Edobox by Makoto is set to replace Cowabunga Republic in Santa Monica, at 2912 Main Street, Japanese Chef and Owner Makoto Okuwa tells What Now Los Angeles (WNLA). The incoming eatery is on track to debut in early October.
At the heart of Okuwa’s new restaurant will be bento boxes, served to-go, out of the window-style itsy-bitsy 531-square-foot brick-and-mortar space. There is, however, tons of outdoor seating by way of a courtyard with a total footprint of approximately 1,956 square feet. The 40-seat courtyard (reduced to 20 for now to meet social distancing standards) is tucked away from the street behind a horsetail bamboo hedge wall and beneath a canopy.
Bento Boxes will cost $25+ each which can be paired with beer, wine, and sake. When ordering guests will be prompted to design their own box by selecting from a range of categories including salads, sides, proteins, noodles, bowls, and sashimi.
Okuwa secured a seven-year lease with options for the restaurant which officially began in late-August. Amid the ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic, Okuwa says he’s “grateful” to be able to open Edobox by Makoto this fall.
“I’ve been conceptualizing Edobox for some time now, and this location is exactly what I imagined. The timing felt right,” Okuwa said in a prepared statement provided later to WNLA. “My goal is to create a hospitable environment and menu that works now, and in the future, and brings something new, fresh, and exciting to the neighborhood.”
The restaurant will open from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, and 11 a.m. to midnight Fridays and Saturdays.
Okuwa is best known for his restaurant “Makoto” in South Florida’s Bal Harbour—which he owns in partnership with James Beard “outstanding restaurateur Stephen Starr, and consistently ranks among the top-performing independent restaurants in the country—and for Makoto outposts in Mexico City, Sao Paolo, and Panama. Edobox, launched by his own Meiso Hospitality, is the chef’s first fast-casual service.
Okuwa could soon release details regarding other hospitality ventures planned for the metro area, “but so far he’s being mum about future details,” according to further reporting by Eater LA.
[Editor’s note: this article was updated with additional details provided by a spokesperson Thursday.]
$25 Bento Boxes is not the move on Main Street in that location. That’s a sit-down restaurant price not a grab and go. He’s going to need some other options if he wants to have consistent local customers.
Yes. $25+ will be a hard sell on Main Street, which was already approaching 50% vacancy before the pandemic. It’s just not a tourist destination these days, which I assume is the market. And at those prices, by ‘tourist’ I mean ‘overseas millionaires!’