Steve's Deli Suddenly Closes

Steve's Deli at 1035 Swarthmore Avenue in Pacific Palisades closed its doors on Tuesday, to reportedly the surprise of even the staff. Notes written in crayon reading "closed" were taped to the front and back doors.

The sudden closing comes after owner Steve Taub closed The Oak Room in January, saying he planned to focus on turning Steve's Deli into an upscale wine bar and transform the kitchen. 

An email Tuesday from a Pali Patch reader noted a deli refrigerator unit had been cleared out by that afternoon. The reader said local children's guitarist Michael Cladis played Tuesday nights and had never been contacted about the closing. Cladis reportedly drove to the deli to find it closed with employees hanging out in the rear parking lot.

Patch visited The Oak Room Thursday night, where an event was being hosted. Taub, who was at the event, said his reasoning to close the deli was "neither here nor there," and not did not want to comment further. In January, Taub said he had no intention of selling or leasing The Oak Room space.

When Patch sought an update in April on the wine bar business venture for Steve's Deli, the new manager Taub hired in January was no longer working there.

Taub's former business partner and friend, Lenny Rosenberg, sold him The Oak Room in 2012 when he was experiencing health problems. Rosenberg opened a new deli in Westwood in January.

The shared spaces used to be Mort's Deli and the Village Pantry.

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