Hollywoods Historic Yamashiro Restaurant and Surrounding Property Goes Up for Sale for $100

Publish date: 2024-08-01

The site of Hollywood’s iconic Yamashiro restaurant and its surrounding 7.3 acre property, dubbed “Hollywood Mountain,” are being put on the market with a $100 million asking price.

The Japanese restaurant, owned by a company run by producers Elie Samaha and Steven Markoff, has appeared in dozens of movies including “Sayonara,” “Memoirs of a Geisha,” “Kill Bill,” “Gone in 60 Seconds,” “Blind Date” and “Teahouse of the August Moon” as well as in numerous TV shows.

Avison Young is the broker for the property, which is included on the National Register of Historic Places.

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Peter Sherman, Avison Young principal and U.S. Capital Markets leader, said the site could be developed in a variety of ways, likely at a low density — with possible uses including a museum, a foundation, a private family compound or a resort. “Everybody’s familiar with the Japanese villa. But this site is not just the villa but the seven-plus acres,” Sherman pointed out.

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“There’s a variety of opportunities, depending on the vision,” he said.

As a historic site, the 20,432 square foot building that was constructed as a private residence in 1914 will be protected, Sherman said. The property also includes a small residential complex.

As far as Yamashiro restaurant goes, “The restaurant is doing exceptionally well,” Sherman said. The restaurant operators could sign a longterm lease and continue operations with the new owners of the property, or the buyers could decide on another use. “All options are on the table,” said Sherman.

The team handling the listing for Samaha and Markoff’s Samaka LLC is made up of Sherman, principal and managing director Chris Bonbright and principal Chase Gordon.

Up to 280,000 square feet of additional development could be added to the property, which also includes a Japanese garden and 600-year old pagoda.

“It’s extraordinarily unique to find something like this right within the city itself. It’s incredibly serene and private,” Sherman said.

A recent report said that Samaha was interested in purchasing the Dolby Theatre, home to the Oscars ceremony, as part of an investment consortium.

The property last publicly changed hands in 2016 when it sold for $40 million to a Chinese hotel operator.

The adjacent 3.27 acre Magic Castle property sold for $50 million in 2022 to video game entrepreneur Randy Pitchford.

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