LA restaurant named best in the US slams doors shut after just 2 years over serious issues

Downtown Los Angeles’ dining scene just suffered another crushing blow.Sora Craft Kitchen, the intimate Turkish restaurant recognized as one of the best new restaurants in America by Esquire and spotlighted by the Michelin Guide, is closing its doors after a nightmare ordeal behind the scenes.

Chef and owner Okay Inak announced on Sunday that he will shutter his tiny eatery in just two weeks, revealing a nightmare of roof leaks, flooding, air conditioning issues, plumbing headaches, poor ventilation, and problems with the restroom that have pushed him to the breaking point.The biggest news, opinion and culture shaping California right now.

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Never miss a story “Sora has never been just a restaurant to me,” Inak wrote in an Instagram post.“It’s where I found my own voice as a chef.

I built this little place with my own hands and poured my heart, time, and everything I had into it.” The closure is particularly stunning considering Sora’s meteoric rise.The unassuming 16-seat restaurant, tucked along an a stretch of Each 12th Street, landed on Esquire’s prestigious list of the best new restaurants in America in December 2025 — an extraordinary feat for an operation run almost entirely by one man.

Then, in May, Sora scored another major coup when it was added to California’s Michelin Guide, where it earned praise for the modern interpretation of Turkish cuisine, spotlighting the sumac-cured tenderloin shish kebabs, Spanish octopus with Turkish white bean salad and cheese halva.But behind the rave reviews, Inak said, a far uglier reality was unfolding.“For a long time, I’ve been dealing with serious building problems and other challenges that have made running Sora more and more difficult,” he wrote.

“I’ve tried my best to find solutions, but I’ve reached a point where I can no longer ...