Echo Park this week said goodbye to Counterpart Vegan Restaurant. Owner and Executive Chef Mimi Williams announced at the top of the week that the restaurant had shuttered permanently, but that a new location could sprout back up in the neighborhood in 2021.
“To all our beloved friends and supporters, it is with a heavy heart that I share with you that we have made the incredibly difficult decision to close Counterpart Vegan today,” Williams wrote in a December 14 Facebook post. “When I joined the kitchen last year, I never imagined becoming an owner and having my vision for the restaurant celebrated with such genuine love and support. We were able to create pure sustainable art that was comforting and familiar during an uncertain time and we will come back stronger than ever to cook for you again.”
Williams did not explicitly cite the reason for closing but hinted at a possible dispute with the landlord. “Unfortunately, as is often the case in LA, what is good for the community and small businesses does not always matter to those in control of real estate, no matter how dire the circumstances are,” the restaurateur wrote. Reps for the landlord on Friday declined to comment when reached by What Now Los Angeles.
“Counterpart Vegan’s story and journey do not end here,” Williams wrote. “My hope is to reopen in a new location in Echo Park next year.” Williams and the team launched a GoFundMe “to support this next phase of development.” As of this publication, Counterpart had raised nearly $4,000 of its $100,000 goal.
