More D.C. restaurants closed this year than last, and some were longtime establishments that hold sentimental value for locals.

Dozens of area restaurants close every year, a byproduct of a dense industry with low profit margins. But more have closed this year compared to the last two years, according to the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington (RAMW). And not as many restaurants opened as did those previous two years, per RAMW, though there were still more openings this year than closures.

Approximately 52 restaurants closed in the District in 2023, compared to 48 in 2022 and 40 in 2021. And 72 restaurants opened in the city in the last year, compared to 74 openings in 2022 and 77 in 2021. Even when 100 restaurants closed in 2015, more than double opened that year. The trade association representing hundreds of local businesses sees a concerning downward trend in the rate of restaurant openings compared to closings.

Restaurant owners are facing a lot of challenges right now — including higher costs for goods and labor and fewer patrons looking to eat out–so people are more hesitant of continuing to operate or more skeptical of starting a business, says RAMW President Shawn Townsend. Some factors complicating an owner’s operation are specific to the District, like increased crime, less foot traffic in downtown, and Initiative 82, which will eventually phase out tipped minimum wage.

“At some point the dust will settle,” Townsend tells DCist/WAMU. “Things will get back to some type of new normal.”

Restaurant owners often cite a myriad of reasons for closing when their lease is up. But sometimes it’s a big one like a landlord doubling rent. (Some owners are able to reach an agreement with their landlord, as the Looking Glass team did, avoiding a closure this year.)

Whatever the reason, some places leave a legacy in their wake. Among the ones diners may feel the most acutely:

Amsterdam Falafelshop

The casual restaurant of 18 years served its last falafel in May. Amsterdam Falafelshop owner Arianne Bennett told DCist/WAMU at the time that she couldn’t afford to buy her building once the landlord decided to sell.

Amsterdam Falafelshop was one of those places quintessential to Adams Morgan. Party at Madams Organ and then head over to the falafel shop for a quick late night bite. Or grab a falafel sandwich for lunch after record shopping at Smash! Bennett knows her shop held a lot of memories for locals — a place where drunk people fell in love and returned later to get engaged, she told the Post. But she didn’t want to have to search for a new location and start a business again without her husband, who co-founded Amsterdam Falafelshop alongside her and died last year due to complications from COVID-19.

“We were here for 18 years. That was very good run. There are very few places that can stand the weight of the increased rent over time,” Bennett told DCist/WAMU.

Archipelago

The bar that popularized tiki drinks locally closed in late August. Longtime local bartender Owen Thomson and a group of friends opened the bar on U Street in 2016. Over the years, it became a destination for inventive rum-filled drinks and eccentric decor. Its closeout auction was a hoot, perhaps as expected.

The owners didn’t publicly share why they decided to close their beloved tiki bar, which attracted long lines in the days following its goodbye post.

“After many years and over 30,000 hollowed out flaming pineapples, the time has come for us to shut the doors to our little slice of island life,” Archipelago said on its Instagram.

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Biergarten Haus

The decade-old beer garden with a large outdoor space and Bavarian vibe — not to mention its many TVs showing football or soccer — quietly closed over the summer. Owner Aaron McGovern hoped he could reopen a revamped version of it in the fall, but he couldn’t come to terms with his landlord, he told DCist/WAMU.

McGovern said his business struggled for a number of reasons, including never fully recovering from the COVID pandemic. He also said he had many regulars from the suburbs who stopped coming to H Street NE because of their perception of crime in the District. Plus, there were more options for outdoor drinking with the proliferation of streeteries, McGovern said.

McGovern owned several bars and restaurants the city, including Russia House and Brine, but by the end of 2023, he will own none.

Crazy Aunt Helen’s

The all-day restaurant in Capitol Hill was just a few years old but had already made a big splash. It was designed by Pixie Windsor of Miss Pixie’s furniture store — and it was obvious. It had a zany look to it, including a bright purple stairwell decorated with Mona Lisa replicas.

The restaurant serving American comfort food was always full of excitement, particularly on days when drag queens Tara Hoot and Shi-Queeta Lee would perform. The restaurant made headlines because of anti-LGBTQ+ protesters who picketed outside the bar on the days of Drag Story Hour. But performers and patrons were not discouraged, as they loved the restaurant and event too much.

