Sale will allow the historic Los Angeles restaurant to reopen
Los Angeles, CA – September 11, 2025 – Jeffer Mangels Butler & Mitchell (JMBM) recently represented the Richard J. Riordan estate in the sale of the Original Pantry Café in Downtown Los Angeles to real estate entrepreneur, Leo Pustilnikov.
JMBM partner Sheri Bonstelle led the transaction, handling the land use due diligence, negotiation and sale, and partner Caleb Gilbert oversaw the real estate contracts.
The Pantry Café is an historic restaurant at the corner of 9th and Figueroa streets in Downtown Los Angeles that first opened in 1924, and moved to its current location in 1950. It offered 24-hour a day service, and was known for never being closed from its opening until the Covid pandemic. The restaurant was purchased in 1981 by former Los Angeles Mayor Richard (Dick) Riordan, who obtained designation of the property as a Los Angeles Historic Cultural Monument in 1982, and owned and operated the location until his death in 2023.
"The Pantry is sort of like the story of LA," Pustilnikov said in a statement. "It's had its ups and downs, and hopefully, much like LA and much like Downtown, the reopening will boost the rebirth of Downtown with everything coming to it."
About JMBM
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