Indianapolis With roots dating back to 1911, John’s Famous Stew has beckoned generations of Hoosiers with its promise of hearty stew and mouth-watering breaded tenderloins. The humble restaurant, begun by Macedonian brothers who wanted to bring their mother’s stew to the U.S., is now up for sale.
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K-Paul’s Louisiana Kitchen
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Jestine’s Kitchen
Charleston, South Carolina In its 24 years, Jestine’s Kitchen became one of the most well-known restaurants in Charleston for low-country cooking, often attracting lines of customers eagerly awaiting fried chicken, corn bread, red rice, okra, and other classics. However, the pandemic made it impossible to stay afloat.
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Microsoft may earn an Affiliate Commission if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.
Wenham Tea House
Boston (Wenham) What’s more New England than a century-old tea house with a white picket fence? Sadly, the historic spot just north of Boston is another casualty of the pandemic. The owner cited “challenges with product, staffing, and finances” as the reason for closing down the historic spot, which offered breakfast, lunch, and reservation-only afternoon tea.
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Microsoft may earn an Affiliate Commission if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.
Microsoft may earn an Affiliate Commission if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.
Dmitri’s
Philadelphia Before “COVID changed everything,” Dmitri’s quickly evolved into a favorite neighborhood haunt where patrons would savor Greek favorites like calamari, lamb, and plenty of hummus and pita. First opened in 1990, it was also a BYOB restaurant, beloved by patrons who wanted to save a few bucks by bringing their own wine.
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Microsoft may earn an Affiliate Commission if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.
Microsoft may earn an Affiliate Commission if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.
Cusanelli’s
St. Louis It was hard to miss Cusanelli’s landmark 19th century white building, with its red and green trim. The restaurant itself wasn’t quite so long-lived, but had still been a St. Louis staple for handmade pizza, lasagna, and fried chicken since 1954. It closed at the end of August, with owners citing “unforeseen circumstances” related to COVID-19.
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Microsoft may earn an Affiliate Commission if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.
The Bachelor Farmer
Minneapolis After it opened in 2011, The Bachelor Farmer was a farm-to-table pioneer, helping boost both Minneapolis’ dining scene and its North Loop neighborhood. It served notables including President Barack Obama, and its founding chef won a James Beard award in 2016. But the pandemic left it without a “viable path forward,” owners have said.
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City Tavern
Philadelphia This time capsule has been giving patrons a taste of Revolutionary-era dining in one of Philadelphia’s most touristy neighborhoods since 1975. But the pandemic and subsequent dining restrictions have meant a precipitous dropoff in business, with both forcing the owner to close the landmark restaurant.
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Microsoft may earn an Affiliate Commission if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.
Milton Inn
Baltimore (Sparks) Housed in a fieldstone building that predates the American Revolution, this iconic restaurant has been a fine-dining staple north of Baltimore for more than 70 years. The financial impact of the pandemic was too intense to keep serving fois gras and other high-end favorites, the owners say.
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Pacific Dining Car
Los Angeles The Spanish flu had barely loosened its grip on the nation by the time the Pacific Dining Car opened near downtown Los Angeles in 1921, and it distinguished itself not just by the unique surroundings, but by serving fine cuisine like mouth-watering ribeyes and crab cakes 24 hours a day. While the owners say they still hope to re-open in post-pandemic times, the decor, equipment, and other supplies were auctioned off this fall. Pacific Dining Car’s 30-year-old Santa Monica location closed permanently over the summer.
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Markovski’s Family Restaurant
Detroit (Dearborn Heights) There’s one less place to get authentic Polish food in the Detroit area now that Markovski’s is closing its doors. The unpretentious restaurant had served up favorites like pierogies, kielbasa, and potato pancakes, plus classic American diner fare, in a no-frills atmosphere for 50 years.
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The Market at Larimer Square
Denver For 40 years, The Market at Larimer Square was a place for Denverites to grab a cup of coffee, a bagel or a sandwich from the deli, or pick up some gourmet groceries. The pandemic sped up the owner’s decision to retire, leaving long-time patrons to mourn the loss of the market’s iconic, fruit-covered Spring Fling cake.
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Microsoft may earn an Affiliate Commission if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.
Microsoft may earn an Affiliate Commission if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.
Microsoft may earn an Affiliate Commission if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.
