In May 2023, Topanga Social opened in the old Sears space at Westfield Topanga with 27 food and drink options. Diners ordered from large touchscreens that showed every restaurant's menu, then picked up their food at the counter under each restaurant's sign. By May 2026, KTLA reported that the hall had largely collapsed, less than three years after it opened. The version that reopened over the summer was built on a simpler idea. Westfield's management dropped the shared system and went back to the format the mall's second-floor food court has always used.
That change explains most of what you'll find there now. It also explains why Chain, the newest and most talked-about tenant, describes the setting the way it does.
How the first version worked, and where it ran into trouble
The original Topanga Social had an unusual business setup. Many of its restaurants didn't lease their stalls. They signed licensing agreements with a separate company that ran the hall, including staffing and supplies, and that kept the businesses at arm's length from their own operations. The early lineup included Fat Sal's, Mini Kabob, Burrata House, Poke Me, Shrimp Daddy and Temaki by Seaweed Handroll Bar. There were also two indoor bars, live music, DJs and a patio near the south entrance. A 28,000-square-foot Pinstripes bowling alley, bar and restaurant opened next door in November 2023.
Early traffic was strong, but it faded quickly, according to business owners KTLA interviewed. The complaints KTLA reported were about prices, limited parking, noise and the central ordering kiosks. In February 2026, the operating company announced it was laying off 131 employees. Three months later, most of the restaurants and both bars had closed. Pinstripes lasted less than two years.
What the businesses that stayed open had in common
Wanderlust Creamery was one of the few businesses still open in May. Co-owner John Patrick Lopez gave KTLA a simple explanation that had nothing to do with the hall's design. "AMC pulls in good traffic, so people come downstairs to us from the movie theater and from the rest of the mall," he said. The AMC multiplex sits two stories above Topanga Social. Red Door Escape Room also stayed open through the transition.
Wanderlust is still on Westfield's current Topanga Social roster. Its listed hours are:
- Monday through Thursday: noon to 8:30 p.m.
- Friday and Saturday: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
- Sunday: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
The late Friday and Saturday closing time fits Lopez's point. Ice cream after a movie is a mall habit, and the shop is set up for it.
Three changes that make it work more like a food court
KTLA's August 31 report described what Westfield changed for what it calls "the next chapter" of Topanga Social.
- The kiosks are gone. You now order and pick up at each restaurant's counter, the way you would at a regular mall food court.
- Management has said why. In a statement to KTLA, it said customers found the kiosks "disconnected and less authentic than ordering at the stall with the availability to talk to a human."
- Kitchens are no longer shared. According to managers, each stall now cooks its own menu.
Taken together, these changes give each counter back to its own operator. When you order at Umari, the person who takes your order works for Umari, and Umari's kitchen cooks the food.
The current lineup
Most of the empty stalls now have new tenants. Here's how the roster breaks down from KTLA's report and Westfield's current Topanga Social page:
| Category | Names |
|---|---|
| Food counters | Umari Hand Roll Bar, Kabob Social, Cilantro Lime, Pompadour Cafe, Ozzy's Apizza, Mr. Chubby |
| Bars | Chubby Cove, Chubby Social |
| Sweets and coffee | Wanderlust Creamery, Brewser's Coffee, Goooey |
| Also on the roster | Nugtown |
| Entertainment | Hole in One Mini Golf, Red Door Escape Room, The Loop anime merchandise pop-up |
| Residency | Chain, through February 2027 |
Mr. Chubby is a local Asian food chain, and it comes from the same group that reopened both bars. "What excited us most was the vision of creating a destination where great food, entertainment, and hospitality all come together," Chubby Group spokesperson Octavio Luna said in a press release. Westfield doesn't list hall-wide hours or a current live music or events calendar for the space, so check each counter's hours before you go.
Chain treats the mall food court as the point
B.J. Novak's Chain started as a pop-up that reworks nostalgic fast food and chain restaurant dishes. Topanga Social is its first long-term residency. Chain's chief creative officer, Nicholas Kraft, told Eater: "The mall food court is one of America's greatest dining institutions." That's the same argument the relaunch's management is making. The tenant with the most media attention came for the food court format the original hall moved away from.
The residency was set to open on September 2. According to the Los Angeles Times, it takes up four stalls through February 2027. One serves desserts made from cereal, one rotates through collaborations with a retail food brand, and the others serve Chain's house menu alongside four dishes from well-known chefs. All items are $8 to $18. One stall also sells vintage glassware from fast-food chains.
These are the four chef dishes listed on Chain's site:
| Chef | Dish | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Roy Choi | Charred Chicken Teriyaki Bowl | $18 |
| Mei Lin | Mapo Wagyu Cruncho Perfecto | $17 |
| Mason Hereford | Spicy Chicken Chainwich | $16 |
| Calvin Eng | Crispy Cantonese Fishwich | $16 |
The Times describes Lin's dish as inspired by the Crunchwrap Supreme, made with Sichuan peppercorn, fried wonton wrappers and farmers market produce. It calls Hereford's sandwich a riff on Wendy's spicy chicken and Eng's a version of the Filet-O-Fish made with fish and shrimp. The house menu includes a Wagyu ChainBurger, a chicken tender wrap, tenders, a Cruncho Perfecto taco salad and curly fries.
The cereal stall, Chain Snacks, is a partnership with General Mills. Its listed items include:
- Honey Nut Cheerios matcha drink
- Trix slush
- Reese's Puffs churros
- Lucky Charms taco
- Cookie Crisp ice-cream sandwich
- Golden Grahams s'mores bar
- Cinnamon Toast Crunch tiramisu
The brand collaboration stall changes over time. Westfield listed the Cheez-It menu as available in September only. Chain's posted hours are noon to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday. Kraft told Eater that the six-month run could be extended.
What's announced but not open yet
Most of what's been announced for the area adds more restaurants and games. Opening dates are uncertain for nearly all of it, so here's each item's status as of early October:
- Kura Revolving Sushi Bar was announced in November 2025 for Space 1290 at the mall. Westfield still lists it as coming soon, with no date.
- Great Big Game Show, an interactive game show experience, is listed as coming soon on Level 1, with no date.
- Cache 58, a fine-dining Mexican restaurant from chef Ruben Barragan, was preparing to open at Westfield Topanga as of a September 29 report. That report gave no exact date.
- The Escape Game was reported on October 1 as coming to Westfield Topanga, with no opening date announced.
- Bread Head plans to open its fourth location in December 2026 at The Village at Westfield Topanga, at 6316 Topanga Canyon Blvd. in the former Veggie Grill space.
- Din Tai Fung is expected at Westfield Topanga sometime in 2027.
No plans have been announced for the former Pinstripes space. Geoff Mason, an executive vice president at Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, described the new Topanga Social as "a thoughtfully curated mix of culinary concepts, immersive moments, and community programming." Chain's residency is the first real test of that description, and it's scheduled to run through February 2027.
Kevin Godley follows changes like the Topanga Social relaunch because they affect day-to-day life around Warner Center. If you want to talk about how new openings and the plans for spaces like the old Pinstripes fit into your own plans, Kevin Godley is glad to help. Let's Connect.
