’s up next for the space?
Apparently, owner Will Shin feels that to go on without Robins wouldn’t be right, so he’s turning the business into G2, which stands for Gyenari 2 (we know, we know…). To that end, Shin will make Gyenari 2 an ode to his favorite Koreatown spots, with cheaper options and better barbecue, with all-you-can-eat barbecue and brisket sliders. Expect the neighborhood to be confused when G2 opens on September 1, while we eagerly await the return of Robins to a nearby kitchen.
