Two of San Pedro’s favorite legacy restaurants announced closures this summer — but both are being eyed to reopen under new operators.
Still, the closures drew both surprise and concern on San Pedro social media platforms.
The Whale and Ale English Pub, on Seventh Street, and Babouch Moroccan Restaurant, on Gaffey Street, have served patrons for decades and have loyal followings as two of San Pedro’s dining favorites.
For the Whale and Ale — under new ownership — it was a matter of bad timing between the pandemic and the rocky economy right behind it.
“It was not an easy decision,” said Martin O’Sullivan, who, with his wife, Susan, put the offer in to take over the operation in December 2019. “Being Irish, we definitely were subject to Murphy’s Law — if it could go wrong, it did. We’d wanted to do this for the last 30 years and the time we picked to do it, there was a global pandemic.”
San Pedro developer Alan Johnson called the Whale and Ale’s closure on June 1 unexpected and sad.
“I hadn’t heard anybody talking about it,” he said in a recent telephone interview. “It’s one of the prettiest restaurants in town.”
Babouch, meanhile, has been a San Pedro mainstay since 1978 — captivating folks with its belly dancers and other lively entertainment.
The Babouch family owners announced earlier this month that the popular San Pedro restaurant will close in August.
“We regret to inform you, we have collectively made the decision to close our doors on August 27th, 2023,” the restaurant’s June 9 Instagram post said.
“The decision to sell and close was not an easy one but was made with careful consideration and has been on-going for a little over a year,” the post added. “As we near the final two months, we hope to have your support till our last day. Our farewell party will be held on Saturday, August 26th, and we would love to host you all for one last Rockin’ Moroccan celebration.”
The departing owners…
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