With the rise of trendy dining comes the rise of rents. Word on the Venice street is that the landlord of the building that houses Jin Patisserie recently told the owner of this popular business that its rent was going from the already hard-to-swallow $5,000-a-month to a staggering $40,000 a month, a move that has the Abbot Kinney asset on the am-scray. Not too far from Jin, Yo Venice! sees that Lilly’s, the French cafe popular here for thirteen years, has decided to close up shop, too, with its chef, Francis Bey, set to explore “new adventures.”
Fortunately, Abbot-Kinney still has everyday French fare to be found at French Market Cafe and a sexy French atmosphere at new-ish wine bar Le Zinque. Still, it’s always sad to see a stalwart shutter after paving the road for today’s considerably less grimy Abbot-Kinney, despite Lilly’s insistence that “it’s not a sad thing.” Get your grub on now, as the Gaul is soon to vacate the building and you just never know what could come in its place.
Shuttered: Lilly’s French Cafe & Bar Venice [Yo! Venice!]
