"AMC pulls in good traffic, so people come downstairs to us from the movie theater and from the rest of the mall."
John Patrick Lopez, co-owner of Wanderlust Creamery, told KTLA this in May 2026. Most of Topanga Social had gone dark by then. His ice cream counter was one of the few still open in a hall that had launched three years earlier with more than two dozen places to eat, bars, live music and DJs. His explanation is the best way to read what reopened at Westfield Topanga this fall. The new Topanga Social feels much less like a night out you plan for. It is set up to catch people already in the building, and the biggest source of those people is the theater upstairs.
What emptied the hall
Topanga Social opened in 2023 in the old Sears space. Business owners told KTLA that the crowds from opening faded quickly. KTLA reported these complaints from guests:
- Prices felt too high
- Parking was too limited
- The hall was too noisy
- Ordering went through central touchscreen kiosks that showed every restaurant at once
In February 2026, the company formed to run Topanga Social announced it was laying off 131 employees. By May, most of the restaurants and both bars had closed. Wanderlust Creamery and Red Door Escape Room were among the businesses that stayed.
Most of those complaints were about how ordering worked, more than about the food itself. That is the part the relaunch changed.
Counters are back
Management has removed the central kiosks, so you now order and pick up at each restaurant's own counter. KTLA called it "just like a typical mall food court." Management was frank about why. In a statement to KTLA, it said customers had found the kiosks "disconnected and less authentic than ordering at the stall with the availability to talk to a human."
The kitchens changed too. In the first version, restaurants shared kitchens. Now each stall cooks its own menu. For anyone at the counter, that means the person taking your order works for the place making your food.
Who moved into the stalls
As of KTLA's August 31 report, most of the empty stalls had new tenants:
Umari Hand Roll Bar. Hand rolls, ordered at the counter.
Kabob Social. Kabobs, in a stall of its own.
Cilantro Lime. One of the new counter tenants.
Pompadour Cafe. A KTLA viewer photo shows it open inside the hall on August 29.
Ozzy's Apizza. Pizza, one of the five headline additions.
Mr. Chubby. KTLA describes it as a local Asian food chain. The same Chubby Group also runs the two reopened bars, Chubby Cove and Chubby Social.
Westfield's current Topanga Social page also lists Brewser's Coffee among the brands open now, serving specialty coffee, lattes, matcha and tea. Wanderlust Creamery is still on the roster.
This lineup leans toward quick meals at moderate prices: hand rolls, kabobs, pizza, coffee, ice cream. Those are things you can eat in the half hour before a showtime, which fits the AMC theory.
Chain, the one tenant with a deadline
The main attraction this fall is B.J. Novak's Chain, a former pop-up that remakes nostalgic fast food with chefs. It opened its first long-term residency at Topanga Social on September 2. Its chief creative officer, Nicholas Kraft, told Eater: "The mall food court is one of America's greatest dining institutions." That is a reasonable summary of the whole relaunch.
The residency is planned for six months, through February 2027. Kraft has not ruled out an extension, but nothing past February has been announced. So the Chain menu is a this-season item, not a permanent fixture.
Four chefs each contributed a dish:
| Chef | Dish |
|---|---|
| Roy Choi | Charred-chicken teriyaki bowl |
| Mei Lin | Mapo Wagyu Cruncho Perfecto |
| Mason Hereford | Spicy chicken Chainwich |
| Calvin Eng | Crispy Cantonese fishwich |
The Los Angeles Times reported on September 15 that Mei Lin's Cruncho Perfecto was Chain's top seller so far, and that dishes cost $8 to $18. The rest of the menu includes a Wagyu ChainBurger, chicken tenders and wraps, and curly fries. A General Mills partnership supplies cereal desserts and drinks, such as the Lucky Charms Taco Frío, Honey Nut Cheerios Matcha Cloud, Reese's Puffs Churros and a Cinnamon Toast Crunch tiramisu.
Chain keeps shorter hours than the rest of the hall. It is open Monday through Saturday from noon to 8 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Topanga Social stays open until 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. If you're planning a Saturday night movie, get to Chain before the film. It will be closed when the credits roll.
What's still listed but not open
Several names linked to the relaunch are still marked as coming soon. As of early October, here is where each one stands:
- Kura Revolving Sushi Bar. Both Westfield and Kura's own Canoga Park page show "Coming Soon," with no date. KTLA noted the chain already has busy locations at Westfield Fashion Square in Sherman Oaks and at Glendale Galleria.
- Great Big Game Show. This interactive game show is still marked "Coming Soon" on Westfield's site and listed as closed every day.
- Hole In One Mini Golf. KTLA listed it among the hall's entertainment, but the operator's own website still says "Mini Golf Coming Soon at Westfield Topanga." Check before you promise it to the kids.
- Din Tai Fung. KTLA reported it is expected in 2027.
- The former Pinstripes space. No plans had been announced as of KTLA's August 31 report for the 28,000-square-foot bowling, bar and restaurant space. Pinstripes lasted less than two years.
Two more mall projects are in the pipeline. WhatNow has reported that chef Ruben Barragan's fine-Mexican restaurant Cache 58 is coming to 6600 Topanga Canyon Blvd., and The Escape Game to 6344 Topanga Canyon Blvd. Neither has an announced opening date.
Planning a visit
The layout explains why the AMC matters. Topanga Social sits in the old Sears area, two floors below the theater, which Westfield lists on Level 3. A sequence that works with everyone's hours:
- Eat first. Topanga Social is open Monday through Thursday from noon to 8:30 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Chain closes earlier than any of those.
- Catch the anime pop-up while it lasts. Crunchyroll x The LOOP: Phase Two runs through October 18, with anime installations, props and exclusive merchandise.
- Go upstairs for the film.
- Finish at Wanderlust Creamery on Level 1. It stays open until 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and 9 p.m. on Sundays. Red Door Escape Room, also on Level 1, lists daily hours until 11:59 p.m. for groups who want something after the movie.
Parking was one of the original complaints, so plan the drive. Westfield says the mall has three garages plus surface lots. Garage entrances are on Owensmouth Avenue, Topanga Canyon Boulevard and Vanowen Street, and surface lots can also be reached from Victory Boulevard. Preferred parking is on Level 1 of the Owensmouth Garage. Valet costs $25 at the Grand Entrance near the AMC, which you reach from Victory Boulevard. Westfield's parking page doesn't mention a validation arrangement for Topanga Social, so ask at the counter before you count on one.
The mailing address is 6600 Topanga Canyon Boulevard in Canoga Park. Local Woodland Hills event listings place Topanga Social in Warner Center. If you're making a Saturday of it this month, Warner Center Park at 5800 Topanga Canyon Blvd. hosts Light the Night on October 17 at 5 p.m. Registration is free, and the event supports people affected by blood cancer. Circus Vargas plays The Promenade, at 6100 Topanga Canyon Blvd., from October 23 to November 16.
Westfield's executive vice president Geoff Mason calls this "the next chapter of Topanga Social." Chain's residency is scheduled to end in February 2027. Kura and Din Tai Fung are still on the way, and the former Pinstripes space remains empty.
A food hall rebuilding itself around the theater upstairs is one sign of how Warner Center's retail core is adjusting. If you'd like to talk about what that means for your own place in Woodland Hills, whether that's holding, improving, or getting ready for a sale, Tholfaqar Al Emara is glad to go through it with you. Let's Connect.
