Say it isn't so! 3 restaurants closed this month in Louisville. Take a look back

Three restaurants closed this month in Louisville, including one that was engulfed in flames.

The closures include a St. Matthews staple, a downtown Japanese restaurant and a Schnitzelburg burger joint. While some of the restaurants have plans for what's next, Osaka Japanese Restaurant will likely be shut down for the near future due to an overnight fire. Read on for more details about why the eateries are no more.

Know a restaurant closure we missed? Send a note to ahancock@courier-journal.com.

Napa River Grill

1202 Herr Lane

Napa, the latest iteration of the restaurant with a footprint in Louisville since 1999, is now closed. The popular restaurant opened more than 20 years ago as Napa River Grill in Dupont Circle. It relocated to 1211 Herr Lane in Westport Village in 2008.

In mid-September, Napa announced via social media that the eatery's last day of service would act as a day-long fundraiser for the nonprofit Love City Inc., the Courier Journal previously reported.

"We're shutting down for a remodel/rebranding, but before we go, we'll be going out with a bang for a good cause with Love City Inc.," stated the post on Napa's Facebook page, with 8,000 followers. "We hope to see you all there, and look forward to all the exciting new changes coming."

Jared Matthews, a restaurateur who bought Napa in June, previously shared plans with the Courier Journal to combine Napa with a new concept, called Osteria Italian Seafood.

"We're really excited to bring this concept to the east end of Louisville. I feel that it's a really creative, fresh seafood is something that we're kind of missing from that area," Matthews told the Courier Journal in June. "I'm just really excited to bring a little bit of life back into the Napa restaurant and be able to combine Napa and Osteria together to just bring a, bring a new culinary experience to Louisville."

Osteria Italian Seafood opened in the spot on Sept. 26.

Osaka Japanese Restaurant

426 W. Market St.

Osaka Japanese Restaurant, 426 W. Market St., shut down unexpectedly in September when a fire engulfed the Market Street building it called home.

More than 100 firefighters responded when the entire five-story building was engulfed in flames. A release from the Louisville Fire Department said the building was mostly vacant, the Courier Journal previously reported.

In late September, owners Sangwon and Kay Seo submitted evidence to Jefferson Circuit Court claiming the building could be restructured instead of demolished after the city alleged the facility was in "imminent danger of failure or collapse" and that it "endangers life," according to court documents.

It's unclear when, if ever, the restaurant will reopen.

Six Forks Burger Co.

1039 Ash St.

Six Forks Burger Company, a family-owned restaurant serving burgers and hot dogs since 2020, closed its brick-and-mortar location in September. The casual burger joint initially opened in Feb. 2020 in Shelby Park. About a year later, Six Forks moved to a bigger building on Ash Street in Schnitzelburg.

Owner Troy King said in a video posted on the restaurant’s Facebook page that the decision to close came after weeks of discussions with his wife and key employees, the Courier Journal previously reported.

“This restaurant just doesn’t fit our lifestyle,” he said in the video. “I equate it to an ex-wife that pays me alimony and it’s good money.”

The money, though, “is no longer worth the headache,” King said.

King said the building at 1039 Ash St. will turn into the headquarters for his company, Velvet Couch Hospitality Group, which also operates Fry Daddy’s. He closed the video by saying how “relieved” he felt to announce the closure.

“We're not going anywhere,” he added. “We have a lot of things in the hopper.”

Reach food and dining reporter Amanda Hancock at ahancock@courier-journal.com.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville restaurant closure September 2023: Napa, Six Forks, Osaka