Co-owner Shane Mayson was vague in his reason for closing Crazy Aunt Helen so unexpectedly. “I can go through all the obstacles like opening during Covid, our location challenges, staffing challenges, repair and maintenance costs associated with an older building and equipment… but those are things every restaurant owner experiences. What I would prefer to say is we gave it our best go,” Mayson said in a statement.

Estadio

The 13-year old Spanish restaurant in Logan Circle was the first big closure of 2023 when it announced it would close in mid-February.

The restaurant for tapas and gin and tonics opened on 14th Street NW before it became bustling with restaurants. Owner Max Kuller told Washingtonian that a few factors played into his decision to close, including sales never returning to pre-pandemic times.

“We’re pretty much busy every night during primetime, but those earlier and later hours have been really hard to recapture,” he told the magazine. “I think that’s the shifting demographic of the block and also the shift in dining culture.”

Great Wall Szechuan House

One of the best spots in the District for Chinese food closed earlier this month. Owners May Kuang and Yuan Chen wanted to retire, according to the Washington Post. The couple started to seriously consider retirement back in 2020, after Chen burned himself in the kitchen and spent ten days in the ICU.

The restaurant on 14th Street was adored for its legit Sichuan cuisine, including the ma-la dumplings and mapo tofu. There are few places like it in the city, leaving a void for locals.

Other places in the region we will miss… 

• Bar Deco, the place in Chinatown for bottomless brunch and rooftop drinks, closed in part because of increased crime and decreased patronage.
• Burger King, the ionic one in Van Ness with the feature film-inspired decor, closed after 40 years.
• Calabash Tea & Tonic, Brookland’s spot for wellness drinks said it shuttered because of a significant increase in rent, according to Eater.
• Denizens Brewing Company’s flagship location in Silver Spring closed after the lease ended and owners wanted to focus on their Riverdale Park location.
• The Eleanor, an arcade bar in Silver Spring, closed after three years and not being able to fully recover from the COVID pandemic.
• Faccia Luna, a longtime neighborhood pizza joint in Old Town Alexandria, closed in December after 30 years.
• Fainting Goat, the decade-old cozy cocktail bar in U Street Corridor, decided it was time to call it after pivoting one to many times during the pandemic.
• Fancy Radish, the vegan restaurant from the Philly restaurateurs behind Vedge closed unexpectedly.
• Flight Wine Bar, a James Beard Award-winning wine bar in Chinatown, closed after nearly a decade due to pandemic woes it couldn’t recover.
• Four Sisters, the treasured Vietnamese restaurant, called it after 30 years at the Eden Center.
• The Gibson, one of D.C.’s original speakeasies, closed due to numerous operational challenges.
• Ice Cream Jubilee: The first location of the local ice cream chain on T Street NW closed because the landlord would not renew its lease.
• KitchenCray, Chef James Robinson closed his restaurant on H Street NE after neighbors protested his plans to add a downstairs lounge.
• Mark’s Kitchen, a comfort food mainstay of Takoma Park, closed in the spring so its owner could finally retire.
• Mélange, Mount Vernon’s burger bar by James Beard semifinalist Chef Elias Taddesse, closed with the hope of opening up somewhere else soon.
• Moon Rabbit, A lauded Vietnamese restaurant closed following a union drive, but Chef Kevin Tien will reopen it in January (this time under his control, not a hotel’s).
• Ollie’s Trolley/Harry’s, the old timey burger shop and dive bar, respectively, were collateral damage of Hotel Harrington’s closure.
• Owl Room, a popular U Street multilevel bar and club, closed after less than a year of operation.
• Philz Coffee, the California-based coffee chain closed its D.C. locations due to “changing business conditions.”
• Pursuit Wine Bar & Kitchen, a darling of H Street NE, closed. It’s unclear why but the location had five robberies this year alone.  
• Tastee Diner, the popular Silver Spring diner that served customers for 80 years, closed after its property was sold to a developer who wants to build housing.
• Tigerella, the well-regarded all-day Italian restaurant in downtown D.C., closed because the owners didn’t think it would be sustainable with people working remote.