Barrio Café Gran Reserva
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City Cafe
Murfreesboro, Tennessee A Main Street staple in this Tennessee town for a staggering 120 years, the homey City Cafe is no more. It closed “after a long, hard battle” against pandemic-related hardships. The cafe with a classic black-and-white checkered floor served comfort-food dishes including country fried steak, biscuits and gravy, and grits.
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Schreiner’s Restaurant
Fond du Lac, Wisconsin This comfort-food stopover off I-41 was known throughout Wisconsin as a reliable bet for clam chowder, ham and eggs, cinnamon rolls, or a fish fry. Before COVID-19, it wasn’t hurting for business, either, reportedly serving roughly 500,000 patrons each year. Still, the 82-year-old restaurant closed in May due to “the economics associated with the current pandemic crisis,” the owner said.
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El Chapultepec
Denver This jazz club, bar, and restaurant closed in December due to the pandemic, a major blow to the Mile High City’s music scene. El Chapultepec opened in 1933, first operating as a bar and Mexican restaurant before beginning to host musicians in the ’60s. Performers included Frank Sinatra, Paul McCartney, Mick Jagger, and even President Bill Clinton playing his saxophone.
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Microsoft may earn an Affiliate Commission if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.
Microsoft may earn an Affiliate Commission if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.
Momofuku Nishi
New York Though it’s only 4 years old, Momofuku Nishi ranks among the Big Apple’s most notable closures because it’s part of celebrity chef David Chang’s empire. The pasta-focused restaurant was operating on a very thin profit margin that couldn’t see it through the pandemic, the company acknowledged.
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Stan’s Donuts
Los Angeles Life just got a little less sweet for UCLA students with the closure of Stan’s Donuts, a small storefront serving classic pastries and drip coffee that had been going strong for 55 years. The owner attributed his decision to speed up retirement to the pandemic.
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Blackbird
Chicago During its 23 years in Chicago’s West Loop, Blackbird had become a fine-dining destination, earning a Michelin star and a following because it was “a white tablecloth establishment without the pretension,” according to Eater. The restaurant’s tight kitchen and dining room made it especially tough to stay open during the pandemic.
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America Eats Tavern
Washington, D.C. Another celeb-run restaurant, this one from José Andrés, America Eats Tavern served classic American fare like barbecue to locals and tourists alike in Georgetown. It was among the restaurants in Andres’ restaurant group serving low-cost or free meals to those in need during the pandemic.
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Bistro Montage
Portland This “late-night institution” served up Cajun fare under Portland’s Morrison bridge, sending stuffed diners home with leftovers tucked inside elaborately sculpted tinfoil sculptures. The communal dining and colorful waitstaff were as much of a draw as the food, but the many varieties of mac ‘n cheese were legendary.
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Microsoft may earn an Affiliate Commission if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.
The Original Hot Dog Shop
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Highland Park Cafeteria
Dallas This beloved cafeteria managed to keep its doors open for a staggering 95 years, serving homestyle favorites like collard greens, beef stroganoff, ambrosia salad, and plenty of pie. Still, the restaurant says it is safeguarding “all 932” of its recipes just in case it can make a post-coronavirus comeback.
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Gotham Bar and Grill
New York This white-tablecloth staple in Greenwich Village was a “fine-dining trailblazer” in a city with a seemingly endless supply of fancy eateries. A new chef had taken over shortly before the pandemic, but keeping the restaurant open became impossible after the pandemic took hold, a spokesperson told Eater.
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Bella Luna Milky Way
Boston Over the course of its 27 years, this vibrant neighborhood mainstay evolved from a small pizza parlor to a community gathering space that even included candlepin bowling. “We’re about social closeness, groups, music. Distancing isn’t our thing,” the owners said of their decision to shut down.
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Ortanique on the Mile
Miami (Coral Gables) Specializing in Caribbean fare, or as the restaurant called it, “cuisine of the sun,” Ortanique was a fine-dining fixture for more than two decades. Owners say the pandemic has emptied out their dining room, making it impossible to continue churning out favorites like jerk chicken pasta and curried crab cakes.
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Jeanne d’Arc
San Francisco “The Frenchiest French bistro in San Francisco” will serve its popular $58 prix-fixe menu and signature soufflé no more thanks to the pandemic. Closed after 48 years, the restaurant was also known for its fanciful decor including stained glass, tapestries, and all things Joan of Arc.
