LA restaurant named best in the US slams doors shut after just 2 years over ‘serious’ issues

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Downtown Los Angeles’ dining scene just suffered another crushing blow.

Sora Craft Kitchen, the intimate Turkish restaurant recognized as one of the best new restaurants in America by Esquire and spotlighted by the Michelin Guide, is closing its doors after a nightmare ordeal behind the scenes.

Chef and owner Okay Inak announced on Sunday that he will shutter his tiny eatery in just two weeks, revealing a nightmare of roof leaks, flooding, air conditioning issues, plumbing headaches, poor ventilation, and problems with the restroom that have pushed him to the breaking point.

“Sora has never been just a restaurant to me,” Inak wrote in an Instagram post. “It’s where I found my own voice as a chef. I built this little place with my own hands and poured my heart, time, and everything I had into it.”

The closure is particularly stunning considering Sora’s meteoric rise.

The unassuming 16-seat restaurant, tucked along an a stretch of Each 12th Street, landed on Esquire’s prestigious list of the best new restaurants in America in December 2025 — an extraordinary feat for an operation run almost entirely by one man.

Then, in May, Sora scored another major coup when it was added to California’s Michelin Guide, where it earned praise for the modern interpretation of Turkish cuisine, spotlighting the sumac-cured tenderloin shish kebabs, Spanish octopus with Turkish white bean salad and cheese halva.

But behind the rave reviews, Inak said, a far uglier reality was unfolding.

“For a long time, I’ve been dealing with serious building problems and other challenges that have made running Sora more and more difficult,” he wrote. “I’ve tried my best to find solutions, but I’ve reached a point where I can no longer provide the kind of experience and environment I believe my guests deserve.”

In a series of accompanying Instagram slides, the chef detailed a laundry list of “serious” problems plaguing the property and shared footage showing water dripping from the ceiling and damaging the floors.

“I’ve tried everything I could to keep this little restaurant running,” Inak explained. “But these problems have become too much for me to handle, both financially and personally. Without the support needed to resolve these building issues, I can no longer manage them on my own.”

The crumbling infrastructure was apparently only part of the nightmare.

Inak said he also endured the loss of access to an entrance he previously relied on, recurring thefts, and unspecified “distressing incidents” involving guests.

“All I’ve ever wanted was to cook my food, welcome my guests, and run my restaurant in peace,” he wrote.

Inak is actively searching for a new location, although finding an affordable home while competing with larger and well funded restaurant groups will likely be an uphill battle.

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