"Sometimes the universe tells you it's time," Rob Serritella told the Larchmont Buzz about closing Louise's Trattoria. The restaurant at 232 N. Larchmont Blvd. has been open for 38 years.
The last day of service is planned for Wednesday, November 25. Serritella has already picked the next tenant: Layla Bagels, which plans to open in the space in early 2027. So a room that has served focaccia and pasta at dinner since 1988 will reopen as a place for morning bagels. Over the past twelve months, most of the food businesses that opened on Larchmont have been daytime places too.
Thirteen Days, Counted From Today
From today, Thursday, November 12, Louise's has less than two weeks left. In their farewell notice, which MyNewsLA quoted, Rob and Karen Serritella asked guests to "join us one last time to celebrate great food, good friends, and of course, our Legendary Focaccia Bread!"
The Buzz described November 25 as a hope rather than a guarantee. Serritella wants to stay open until then, but he is also helping his longtime staff find new jobs, and the Buzz's advice to anyone planning a last meal was to come "sooner rather than later."
| Date | What's happening on Larchmont |
|---|---|
| Sunday, Nov. 15 | Junior League of Los Angeles Rainey Market, 630 N. Larchmont Blvd., 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.; VIP entry only until noon, timed general admission after that |
| Sundays, Nov. 15 and 22 | Larchmont Village Farmers Market, 209 N. Larchmont Blvd., 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. |
| Wednesday, Nov. 25 | Louise's planned final day of service, plus pickup for preordered Thanksgiving meals |
| Wednesday, Nov. 25 | Farmers market, 1 to 5 p.m., with compost drop-off |
| Thursday, Nov. 26 | Louise's is closed for Thanksgiving Day |
Louise's last day falls on the day before Thanksgiving, which is also the day preordered Thanksgiving meals are picked up. A household that orders the holiday meal from Louise's will collect it during the restaurant's final service. The Wednesday farmers market runs that same afternoon a short walk down the boulevard.
The Fourth Louise's, and the Last One
Louise's started in Santa Monica in 1978. The Larchmont restaurant opened in November 1988 as the chain's fourth location, and the Los Angeles Times review the next year ran under the headline "Louise's Fourth Trattoria Is Another Hit." Marty Breverman owned the Larchmont location outright. He supplied the Buzz with a photo of the opening team, which first ran in the Larchmont Chronicle, and Breverman stands at the center of it.
The chain grew and then shrank. MyNewsLA reported that an East Coast expansion led to a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing in 1997, followed by years of consolidation. The same report described the chain as an early-career stop for chefs who went on to shape Italian cooking in Los Angeles, including Gino Angelini, Nicola Mastronardi and Lucio Bedon. The Buzz added that Guy Fieri once worked for the company as a district manager.
The other locations either closed or were turned into new restaurants. The Los Feliz Louise's became Mess Hall and was later sold. The original Santa Monica restaurant became Holy Cow, a barbecue place Serritella still owns, along with The Little Pie. After the Pico Boulevard location closed, Larchmont was the only Louise's left. Serritella brought his grandmother's meatball recipe to the menu and developed the restaurant's signature focaccia. "We must have served over 10 million pieces of focaccia over the years in all the different locations," he told the Buzz.
The Man Who Opened the Room Is Bringing in the Next Tenant
The handoff to Layla goes through Breverman, the same man who opened the restaurant in 1988. The Larchmont Buzz reported that Serritella is turning the space back over to his friend Breverman, who has been working with the two brothers who started Layla Bagels. Breverman has worked on Larchmont before, with La Brea Bakery, and he most recently helped reopen Sweet Lady Jane.
"It's like I'm coming full circle back to Larchmont after 40-plus years," Breverman told the Buzz. He said more details about Layla would follow.
Serritella told the Buzz he chose the next tenant carefully. "I wouldn't have sold to just anyone; it's like selling your house. You want someone who is going to be good for the neighborhood." Both men praised the building's owner, Fred Leeds, whose approval let the deal close quickly.
What Layla Brings
According to the Los Angeles Times, brothers Harry and David Wexner founded Layla Bagels. Sergio España runs the bagel program, and Sammi Tarantino oversees sandwiches and drinks. The Times describes hand-rolled sourdough bagels baked fresh each morning, and sandwiches topped with seasonal produce from farmers markets.
Layla's first shop opened at 1614 Ocean Park Blvd. in Santa Monica on January 14, 2023. At the time, Eater LA described España's bagels as a cross between Montreal and New York styles. The next location was in Beverly Hills, at 223 South Beverly Drive in the former Umami Burger space, which Eater LA reported in late 2023. Larchmont is next, with an opening planned for early 2027.
Louise's started in Santa Monica, and so did Layla. The Wednesday and Sunday farmers market at 209 N. Larchmont is also close by for a kitchen that builds its sandwiches around market produce.
A Year of Morning Openings
The change from dinner to breakfast at 232 N. Larchmont continues a pattern on the boulevard. Here is what has opened or announced plans along the strip since last November:
| Address | Business | What it is | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| 127 N. Larchmont Blvd. | Max & Helen's | Diner from Phil Rosenthal and Nancy Silverton | Opened late 2025 |
| 654 N. Larchmont Blvd. | Color Me Mine | Paint-your-own-pottery studio | Opened Nov. 8, 2025 |
| 148 N. Larchmont Blvd. | Go Greek Yogurt | Frozen Greek yogurt | Opened May 16, 2026 |
| 201 N. Larchmont Blvd. | Alfred Coffee | Coffee | Sign up; announced for November 2026 |
| 232 N. Larchmont Blvd. | Layla Bagels | Sourdough bagels and sandwiches | Planned for early 2027 |
Max & Helen's started the run. The Larchmont Buzz reported last November that the diner was in its second week of friends-and-family service and aimed to open to the public before Thanksgiving. When the Los Angeles Times reviewed it in April, its daily hours were 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Go Greek Yogurt came next. Owner Yan Yampolsky told the Larchmont Buzz that the first week after the May 16 opening would be a soft opening. Alfred Coffee has put its sign up at 201 N. Larchmont, the corner just north of Louise's, and the Larchmont Village listing still describes it as coming in November 2026. Color Me Mine, the pottery studio at the north end of the strip, turned one on November 8.
Put together, these addresses describe a stretch of Larchmont that is getting busier in the morning. Coffee is coming at 201, bagels at 232, and diner breakfasts are served at 127. All three are within a short walk of the farmers market at 209. The one long-running Italian dinner room in that cluster is the one closing.
Before the Room Changes Hands
Serritella told the Buzz that he is planning a get-together for Louise's alumni before the restaurant closes, and that he is using his network to help longtime employees find new jobs. For everyone else, the plan is simple. Book a table before the 25th, or preorder the Thanksgiving meal and pick it up on the last day. The Larchmont Buzz will post more on Layla's opening next year, and Breverman has promised details soon.
Serritella compared choosing his successor to selling a house, and that comparison matches how we work. When a long-held property on a street like Larchmont changes hands, the choice of buyer, the timing and the story behind the place all affect the sale. If you are thinking about passing on a home with that kind of history, Barry Gray and our team would be glad to talk through how to do it with the same care. Schedule a Free Consultation.
