LA’s Best New York-Style Chinese Restaurant Is Moving From Its 42-Year Fairfax Home

Genghis Cohen. | Jesús Bañuelos After being unable to negotiate a new lease, the beloved Chinese American restaurant is moving to a new temporary location New York-style Chinese American restaurant Genghis Cohen is relocating from its original, iconic Fairfax location of 42 years. The restaurant’s last day at 740 N.

Fairfax Avenue, a space that had a bar, multiple dining rooms, and a banquet-style back dining area for large groups, will be May 31. After the original location closes, Genghis Cohen will operate out of a temporary space down the street, at 448 N. Fairfax Avenue, while looking for a new permanent home.



The restaurant, which first opened in 1983, may be best known for being the inspiration for Seinfeld’s Chinese restaurant episode. Over the decades, it has become beloved in the Los Angeles community for its warm service, crispy crab rangoons, and as a go-to destination for the Jewish community in search of good Chinese food for Christmas. Owner Marc Rose and Med Abrous tell Eater the inability to secure a long-term lease that would be financially feasible is the primary reason for the relocation.

The pair say they have been in negotiations with the landlord for three years, working to find a solution that would work. “It’s been a very long and drawn-out process,” Abrous says. “Honestly, we fought tooth and nail to try to come to an agreement.

” The Los Angeles Times reports that N Fairfax Holdings LLC bought the property Genghis Cohen is located on five years ago. In November 2024, the company filed a commercial eviction against the parent LLC of Genghis Cohen, which is named No MSG, LLC. Genghis Cohen Rose adds that they always knew that their rent was going to go up, and they were prepared to pay more but the number their landlord presented to them was out of reach.

“After a long, drawn-out process, we finally came to the conclusion that we weren’t really a part of the long-term plans,” Rose says. “So perhaps things were presented to us that they knew was not possible or feasible.” According to Abrous and Rose, the landlord allegedly plans to redevelop the property.

Genghis Cohen was first opened by music producer Allan Rinde while he was working at Cherokee Studios. Missing New York-style Chinese food, Rinde purchased the pizza shop across from the studio to open Genghis Cohen. At the attached venue, Rinde would book bands he worked with.

In 1997, Rinde sold Genghis Cohen to longtime maitre d’ Raymond Kiu; 18 years later, in 2015, Rose and Abrous purchased the restaurant. Rose and Abrous feel the weight of the restaurant’s history on their shoulders. While faced with losing the restaurant’s original home, they felt a responsibility to protect its longevity.

“Had we made a decision that could have put the business in jeopardy, that’s on us,” Rose says. “It’s our job to protect that.” The duo is committed to not missing a single service, even in the transition period: The day after Genghis Cohen closes at 740 N.

Fairfax Avenue, delivery will start at the new location. At first, it will be delivery and takeout only, with dine-in service set to come soon after. Rose and Abrous plan to move decorations from the original Genghis Cohen to keep its spirit alive, even as it transitions.

“We want the vibes to be Genghis,” Rose says. They also guarantee that they will be open for Christmas service, advising people to set an alarm to book the prized reservations even earlier this year. “We’re gonna fight for Genghis, we’re gonna fight for our business, and we’re gonna fight for our community.

”The relocation of Genghis Cohen comes amid an upheaval among Los Angeles’s foundational restaurants. On April 13, 77-year-old Papa Cristo’s announced it was closing; just a month prior, 101-year-old the Original Pantry Cafe shuttered amid a conflict between the union and the owners. But Abrous sees the loss of these longstanding spaces as something that extends beyond just Los Angeles — impacting restaurants across the country.

“In order for not just our business, but for all these kinds of businesses to be sustainable, there needs to be an alignment between restaurants and landlords to make it work or find a creative solution,” he says. “We understand that things go up in price, food cost goes up, wages go up. These are all normal things, but when they become out of reach and unreasonable to the point of not being able to continue a business, that’s where something’s got to shift.

”But for now, Abrous and Rose are not giving up the fight. “We’re gonna fight for Genghis,” Rose says. “We’re gonna fight for our business, and we’re gonna fight for our community.

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