West Harbor--Los Angeles' Landmark, 42-Acre Dining & Entertainment Destination--Shows Strong Demand For Waterfront Real Estate With Seven New Leases

LOS ANGELES, Aug. 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Los Angeles' pioneering dining and entertainment destination, West Harbor, announces over 65,000 square feet of newly leased space, plus 32,000 square feet of outdoor patio and overwater deck space, with the signing of seven new tenants. This latest round of updates represents 65 percent of the space currently available for lease. Despite challenges posed to the industry by the pandemic, this forward movement demonstrates strong demand for the project's signature features: abundant outdoor space and a location along Southern California's historic LA Waterfront.

Newly signed tenants—secured in partnership with brokerage firm Retail Insite—represent a vibrant and diverse mix of industry innovators; groundbreaking, immersive entertainment brands; and iconic dining and drinking destinations (hailing from Southern California; Austin, Texas; and beyond). Tenant concepts will build upon the intrepid work of West Harbor's team of internationally recognized architects and urban planners—including James Corner Field Operations and Long Beach-based Studio One Eleven—with enrichments like added mezzanine space and an expansive al fresco beer garden.

Confirmed tenants include:

• Yamashiro – a Los Angeles icon for over a century, this beloved institution is expanding for the first time in its storied history, making West Harbor—and in turn the LA Waterfront—home to its second location. The restaurant design will tap into the Old Hollywood aesthetic for which its known, with a signature Japanese garden and a seafood-centric, Japanese-fusion menu. The footprint will include over 3,000 square feet of outdoor patio space.
• Mike Hess Brewing – one of San Diego's premier, independent craft breweries (and formerly the region's first nano-brewery), Mike Hess Brewing brings the multi-award-winning concept to Los Angeles with its West Harbor debut. The sixth location for the brand, this expansive indoor/outdoor space will feature an on-site, 15-barrel brewhouse and fermentation tank farm and a 20,000-square-foot outdoor (dog-friendly) biergarten with alfresco games (including cornhole). Menus will feature a wide range of craft beers, seltzers, and ciders and SoCal-inspired food made from locally sourced ingredients.
• Hopscotch – Hopscotch provides distinct experiences through the curation of local, national, and international immersive and experiential art, all with the aim of eliciting joy and wonder by creating spaces where guests may explore beyond their day-to-day reality (utilizing virtual reality, digital media, and a variety of mediums). A newcomer to Southern California, this will be the brand's first West Coast opening. Its West Harbor location will exist as both an art gallery and food and beverage destination, with a 17,000-square-foot gallery and lounge space and almost 2,000 square feet of outdoor space.
• Poppy + Rose – with an impressive list of accolades including "best breakfast in LA" and "best chicken sandwich in LA," this beloved Southern California restaurant heads to West Harbor with its next location. While still offering their signature elevated country kitchen-styled comfort brunch food and drink that garnered the restaurant a cult following, the new location will also offer a dinner menu, complete with seasonal seafood sourced from the local fishing community. A nearly 2,000-square-foot outdoor patio and lush outdoor garden will complete the space. Owned by husband-and-wife duo Michael and Kwini Reed, the two have long been celebrated for their support of local hospitals, children's organizations, and social justice causes, as well as collaborations with other Black-owned businesses—a mission that will continue in the San Pedro community.
• Sugar Factory – boasting locations across the globe, Sugar Factory is now bringing its imaginative and playful experiential brasserie-meets-candy store to the LA Waterfront. Guests can expect seamless indoor/outdoor space, candy-inspired art installations, plus food and cocktails, all alongside the highly Instagrammable moments and celebrity sightings for which the brand is known.
• Jay Bird's Chicken – the quick-service, Nashville-style hot chicken restaurant will open its sixth location at West Harbor. Offering five levels of heat, the brand features a menu of sizzling favorites, such as its famous chicken sandwich served with coleslaw, pickles, "comeback sauce," and a bakery-made brioche bun. Jay Bird's also offers mashups like "Blazin' Fries" (crinkle-cut fries topped with mac and cheese and a spicy chicken tender) and the "Mac Daddy" (mac and cheese atop a fried chicken sandwich), along with classic sides (mac and cheese, waffles, and loaded potato salad). Locations can be found throughout Los Angeles and Orange County, with forthcoming openings in Arizona and Utah.
• A seventh restaurant lease is also confirmed for the dining and entertainment destination; this will be a Mexican cantina concept from the team behind Yamashiro and Sugar Factory. The space will feature an outdoor patio with over 5,000 square feet of space. Concept details are in development and will be released at a later date.

"The caliber of food, beverage, and entertainment brands that have signed on to West Harbor—several for their first-ever satellite or first locations in Los Angeles—affirms what an unprecedented, world-class waterfront destination this will be," says Wayne Ratkovich, Chairman of The Ratkovich Company.  "West Harbor will be a signature development for the region, and these leases announced today show the quality of offerings that will draw people to the LA Waterfront. We anticipate the remaining space to be signed up by year-end."

"This announcement demonstrates the resilience of our hospitality, entertainment, and retail sectors and underscores the exciting growth and development happening in San Pedro," says Los Angeles City Councilmember Joe Buscaino. "The curation of these world-class tenants for West Harbor was done with such great care that this destination is certain to become the darling of Los Angeles tourism."

"We are pleased to see the West Harbor team deliver such a strong mix of hospitality and entertainment entities for their development," says Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka. "This milestone builds on the billion-dollar investment in public access infrastructure the Port of Los Angeles has made over the past two decades—including $100 million in waterfront and recreational infrastructure for this exciting development. For every popular attraction that Southern California offers, there is nothing comparable to the visitor experience we are creating here on the LA Waterfront."

About West Harbor
West Harbor is a modern and vibrant harbor-side entertainment district featuring a broad array of retail, dining, and public attractions unlike any other in Southern California and beyond. It is an epic collaboration between two Southern California-based, family-owned businesses (The Ratkovich Company and Jerico Development) in partnership with the Port of Los Angeles, who together are redefining what the LA Waterfront can be. Like no space before it, it will juxtapose the bustling energy of a working port with the public at play, introducing an entirely new destination that expands public access to the entire waterfront. With multiple, compelling means of arriving at the destination: from courtesy slips and water taxis to bike paths and Metro's Express Lanes, visitors can essentially drive, bike, walk, and even sail to the destination. West Harbor will further link to the California Coastal Trail, seamlessly connecting the greater Los Angeles region to the destination. 

Complementing this new entertainment district are nearby businesses both historic and modern, including farmers' and pop-up markets, AltaSea (a cutting-edge marine research center and blue tech incubator), and the vibrant Downtown San Pedro Arts District. Groundbreaking for the project will begin in early 2022, with a public debut in 2023. To learn more about West Harbor and for updates on the project, visit WestHarborLA.com, follow @westharborlosangeles and West Harbor on Facebook.

SOURCE West Harbor

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