Restaurant Closings


Good-bye, Carmello's; Hello Mex... and meals tax hike? Published on Nov 5th, 2012 25 comments Last February, Carmello's, the venerable Italian restaurant that was located for 19 years at its familiar Emmet Street location next to the EconoLodge, moved to Fontaine Avenue into the former site...
Business is good: new Mex, cheap sushi, and a Glass Haus Published on Oct 12th, 2012 8 comments In the last few months, we haven't been able to turn a corner without finding a new eatery opening. Since August, we've counted 16 places that opened, recently opened, or are about to open, so it was...
Route 29 exits: Calypso, Olivaté close shop Published on Jul 24th, 2012 17 comments July saw the closing of two restaurants on 29 North, including one that opened less than four months ago. Over at Albemarle Square, Olivaté, the family-owned Italian restaurant that opened in the old...
Goodbye, Expresso: Venerable food family exits Pantops space Published on May 15th, 2012 23 comments About a year ago, the former owners of the famed Expresso Italian Villa on Emmet Street (now The Villa under new ownership), known by countless students and townsfolk for its 2am breakfasts, reprised...
Siips bows out, McClure and his burgers step in Published on Feb 28th, 2012 12 comments As you might have already heard, Siips Wine & Champagne Bar closed on February 19 after four years on the Downtown Mall. Siips was known for its impressive wine offerings, music, and art events,...
Ragazzi's, Toliver House close Published on Oct 17th, 2011 3 comments The local and not-so-local restaurant scene suffered a couple of casualties recently. A fixture in the Shopper's World Shopping Center along Route 29, Ragazzi's Italian Restaurant, closed its doors...
Carlton's closes Published on Jul 7th, 2011 32 comments We know the restaurant business can be tough, but Carlton's in the old Michie Company building at 609 East Market Street, may have set a record. Just two months after opening (and just days before...
Batesville Store: Another history chapter comes to a close Published on Jun 14th, 2011 48 comments According to the current owners of the historic Batesville Store on Plank Road, state agents showed up unannounced on Friday, June 10 and gave them "no option except to close." "Ironically, our...
After three decades, Corner Market folds Published on May 10th, 2011 41 comments Say it ain't so! After thirty years, a Corner landmark has quietly vanished: the Corner Market at 1411 University Avenue. The phone has been disconnected, the contents have been emptied, and we've...
Close call: Federal Realty boots Padow's Published on Feb 18th, 2011 51 comments Two months after a Padow's Hams & Deli franchise opened in the Barracks Road Shopping Center in 1996, co-owner Desiree Dawson and her husband welcomed the birth of a baby boy. Fourteen years...
Patriot's displaced: Arby's reclaims its name Published on Jan 11th, 2011 52 comments Arby's has reclaimed its restaurant at Forest Lakes. FILE PHOTO BY DAVE MCNAIR Forest Lake's Arby’s owner Tom Slonaker has finally left the building. According to Emmet's Street Arby's manager...
12th Street Taphouse tapped out Published on Jan 8th, 2011 39 comments The restaurant was less than two years old. FILE PHOTO BY HAWES SPENCER Tara Wheeler of the Charlottesville Newsplex first reported that the restaurant/bar/comedy club known as the 12th Street...
Brix...ah, Terrace Cafe on Pantops has closed Published on Nov 10th, 2010 40 comments "It's time to downsize," says Brix Terrace Cafe owner Karen Laetare. FILE PHOTO BY WILL WALKER Restaurant owners tend to preen like cats when they first open, but when they close the Restaurant...
Soft jazz: Carlton's coming to East Market Published on Oct 11th, 2010 6 comments Bohšme in its heyday. Now casual fine-dining is returning to the space. FILE PHOTO BY WILL WALKER Once again the restaurant space in the old Michie Company building at 609 East Market Street, across...
Good-bye kabobs, hello meatballs Published on Sep 1st, 2010 1 comments That little space on 29 North beside Pizza Hut, the former home to two Middle Eastern restaurants, Zandi’s, and more recently, Zam Zam Kabob, has yet another international tenant. Hint: "B¶rk, b¶rk,...
Where's Baldi? Bel Rio closes, owner vanishes Published on Jul 20th, 2010 96 comments Bel Rio owner Jim Baldi. FILE PHOTO BY DAVE MCNAIR Bel Rio, the Downtown Belmont restaurant and music venue that has sparked a passionate debate over noise-levels at night spots–-which led...
Mall's burrito cart owner bolts Published on Jun 7th, 2010 9 comments Lyndon Larson has moved from the Mall to a yacht in the Mediterranean. FILE PHOTO BY LISA PROVENCE After less than a year, L's Burrito and Juice Co. owner Lyndon Larson has decided to call it quits...
The Upstairs will call it quits; Brookeville coming to town Published on Apr 21st, 2010 14 comments The Upstairs, the steakhouse above Escaf© will close in June. PHOTO FROM UPSTAIRS WEBSITE If you’ve been meaning to eat at The Upstairs on the Downtown Mall, Dish suggests you make reservations...
Cassis has closed Published on Apr 10th, 2010 32 comments The patio at Cassis during the first Restaurant Week. PHOTO BY DAVE MCNAIR Cassis, one of downtown Charlottesville's poshest eateries and one of the original participants in Charlottesville...
Arirang restaurant up for auction Published on Jan 13th, 2010 7 comments Arirang Restaurant, the Korean place that replaced Ludwig’s Schnitzelhouse on Fontaine Avenue in September 2008 has closed, and the owners are auctioning off all their restaurant stuff on January 23...