Marina del Rey’s Nichols Restaurant, popular with an “early bird crowd” that still remembers when a cup of coffee only cost a nickel, is currently closed for renovations. On November 21st, the space plans to reopen as J. Nichols Kitchen, a more attractive magnet for a younger, less mummified crowd (you can tell because they put “Kitchen” in the name). The new restaurant will focus on U.S. comfort dishes and will upgrade the area’s caffeine supply by partnering with Verve Coffee Roasters from Santa Cruz for small batch beans and a Strada espresso machine from La Marzocco. What else?
According to the restaurant, the revamp is a completely new construction from the ground-up featuring exposed ceilings, “warm woods,” and tall windows. With new, contemporary restaurants like Vu, Killer Shrimp, and Le Cellier suddenly flooding into the Marina, until recently dominated by the likes of Cheesecake Factory and CPK, it sounds as if the owners at Nichols sense change in the air and are appropriately preparing.
J. Nichols Kitchen, coming to 4375 Glencoe Ave, Marina del Rey. 310-823-2283.
