42-Year-Old Genghis Cohen Is Moving, But Has No Plans of Slowing Down
Some restaurants are so inextricable from their legendary spaces, it feels like one couldn’t exist without the other. Such is the case with Genghis Cohen, the Chinese-American Fairfax fixture that recently announced they were parting ways with their beloved location of 42 years at the end of May. Originally opened in 1983 by music producer Allan Rinde, the restaurant specializes in New York-style Chinese classics like crab rangoon and egg foo young. It’s also iconic for inspiring “The Chinese Restaurant” episode of Seinfeld.
Stepping into Genghis today feels like a 1980s throwback. It was taken over by hospitality vets Call Mom in 2015 and restored to nostalgic perfection, complete with neon signage, lantern-laden ceilings, and a circular fish tank shortly thereafter. Call Mom’s Marc Rose and Med Abrous drew inspiration from their childhoods in New York, shaping the menu to reflect their favorite Chinese American dishes. Now, due to an unsustainable rent hike and failed lease negotiations, Genghis unfortunately has no choice but to move on.
While the restaurant will resume operations at a new address just down the street (at least temporarily) beginning June 1, the search for a permanent space with an attached music venue is consuming Rose and Abrous. We sat down with the hospitality duo recently to discuss the past, present, and future of Genghis Cohen.
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When and how did you decide to relocate?
Med Abrous: It’s been a long and drawn-out process. We tried our best to make the current space work, and at some point, it became more than apparent there was no way we could actually stay. It wasn’t like one moment where we realized that we had to go — it was a long process of over three years to at least come to an agreement.
You’re closing and then reopening in a new location one day later. What goes into that? I would imagine quite a lot.
Marc Rose: I know it kind of sounds crazy, right? But when we purchased Genghis Cohen 10 years ago, we did something that was also kind of crazy. We didn’t want to stop service at all. I remember even during the escrow process, it was still quiet, the staff didn’t even know. Med and I were just in there watching and trying to learn about the business almost every day for three months straight. We pulled it off. Even when we renovated in the early days, we never closed. We would cordon off sections of the restaurant.
So we want to do the same thing now. When you have customers that are so loyal for so long, people rely on you. You’ve gotta get your Genghis fix. We wanted to keep that going. We’re going to open literally the next day for takeout and delivery. The dining room will not be open right away. We’re looking to do that three or four weeks later. If by some miracle it happens faster, we’ll do it.
What details can you share about the new space?
Abrous: It’s really great. It’s going to have approximately the same amount of seats. There’s a visual language to Genghis Cohen that will be a through-line, and provides an opportunity to get a little crazier than we are at our current space. One big difference and upside is the bar is 2.5 times as large, so there will be significantly more bar seating. We’re really excited to lean into the cocktail side of things and maybe even offer a late-night menu. It’s still really energetic and vibrant, and we’re really excited about it.
Rose: We’ve always embraced the fact that we’re on Fairfax Avenue. And the truth is we’re still going to be on Fairfax Avenue. We’re literally right down the street. We will be losing our music venue, which is why, for us, it will be a temporary space, about 16 months. We want a space with a venue.
We know what the Genghis vibe is — people are saying ‘You have to keep the fish tank, it’s iconic!’ Many people don’t know, but Med and I added the fish tank. It wasn’t there before; we just always thought it should have been. We understand what people love about Genghis Cohen. I’m not going to say we’re going to exactly replicate it because that wouldn’t be authentic. We’re going to mirror it in so many ways and tell the same story, maybe through slightly different color palettes here and there, but it’s still going to feel like Genghis Cohen. And our plan is to still be involved with music, even at this temporary stop. It’s part of the fabric of L.A.
Menu-wise, can we expect new dishes or anything to change?
Rose: I don’t think we’re going to take anything away. Med mentioned earlier that the bar is bigger, so we think we’re going to do later hours on the weekends. Our cocktail list will grow quite a bit. A mai tai or a lychee martini is already fun, but now we get to add a bunch of frozen cocktails on the menu, too.
Tell me about the early days when you first moved into this space. What made it speak to you?
Rose: Genghis Cohen has always been billed as New York-style Chinese food. Some people are kind of confused about what that is. We know exactly what it is because we grew up eating this kind of food … So what drew us to this space is that it brings a lot of nostalgia for us. We figured this style of food needed to be part of the American culinary vernacular for a long time to come. We thought if we could selfishly keep it going just so we could still eat the food, that would be great, but then also ensuring people in future generations could still enjoy it. I love how it’s so group- and community-based. Med always says it’s the original family style of eating. You’re all gathered at a big table around a lazy Susan and sharing, which just makes a perfect meal.
What will you miss most about this place?
Rose: We’re just going to miss the history of it, and the people that have been coming into Genghis for decades. For example, we have a friend who told us he was almost born at a certain table. We know what we bought 10 years ago. If you saw pictures from then, you would say it’s the same, but it’s very different. We’re going to miss a lot of the history, but I believe we can recreate a lot of the magic.
Abrous: The music room is the thing that’s really missing from the [new, temporary] location. We created that vibe 10 years ago and we’re confident we can make it better in a different space. It’s less about the actual environment and more about the memories.
What can you tell us about the search for a new permanent space?
Abrous: We’re constantly searching. There are some interesting prospects and I think we’re very grateful that since the announcement, there’s been an outpouring of support. Many people are trying to help find us a permanent home. There are some places that are super interesting and we’re really excited about that.
Any favorite memories before you move on?
Abrous: There’s countless memories, from the first days of operation to renovating. A lot of them have to do with family. Our kids have grown up in the restaurant. A lot of people’s kids have grown up in the restaurant. Many milestones have been celebrated here, whether it’s a moment of awe in the music room or time spent with family and friends.
Rose: There’s so many. We’re pretty positive about this because we love Genghis so much and we believe in it so much as a restaurant, and as a reliable cultural part of L.A. One thing I always think about is that the day we took official hold of the liquor license was the exact day of the 32nd anniversary of the restaurant. You don’t control when that happens, so the fact that it happened that day — there are some things in life that are just kismet. That’s why we’re going to keep fighting to keep it going on for years to come.
