A beloved Los Angeles eatery has reopened its doors in the Fairfax district of Los Angeles.
Six years since closing, Annie’s Soul Food is back in a new permanent location – and is already bringing together the local community. At the restaurant’s opening night celebration on Monday, February 23, 2026, founder Annalisa Mastroianni Johnson shared her love and appreciation for fans of the L.A. institution who helped revive it.
Johnson, an L.A. native, is no stranger to the neighborhood – and the community is excited for her return. “We were further down the street in Little Ethiopia, and unfortunately, I had the worst landlord ever, and we ended up moving,” Johnson shared with the crowd.
Annie’s Soul Delicious celebrated the grand opening on Monday with good food, a live DJ, bingo, and giveaways. “Best soul food in Los Angeles,” reads the sign out front. “Because mac & cheese is cheaper than therapy!” Johnson is also launching a late-night menu for evening cravings.
The menu included mac & cheese with oxtail, catfish bites, delicious chicken wings, short ribs, crispy brussels sprouts, and even fried okra.
The original Little Ethiopia restaurant was hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic and closed its doors in 2020. “I moved to a ghost kitchen, and a year and a half later, we found this space.”
Though no longer in Little Ethiopia, Johnson was excited to bring the kitchen back to the neighborhood. “It was so important for me to be back on Fairfax because that’s where people knew me from,” she said. “We’re trying to bring this neighborhood back. This was where we grew up.”
📍 Annie’s Soul Delicious, 339 N. Fairfax Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90036