Cathay Palisades owner David Leung was told the lease for his popular restaurant would not be renewed in the Business Block Building.
Cathay Palisades, the Chinese restaurant on Antioch, closed one year ago, on June 26. That business space remains empty, along with numerous other store fronts in the historic Business Block building along Antioch and Sunset.
Starbucks, at the corner of Sunset and Swarthmore, was downsized at the end of May/beginning of June, creating 1,200 sq.ft. of space for an undetermined future business. Humm…perhaps a Subway?
Cathay Palisades had been a fixture in town for 33 years when owner David Leung was informed by the landlord, Anderson Real Estate, that his lease would not be renewed.
“I was never late for rent,” Leung told Circling the News on March 15 last year. He said he had been searching for a new space since late 2021 and that he had asked the landlord for a short extension. He even offered to pay more rent but was turned down.
“Anderson Real Estate has no comment,” was the March 21 email that CTN received when it reached out to the landlord. The Business Block Building and Palisades La Cruz (the Chase Bank building on Sunset) are owned by the Anderson Company. Topa Property Management takes care of the commercial properties and is under the Anderson umbrella.
At the time Cathay was notified it would not receive a new lease, CTN asked a manager at the adjacent Cafe Vida about its lease, which was up in 2021. It had been renewed for five years.
Something smells bad with Anderson Real Estate and their Business Block Building. That Cafe Vida had its lease renewed when Cathay Palisades didn’t is criminal, tragic. I loved that restaurant. I almost want to call out racism, I don’t know what else to think. The space has been vacant for a year and David Leung hasn’t found a new location. What a waste of a good family business and a painful experience for the family that ran a successful family restaurant. (Joan Rivers loved that place and was seen there often) To heck with Anderson Real Estate.
I can’t tell you how often my family bemoans the loss of Cathay Palisades. The food was excellent, the service was fast, and the prices were reasonable. So many times we wish that reliable restaurant were still there, because it fit the bill perfectly, either for takeout or for an easy break from eating at home. We’ll never stop missing it.
I miss Cathay. Mr. Leung was accommodating, the food was good, with ample portions and rational prices. I rarely have meals in the Village now. Yes, I call it the Village, unabashedly. Paying $20 and up for lunch annoys me. I miss Mort’s and other places where the atmosphere was neighborly and the prices were reasonable for what was being served. The landlord’s ridiculous refusal to renew the rental contract for Mr. Leung’s Cathay, lost the last place for ordinary folks like me t0 have an easy dinner. Shame on the landlord.
I agree with Chris, Ruth and Joy. It would be wonderful if Cathay Palisades could come back with a REASONABLE lease. The community misses them.