Photo by Bill Adler.

Sad news for Cleveland Park: Italian restaurant favorite Dino will soon shut its doors.

“After 8-1/2 years, we are going to close the doors at Dino,” owners Dean Gold and Kay Zimmerman said in an email. “The closing date isn’t set yet, but it will be sooner rather than later. A matter of weeks and not several months. We have had a great run, and we go out being Washingtonian’s Best Restaurant and City Paper’s Best Italian in their Readers Poll. We simply are not doing the kind of business necessary to justify keeping our doors open. If you do want a last chance, or several, don’t wait. Come in now. Or come in several times while you can.”

While this is a loss for the Northwest neighborhood, Dino will open in Shaw under a new name, according to the Post.

We have fabulous location we are looking at, and we are working hard to make it a reality. But all the details are not yet signed sealed and delivered. To misquote a famous opera saying, “It’s not over ’til the circumferencely gifted lady sings {and her lawyers sends you their final bill!}” If you have an interest in being part of Dino’s future in a $ub$tantive fashion, drop us a line. By doing so, you will be keeping Dean busy, short of any free time to cause trouble, and off the streets of Washington DC {which is a good thing!}