12th Street Taphouse closed?
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The restaurant was less than two years old.FILE PHOTO PHOTO BY HAWES SPENCER
Tara Wheeler of the Charlottesville Newsplex reports that the restaurant/bar/comedy club known as the 12th Street Taphouse has shut its doors. Known for its 20-ounce “pints” of beer, it opened in early 2009 on West Main Street. The building, now largely surrounded by the UVA Medical Center, long housed a restaurant called Northern Exposure. (And true old-timers may recall the spot’s 1980s incarnation as Zipper’s.)
whats up with this closing down another coran capshaw failure are we in a economic down fall what a shame i guess people are now drinking at home
I think it was a wise move on the owners part. Who would want to sit in a bar with a construction project raging next to them. Do you not know UVA is expanding its hospital and is turning that parking lot into a children’s hospital. Besides all the vibration from the jack hammers shakes the kegs and gives far to much foam in the beer. It is much easier to just wate till the project is over and sell the place to UVA for 10 times its worth and be done with it.
Guess it’s too late to use my gift certificates to this dump. Oh well.
Wasn’t it Expresso’s Italian in the 1970’s?
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I closed a week ago. It’s telling that people are only noticing now.
It, not I.
i thought the food was overpriced, and uppity. the space was gorgeous on the other hand. its a shame, but with the economy, and most of the places in this town being overpriced in general, its not really all that surprising to me.
@DaleC - yes, it was the Expresso Italian Villa for YEARS. Like 2+ decades. I worked for Zipper briefly when he first took the space over from the Italian Villa folks. I was not a huge fan of Northern Exposure, but I wanted to at least sample the big beer offerings…oh well! I don’t think the vibrations would hurt the kegs and I think construction workers would give you a ready supply of beer drinkers.
@ Lenny Cason, this was not a Capshaw owned business. Very hard for any independent operator to make it in this economy. Best of luck to Chuck who put lots of sweat and equity in to this venture. UVA will be tearing this building down before long.
I guess the place wasnt “LOCAL” enough for the locals to support!!!!
True old-timers will remember it as the Expresso Italian Restaurant.
Geez, does it really matter what it was in the old days? Sorry to hear that the 12th Street Taphouse is closed. Best wishes Chuck in your future endeavors!