Two Empty Restaurants on Manchester Avenue

Once upon a time, 226 W. Manchester Avenue was home to Smith's Wood Barbecue. In slightly more recent years, it was seafood restaurant Mariscolandia.

The low-slung, black-painted, red-tile-roofed 1948 building has been empty since 2008, and is sporting some fresh graffiti tags.

I am at a loss as to why it's been sitting empty for 16 years (!), but a quick look at ZIMAS suggests its days are numbered. Applications to demolish the existing restaurant date back to 2019. More recently, the owner applied to build a new one-story retail building. The overall goal seems to be redeveloping the lot into a new shopping center.

Less than a mile down the road at 803 E. Manchester Avenue, Oh Manna Fish Market has looked abandoned for years. The restaurant, located in a former Der Wienerschnitzel A-frame building, has a lengthy history of being tagged, has serious damage to its roof signage, and has been protected by a metal fence for years.

Oh Manna Fish Market has been reported closed by customers, many of whom raved about their generous portions, fair pricing, and flavor. LADBS has received complaints about graffiti, trash, and debris. (There are conflicting reports regarding whether it really is closed or not - can anyone confirm? I wasn't able to reach the restaurant via phone.)

In 803 E. Manchester's case, permits tell an interesting story. The lot also corresponds to the addresses 801 and 801 1/2 E. Manchester, and a permit was issued for a two-story duplex. Scroll through Google Street View's history and you can see the duplex appear in 2022.

The owner of 801-803 E. Manchester clearly cares enough about the property to add value with a duplex, but what about the poor tagged-up A-frame?

The only recent-ish permit on file for the A-frame was a permit for a temporary electrical pole, issued three years ago. No demo plans, but no apparent plans to fix up the building, either.

Huh.

226 W. Manchester Avenue, Avalon Gardens.

803 E. Manchester Avenue, Avalon Gardens.

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