THE countdown is on for a beloved “legacy” dining room, and longtime fans are already mourning what they fear could be a permanent goodbye.
The 99-year-old French favorite is set to shut before spring is out, with regulars warning, “I don’t think we’ll ever see that restaurant again.”
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A century-old Echo Park French restaurant is closing at the end of MarchCredit: Getty
From famous faces to familiar ones, Taix has been a meeting place for generationsCredit: instagram/@taixfrench
Co-owner Karri Taix said the personal stories from customers have hit hardestCredit: instagram/@taixfrench
Taix French Restaurant in Los Angeles’ Echo Park neighborhood will close its doors at the end of March.
“When you live in Echo Park, you can’t not know about Taix,” Andrew Garston, a longtime Echo Park resident and frequent customer told ABC affiliate KABC.
“I mean, it’s the established great dining destination in the neighborhood.”
The restaurant, known for classic French fare, was founded in 1927, making it the city’s oldest French restaurant.
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Its historic building is being cleared for a new multi-use development.
The owners stated that they sold the property due to financial necessity.
But they insist Taix isn’t meant to vanish for good.
“There’s also hope and we’re looking forward to trying to establish ourselves again when this building is completed as the keystone retail at this exact location,” said owner Michael Taix.
They said the plan is to reopen within the new structure in about three to four years.
From famous faces to familiar ones, the spot has been a meeting place for generations.
Co-owner Karri Taix said the personal stories from customers have hit hardest.
“The amount of stories that I’ve received, really heartfelt stories from people telling me about how they met here and their first Valentine’s Day, or whatever it is, it’s been just so heartfelt and touching,” she said.
Regular Helen McDonagh said the whole experience feels like family.
“The wait staff, the bar, I mean, even right down to the valets. It’s family and we’re going to be sad,” she said.
The redevelopment project has been in the works since 2019.
Holland Partner Group plans to build a six-story complex with 166 units of housing, including 24 units reserved for low-income residents, according to city records.
Plans also include 13,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space and 220 automobile parking spaces, The Eastsider reported.
Owner Mike Taix, 67, said he flew from Utah to Los Angeles to tell staff after learning construction was about to begin.
“They knew the end was coming, but they didn’t know when,” Taix said. “There is some sadness, for sure.”
Only a handful of pieces from the current building are set to live on.
The outdoor “Taix” and “Cocktails” neon signs will be preserved, along with the cherry wood bar top from the lounge.
The new Taix is expected to add outdoor dining, which the current location lacks.
The redevelopment will also eliminate another neighbourhood staple – the flea market held in the restaurant’s parking lot.
Taix said that market is set to close in the middle of April.
For now, the restaurant will keep serving Wednesday through Sunday through March 29.
Online, some locals blamed profit-driven development for erasing old Los Angeles.
“99 YEARS is enough to be a legacy I would think. Hollywood/LA keeps losing its charm, purely for profit, one historic building at a time,” one Facebook commenter wrote.
Another was even more blunt, “I don’t think we’ll ever see that restaurant again. And certainly never in that glorious old school form. ”
Dining and Cooking