Longtime Sawtelle restaurant back in business
By Dolores Quintana
Westside favorite Hurry Curry has opened officially in Santa Monica at 2901 Ocean Park Blvd Ste. 125. After losing their lease at their former space in Sawtelle Japantown, they closed in February of 2021, and after a year of waiting and the announcement that the restaurant would be open in their new Ocean Park storefront in March, Hurry Curry has finally opened their doors at the new location on May 3.
An Instagram post from the restaurant’s official account announced the good news yesterday.
When asked for a comment, Fred Serra, Chief Operations Manager of Hurry Curry of Tokyo said, “Once we announced we were not going/able to renew our lease on Sawtelle last year, the employee and customer support has been something I’ve never experienced in my 18 years in the restaurant business. I had a few hundred people reach out to me personally in the first few days of our announcement, devastated that their neighborhood spot of over 30 years was closing,”
Serra added, “Our customers showed up for the last two and a half weeks by the hundreds to get one last curry dish but also support our staff. Most of our employees are truly considered family as most of them have worked for us anywhere from five to 18 years for the restaurant. Once we closed and reflected on the amount of outreach from our customers, we knew we had to find another location. Within 1 year, we found our new home. We were able to hire back over 80% of our original staff which seems impossible to do these days and is a testament to their previous experience with our amazing customers! Everyone is excited we are back which makes it so special!”
Hurry Curry specializes in authentic Japanese curry and Yoshoku cuisine, which is Western food reinterpreted by Japanese chefs. The menu includes their signature curry dishes and pasta interpretations that include their fried chicken karaage, marinated in sake, with pasta and sauteed mushrooms, onions, bell peppers, corn and their secret white sauce. The restaurant developed a signature blend of 21 spices for their curry sauce after working with Japanese chefs in Tokyo to develop it and understand Japanese curry.
