A Culinary Shake-Up: Closure of Best Bet Pizzeria and Chef Jason Neroni’s Departure from The Rose Venice
By Dolores Quintana
Jason Neroni, founder and chef of Best Bet Pizzeria in Culver City, who has led The Rose Venice as chef since 2015, has stepped away from both restaurants. Best Bet held its final service on Sunday, December 17, with an abrupt closure taking the restaurant scene by surprise. The restaurant had only been open for about five months since its opening in July of 2023 and was well-loved for its superb, flavorful pizzas and sturdy cocktails.
Sprout, the hospitality group that also operates Redbird, Republique, Vespertine, and Yangban, and Chef Neroni released a joint statement via email to Eater Los Angeles after Best Bet’s closure.
The emailed statement said, “After a decade of work together on The Rose Venice, Catch & Release, and Best Bet, Chef Jason Neroni and his partnership group are announcing their mutual decision to part ways. Chef Neroni has been on the front lines of the restaurant industry for 30 years, and after Covid and a particularly rough year of personal loss, he has decided to take a step back from day-to-day operations to focus on his family and his hospitality consultancy. We thank you for your support over the years.”
While Best Bet is no longer, The Rose Venice will continue operations as usual. Eater Los Angeles quoted Sprout: “We are fortunate to have a great team in place. We will be exploring all options for who we bring on board in the new year.” The restaurant group added that they plan to open a new restaurant at the A-Frame building but have no concrete plans as of now. When asked by Eater LA if the now laid-off employees of Best Bet were offered severance, Sprout declined to comment.
