"One of the most frequent questions I get from readers is a recommendation for a peaceful place for a dinner and conversation in normal tones." That was Richard Foss, the longtime restaurant critic at Easy Reader, writing this summer. A few lines later he explained why he'd had so few answers: "While it's what many diners want, it's not what anybody has been building lately."
Since then, downtown Hermosa has picked up several of those places, and nobody had to build them. Each of these quiet rooms moved into a space that was already there: a former restaurant on Hermosa Avenue, a former bistro on Pier Avenue, a nondescript building on a side street. What makes each one calm is a limit its operator chose. One limits how many people it seats, one controls how the music is paced, and one closes early. Those choices, more than the decor, explain why a Saturday dinner a block from Pier Plaza now sounds so different from one on the plaza.
Same Room on Hermosa Avenue, New Rules
The clearest case is 1332 Hermosa Avenue. Decadence had closed there by July, and Easy Reader's July 22 column reported that its replacement, Kasai Records, offers "a curated old school DJ listening experience that starts off smooth in the early evening and escalates the energy level as the night goes on."
Foss's full review ran in Easy Reader on October 30. It notes that the layout "hasn't changed much since it was Decadence," and that the space feels entirely different. Dark wood now stands where stark white surfaces used to be. Low lighting has replaced the overhead glare. The corner that once held a wine display is now a DJ booth. It's the same room with a different set of rules.
Those rules come from Tokyo. Co-owners Ryan Stock and Skylar Tourigny, both Hermosa residents who had run restaurants for years, modeled Kasai on the Japanese listening rooms known as kissa. The first kissa opened in the 1920s for classical music lovers who couldn't afford record players or large record collections, and talking was discouraged there. Kasai lets guests talk. Stock told Easy Reader he saw "a great void for a place where you could sit down and just enjoy each other's company," set apart from the "plenty of high energy bars" nearby.
Pacing is what keeps the volume down. Early in the evening the booth plays whole album sides, so the DJ isn't working the crowd with one track after another. The review described country and folk rock from the '70s and '80s early on, with heavier guitar by about 10 p.m. Easy Reader's service notes rate the sound volume "moderate."
The kitchen takes the same care. Chef Hoon Lee, formerly of Redbird in downtown Los Angeles, changes the menu daily around skewers cooked over binchotan charcoal. The restaurant is named after the grill itself. "Kasai means fire in Japanese," Tourigny told Easy Reader, and Kasai is the brand on the grill they brought over from Japan. Foss's favorite was a bluefin tuna "ceviche" topped with salmon roe and an orchid. He also recommended the chicken salad with peach mostarda and a shiso martini.
A Side Street, and a Reservation Book That Stays Short
If Kasai controls its noise through the music, Covinten Café controls it through headcount. The café sits at 87 Fourteenth Street, which Foss described as "a nondescript building on a side street just north of Pier Avenue." It soft-opened in the last days of 2025 as a coffeehouse and bakery known for chandeliers, couches and a Persian carpet.
The evening version came in June, when Covinten got its beer and wine license and began serving French-inspired dinners on weekends. Chef-owner Mary Roy and her staff do all the cooking and also serve the tables, so the café takes only a few reservations a night. As Foss put it, "any time you visit the place won't be packed." In July the menu ran to two starters, two salads and six entrees. Foss also described soft jazz on the sound system and a silent film on a large screen, and he reported about $60 per person before tip with one glass of wine.
Covinten's own site lists dinner Friday through Sunday, 6 to 9 p.m. Reservations are required, and the last seating is at 7:30. Breakfast and lunch run Tuesday through Sunday, 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. A last seating at 7:30 is about as clear a limit as a restaurant can set.
The Quiet Room That Sits on the Plaza
The third conversion is on Pier Plaza itself. Malendrina Wine Bar took over the former Bonaparte Bistro space at 36 Pier Ave in what Easy Reader called "a quick turnaround." Chuck and Amanda Azar opened it with a menu of Palestinian and Sicilian small plates. Foss pointed out that the pairing is older than it sounds, since Sicily has traded with the Levant for thousands of years. He singled out a steak served with ammogghiu, a Sicilian pesto. He also called the wine list "expansive and fairly priced for the Pier Plaza location."
Malendrina's site lists hours of noon to 9 p.m. daily and takes both reservations and walk-ins. Here the limit is the clock. It closes at 9, on the one block of Hermosa best known for staying up late.
How the Three Compare
| Room | Address | Previous tenant or use | How it keeps the noise down | Evening hours as listed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kasai Records | 1332 Hermosa Ave | Decadence | Whole album sides early, rated moderate volume | Wed–Sun, 5–11 p.m.; weekend brunch 11 a.m.–3 p.m. |
| Covinten Café | 87 Fourteenth St | Daytime café and bakery | A few reservations per night, staff cook and serve | Fri–Sun, 6–9 p.m., last seating 7:30 |
| Malendrina Wine Bar | 36 Pier Ave | Bonaparte Bistro | Closes at 9 p.m. on Pier Plaza | Daily, noon–9 p.m. |
A fourth address works on the same idea. AttaGirl lists lunch and brunch menus alongside an "ASAP Monday" menu. In July, Easy Reader described that Monday offer as any spritz paired with any pasta. Hermosa Avenue's grown-up dinner options now reach into the middle of the day and the start of the week.
Even the Landmarks Changed Hands Quietly
The same thing happened downtown this fall when ownership changed hands. Easy Reader reported on October 7 that Brian Eldridge and Patrick Mescall of the South Bay Hospitality Group had taken over Java Man and Ocean Diner Café. The group is better known for cocktail spots such as Paddy O'Brien's, the Hula Hula Room, Tiki Kai and The Bounty Room. Both crews stayed on, including Nicolas Herriera and Daniel Nava at Java Man. The same group has run Eat At Joe's for more than a year and has mostly left it as it was. As with Kasai, Covinten and Malendrina, the room stayed and the change came in how the place is run.
Hermosa for the Holidays, Before and After the Crowd
The calendar will test all of this soon. The 6th Annual Hermosa for the Holidays runs Saturday, November 21, and Sunday, November 22, in downtown Hermosa. The Hermosa Beach Chamber Foundation produces it with the City. Here's how the posted schedule lines up with the quieter rooms:
- Saturday, November 21. The Holiday Pop-Up Market and Letters to Santa run on Pier Plaza from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Live music plays at Java Man from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and the Ferris wheel runs from noon to 9 p.m. South Bay Music Connection's Rock the Plaza concert goes from 2 to 7 p.m. That leaves Kasai's 5 p.m. opening and Covinten's 6 p.m. dinner falling in the middle of the concert.
- Sunday, November 22. Pics with Santa runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., the Nonprofit Giving Village from 1 to 6 p.m., and Jeremy Buck's Rock for Tots concert, now in its 20th year, from 4 to 8 p.m. The Tree Lighting Ceremony with Santa's arrival runs from 5:45 to 6:15 p.m. on Pier Plaza. Covinten's Sunday dinner starts at 6 and Malendrina stays open until 9, so either one works for a meal right after the lights go on.
The City's calendar keeps going after that weekend. It lists a Sand Snowman Contest on December 5, a Community Chanukah Celebration on December 6 and the California Great Santa Stroll on December 12. Each of those events will bring crowds downtown, and each of these rooms keeps its noise down its own way, whether by staffing, by album side or by closing time.
If you'd like to talk through how a new tenant or a change of ownership on your own block affects your home, Lauren Forbes Group would be glad to hear from you. Schedule a private consultation.