Two popular restaurants close

Lola’s on Harrison and Sugar Reef shuttered, newcomers on the way.

Two highly regarded restaurants in Hollywood — Lola’s on Harrison and Sugar Reef — recently shuttered after lengthy runs. But the cycle of restaurant life churns on, with newcomers on the way. I recently took a tour of Hollywood to see what’s happening. Here’s what I found downtown and on the beach.

Lola’s gone, HotsyTotsy coming soon

When chef Michael Wagner opened Lola’s on Harrison in 2007, it quickly created buzz as one of the better restaurants in South Broward. The restaurant was sleek and sophisticated and offered fresh takes on comfort foods such as Coca-Cola ribs with onion rings. Wagner sold awhile back, and the restaurant, at 2032 Harrison St., shuttered earlier this year. Now, a sign is posted in the door proclaiming it the future home of HotsyTotsy Bar & Grill (and the Sidecar Speakeasy).

State records show that Hotsy-Totsy was licensed in August, and the business is registered to a couple from Key West, but it is unclear

when the new restaurant will open. Stay tuned.

Sugar Reef shuttered

When Sugar Reef opened in 1994 on the Hollywood Broadwalk, it was as refreshing as an ocean breeze: a cozy and quaint bistro that offered polished food and service from a charming couple. Patrick Farnault and Robin Seger owned and operated the eatery for more than two decades.

Records show that the eatery changed ownership last year and was renamed Le Sugar Reef. The end apparently came a few weeks ago, and the property at 600 N. Surf Road now stands shuttered, with paper covering the windows and doors.

Piegari at the Costa

The new Costa Resort is coming to life on Hollywood beach, a sprawling, low-slung complex along several blocks just north of Hollywood Boulevard. A cafe named the Coffee Store recently opened. As I drove down the cavernous canyon between the buildings (also known as Pierce Street) I noticed signs for another new restaurant ...

The cursive bearing the name was hard to decipher. I was able to tell from clearer lettering on signs that the restaurant is coming soon, will be open for breakfast, lunch and dinner and is an Italian Steakhouse.

But I could not tell if the name was Rigatoni, Pieology or Cigani. Turns out it was none of the above. The name is actually Piegari, I discovered on the Costa website. The restaurant is an outpost of a Buenos Aires-based restaurant group. According to the website, Piegari is “a gastronomic icon in Argentina” that will “set the new standard for fine dining” in Hollywood with its “true artisanal Italian cuisine.” Oh, great, another upscale Italian restaurant for Hollywood.

Krakatoa goes brick-and- mortar

For the past year, Krakatoa Indonesian Cuisine has led a dual life: chef-owners John Anthony and Abe Muis have shuttled between the popular original at the weekend-only Yellow Green Farmers Market and a brickand-mortar spinoff on Hollywood Boulevard, which they opened last fall in the former home of Ends Meat Eatery.

After recent uncertainty and new parking fees at the market, Anthony and Muis decided the time was right to focus full-time on the downtown restaurant. All tenants at the market operate on month-to-month leases, so Krakatoa packed up and said goodbye to the Yellow Green market at the end of September. Anthony and Muis are banking on loyal fans finding their tasty and original offerings in the narrow space next to a psychic. Krakatoa, 1910 Hollywood Blvd., 754-221-0914, noon-10 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday.

Jr. B opens

The Jr. B name may be familiar to those who travel to Argentina. The chain featuring burgers, pasta, chicken, pastries and coffee has 20 locations in the South American nation and opened its first North American outpost earlier this year at 1948 Hollywood Blvd. The eatery is open daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner, from 8 a.m. (9 a.m. Saturday-Sunday) until 11 p.m. (12:30 a.m. Friday-Saturday), 256-664-1940, JuniorB.com.ar.

American English closes

Around the corner from Jr. B and Krakatoa, I found another restaurant casualty: American English on Harrison Street shut earlier this year. It occupied a prime corner that once housed Fulvio’s, opened in June 2016 and lasted just shy of two years. The restaurant was a homecoming for chef Russ Aaron Simon, who worked for Wolfgang Puck at Spago in Beverly Hills and Cut steakhouses around the world before returning to the city where he grew up. A broker’s sign is now posted on the side.

PHOTOS BY MICHAEL MAYO/SOUTHFLORIDA.COM Lola’s on Harrison in Hollywood recently closed after an 11-year run. The restaurant was sold and may soon open as a bar and grill.

Sugar Reef had been a fixture on the Hollywood Broadwalk since 1994, but the restaurant was sold in 2017, renamed Le Sugar Reef and closed in recent weeks.

PHOTOS BY MICHAEL MAYO/SOUTHFLORIDA.COM Krakatoa Indonesian restaurant on Hollywood Boulevard opened last year and recently closed its longtime flagship at Yellow Green Farmers Market.

Above: Piegari at the new Costa Resort on the beach in Hollywood. Left: The American English restaurant on Harrison Street in downtown Hollywood closed earlier this year.