I’m ill.
Maria’s Italian Kitchen is leaving Brentwood Village and will be gone by the end of 2024.
Like many Brentwoodians, I love the place and have been going there for decades. Maria’s has been in this same location for 52 years.
Owner Maddy Alfano said she was presented with a rent increase she simply couldn’t afford.
“We have cherished being part of this community, but due to rising costs, we must relocate,” said Alfano. “I am grateful to have created so many memories and made so many friends,” she added.
Madelyn Alfano, owner of Maria’s Italian Kitchen.
Alfano grew up in the business, working at Maria’s in her youth. Many of the recipes are family recipes.
“In 1968, my parents, Maria and Don, moved our family from Hoboken, NJ, to Los Angeles, where they took over the Village Mart Grocery Store in Brentwood Village,” according to Alfano. “My mom began cooking her famous meatballs, lasagna, and eggplant parmesan in the Meat Department, eventually converting the garage into the first Maria’s Kitchen.”
Continued Alfano: “For over 52 years, we have cherished being part of this community, but due to rising costs, we must relocate. This is a very sad day for me and my family. But I have been blessed to have great memories and friends in Brentwood. So long to the Brentwood Village but not to our Brentwood community.”
Maria’s, back in the 1960s.
Maria’s will soon move to 3032 Wilshire, at the NW corner of Wilshire and Berkeley in Santa Monica. That’s 1.5 miles away from the heart of Brentwood, an 8-minute drive.
One advantage of this new location: Unlike Brentwood Village, Maria’s new location offers lots of free parking. There will also be dedicated spaces for pickup and delivery. Maria’s will also keep the same phone number: 310-476-6112.
A recent photo of Maria’s.
I don’t think I could count all the times I went to Maria’s or called in for delivery or pickup. My grown children, now living out of town, always want to go to Maria’s when they visit. They loved Maria’s growing up. Alfano said she hated to leave, but felt she had no choice. She doesn’t know what will go in that location once she vacates.
Maddy has always been a great contributor to the Brentwood community. She has been a strong spokesperson for small business owners in Brentwood. Brentwood is an amazing place, but slowly but surely, we are losing pieces of our soul. Our treasured hangouts are disappearing, one at a time. I still miss Regular Jons and Spangles. The Brentwood Inn, in Brentwood Village, was a great watering hole.
In recent years we lost Early World and Souplantation, California Pizza Kitchen recently vanished. New York Bagel Co. is about to go. And now Maria’s. Ouch. New restaurants that arrive in Brentwood, replacing the old ones, are almost always very fancy – and very expensive.
They just aren’t the same, I’m sorry. I know I’m not the only one who thinks this. My buddy Josh Stephens is always saying we need a pub in Brentwood. I couldn’t agree more.
If anyone wants to explore creating a great Brentwood hangout – a real gathering place where we can show up in T-shirts and blue jeans – please get in touch: jeffhall@mirrormediagroupla.com.
Maybe we can come up with a plan and find local backers. Best of luck to Maddy Alfano and the entire Maria’s team. I think Maria’s food is the best. I know I’ll make the hike to Santa Monica often enough. But my wife and I can walk to Maria’s now, and we will miss that.
