Restaurants Tocaya Modern Mexican and SUGARFISH opened near campus at The Shops at Sportmen’s Lodge complex Dec. 7 and Dec. 9, respectively.

To celebrate its opening day, Tocaya Modern Mexican, which serves salads, tacos, burritos, bowls and quesadillas, offered free food, drawing in students for lunch and after-school snacks.

Charlotte Newman ’24 said she is very excited that Tocaya Modern Mexican opened a new location close to school, and she looks forward to frequenting the restaurant.

“I love Tocaya [M

odern Mexican],” Newman said. “The decor in the restaurants is always super pretty and welcoming, so I’m really excited to visit the new location. The food is super healthy, and it is a really great addition to the food scene around our campus. Hopefully, this opens the door to me eating their tortilla soup after a long school day.”

SUGARFISH, a sushi restaurant that exclusively serves traditional sushi dishes, opened its new location during The Shops at Sportsmen’s Lodge opening ceremony Dec. 9. SUGARFISH previously had a Studio City location farther from the school but relocated to the Shops at Sportsmen’s Lodge to provide more seating space.

Savannah Shaub ’23 said SUGARFISH is her favorite restaurant, and she is excited about SUGARFISH moving closer to the school alongside various new restaurants and shops.

“I am definitely excited for SUGARFISH to open so close to school,” Shaub said. “It’s undoubtedly my favorite lunch or dinner spot. I usually go [to SUGARFISH] in Brentwood but now that it’s so close to campus, it definitely tempts me to go more, and I likely will with friends. I am so obsessed with all the shops at the new [The Shops at Sportsmen’s Lodge], and I am beyond excited to try all the new good food.”

The two restaurants join supermarket Erewhon, hair coloring bar Madison Reed, wellness center Mydetox and activewear stores Vuori and Free People Movement, all of which opened at The Shops at Sportsmen’s Lodge throughout November and early December.

Camryn Williams ’22 said the new restaurants and shops at The Shops at Sportsmen’s Lodge have provided an opportunity to escape from the stress of senior year and enjoy time with her friends.

“I love the new shopping center on Ventura Boulevard,” Williams said. “Senior year has felt incredibly stressful, and I think that having the privilege to leave campus with my friends and grab food down the street is a good opportunity for us to catch up with one another and escape the hecticness of our day at school.”

Other restaurants expected to open at The Shops at Sportsmen’s Lodge include HiHo Cheeseburger, a burger restaurant that exclusively serves 100% Wagyu beef, UOVO, a pasta restaurant serving traditional pasta dishes and Roberta’s Pizza, a pizzeria selling wood-fired pizzas and other Italian foods.

Sophia Lindus ’22 used her senior privileges to get lunch at Tocaya Modern Mexican following its opening and said she is excited about the new shops and restaurants opening close to school.

“I’m thrilled that new restaurants are opening up on Ventura,” Lindus said. “It’s great that developers are investing in infrastructure near our school and remodeling a lot of the older buildings. I love going off-campus for lunch. My friends and I even have a Friday tradition to go to Yeastie Boys.”