
3

"After opening in September last year, I learned Koreatown’s Sapor has suddenly closed: a tipster told me chef Matthew Ignacio gave notice to the entire staff and that Friday would be their final service, and the restaurant’s Facebook page has gone dark. Ignacio came to Los Angeles from San Francisco and set up Sapor’s tapas menu as a union between Korean and Spanish cuisine, featuring upscale small bites like galbi with bone marrow and patatas bravas with aioli; the cozy communal tables were appealing, and the spot seemed ready for evening diners with an outdoor patio. Copa d’Oro barman Vincenzo Marianella created a unique cocktail menu for the restaurant, and the space was well situated on the busy corridor of Wilshire near Harvard. When I looked at Sapor’s online menu today the options appeared more generic with hardly a hint of Korean influence, and the restaurant simply went dark without a trace; I reached out to Ignacio but did not hear back, and for the moment the prime Koreatown location might be on the market." - Mona Holmes