Venice's Wabi on Rose, Reborn After a Fire, Has Closed for Good

The Rose Avenue sushi and cocktail bar grew out of Wabi Sabi, an Abbot Kinney fixture for 19 years, and gave no reason for closing.

Wabi on Rose was a comeback from the start. Its predecessor, Wabi Sabi, ran for 19 years on Abbot Kinney Boulevard until an electrical fire destroyed it, Hoodline reported, citing The Hollywood Reporter.

Now the Venice sushi and cocktail bar at 512 Rose Ave. has closed for good, Westside Current reported Tuesday, and What Now Los Angeles put the run at six years. The second act had a rough start. Owners Sam Marshall and Tricia Small reopened under the new name in April 2020, just as the pandemic put new limits on indoor dining, so the first orders went out as takeout and curbside pickup, Hoodline reported.

In its Instagram farewell, the restaurant said it was “heartbroken to say goodbye but grateful you were part of our Venice love story,” Westside Current reported. Customers answered with their orders. “The best lychee martinis,” one commenter wrote, according to What Now. Another called the spicy margarita the best in town, and a third said the Rick James roll was “irreplaceable.”

Two of those three goodbyes were toasts to drinks. Rose Avenue lost a bar as much as a sushi counter.

A fire didn't finish Wabi, and opening into a pandemic didn't either. The goodbye post didn't say what finally did.

Source: westsidecurrent.com, retrieved October 16, 2026. Other sources: whatnow.com, hoodline.com, instagram.com.