Santa Monica's iconic Misfit Bar and Restaurant closes amid 3rd Street Promenade revitalization push

Another closure on 3rd Street Promenade

Vacancies are rising in the once popular 3rd Street Promenade in Santa Monica.

SANTA MONICA, Calif. - A staple of the Santa Monica dining scene is serving its final rounds on Saturday after more than a decade in business.

What we know:

The Misfit Bar and Restaurant saw lines wrapped around the block Friday evening, with some customers waiting over three hours for a final table. 

According to the restaurant’s website, the closure is due to "lease issues and problems downtown." 

This departure comes as a tracking map of the 3rd Street Promenade shows that 28.5% of storefronts are currently empty. 

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To address safety concerns in the district, city officials confirmed a new police substation is scheduled to open just a stone's throw from the Promenade in a few weeks.

What we don't know:

The specific details of the lease dispute remain private, as the restaurant management did not return calls for comment. 

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While there are "some indications" that the Misfit may reopen in a new location, the ownership has not confirmed when or where that might happen. 

What they're saying:

Longtime customers expressed deep nostalgia, with one patron recalling, "When our relationship officially started 12 years ago, we shared our first kiss here."

Despite the closure, Santa Monica City Councilwoman Lana Negrete pushed back against the narrative of decline, stating, "We are bouncing back. So we have 17 businesses opening in the next few months. And we're actually at about 70% occupancy." 

She characterized the current state of the Promenade as a reinvention, noting that while things were bleak two years ago, the city has "bottomed out" and is now moving upward.

What's next:

The city is banking on a "strong" comeback fueled by nearly 20 new business leases starting in the coming months. 

A massive summer concert series on the beach is also in the works to draw crowds back to the shopping district.