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College Inn Pub
Seattle Long a favorite haunt of University of Washington students, the College Inn Pub has shut its doors after 46 years. The basement dive bar, housed in a Tudor building that legend says is haunted, was known as a place to linger over a game of pool or pub grub. It was unable to stay open without its normal influx of campus customers.
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La Tropicana
Tampa, Florida This landmark melting-pot cafe has served favorites like Cuban sandwiches and cafe con leche in Tampa’s Ybor City neighborhood since 1963, but the pandemic shut it down. The restaurant, which had even hosted President George W. Bush and other politicians, had catered to older patrons who were no longer dining out, the owner said.
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Barry’s Pizza
Houston Well-worn pizza spot Barry’s Pizza has called it quits after 37 years, directly blaming COVID-19 for the closure. The restaurant survived a major fire in 2009, but the owner said it was impossible to stay open filling delivery and take-out orders only during the pandemic.
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The Source
Washington, D.C. Another Wolfgang Puck restaurant and a favorite for D.C. power lunches, The Source was a victim of both the pandemic and the closure of the connected Newseum, which drew diners in. The restaurant’s modern Asian fare helped force the nation’s capital “out of the steakhouse era,” Eater says.
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Cafe Sunflower
Atlanta (Sandy Springs) Vegan food has gone mainstream these days, but that wasn’t always the case. Cafe Sunflower, opened by Taiwanese immigrants in the mid-’70s, was a pioneer for Atlanta’s non-meat-eaters, but the pandemic “mostly obliterated” business.
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El Zocalo
Phoenix (Chandler) El Zocalo was a place to kick back with a margarita and some tacos on the large, leafy patio, but the pandemic has shuttered the business after two decades. The restaurant relied on foot traffic, the owner said, and takeout just wasn’t enough to keep the doors open.
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Microsoft may earn an Affiliate Commission if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.
Microsoft may earn an Affiliate Commission if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.
Clarke’s Charcoal Broiler
San Jose (Mountain View) Long before Silicon Valley got its name, Clarke’s was the place to go for a burger and a milkshake. The 75-year-old restaurant couldn’t stay profitable on takeout alone, making the decision to pull the plug despite the impassioned pleas of longtime regulars.
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Aquagrill
New York City Even one of New York’s top seafood restaurants couldn’t withstand COVID-19. This highly regarded Soho eatery had been earning raves since its opening in 1996, with plaudits from the likes of Zagat and Wine Spectator. It closed temporarily earlier this year, but that decision became permanent over the summer.
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Lagasse’s Stadium
Las Vegas Celebrity couldn’t save Emeril Lagasse’s Sin City sports bar from the pandemic. Opened in 2009, the restaurant at the Palazzo featured stadium-style seating, massive screens tuned to sporting events, and NFL-themed dishes.
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Cafe Ponte
Tampa Bay (Clearwater) One of the Tampa Bay area’s most notable fine-dining restaurants, Cafe Ponte was known for its New American dishes and its James Beard-nominated chef, Chris Ponte. The pandemic and lease renewal issues combined to prompt the shutdown.
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20th Street Cafe
Denver Though it had endured plenty of “upturns and crazy downturns” over the decades, the pandemic pushed this institution out of business. It served homey breakfast and lunch favorites like blueberry French toast and Denver omelettes to regulars for 74 years.
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Bluehour
Portland, Oregon A fine-dining stalwart of Portland’s wide-ranging food scene, Bluehour was the city’s “special occasion standby for years,” according to Eater, serving everything from foie gras to high-end burgers over its two decades in business.
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Captain Nemo’s
Irving, Texas Best known for its hearty steak sandwiches, Captain Nemo’s is shutting down after nearly 50 years in this Dallas suburb. COVID-19 made it too hard to “continue the daily grind required, physically and financially, to keep things rolling along as they are,” the owners said.
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Microsoft may earn an Affiliate Commission if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.
The Fours
Boston This well-known sports bar, just a stone’s throw from Boston’s TD Garden, catered to fans of the Celtics and the Bruins. But the pandemic stopped the constant parade of games and events, dealing a crushing blow to the 44-year-old institution that served sandwiches and other pub grub named after famous Boston athletes. It announced a permanent closure at the end of August.
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Espanol Italian
Sacramento, California The pandemic claimed the California capital’s oldest restaurant, Espanol Italian, just a couple years shy of the eatery’s 100-year mark. Known for family-style meals of eggplant parmesan, spaghetti and meatballs, ravioli, and other favorites, the restaurant relied on big groups and older patrons for its core business.
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