So long, farewell: 40 restaurants have closed in Louisville in 2023

When one door opens, another closes — especially in Louisville's local restaurant scene. Louisville saw nearly 50 restaurant closures in 2022, including mainstays like Decca, Gasthaus German Restaurant, and J. Harrod's.

One of the first restaurants to close in 2023 was Red Bud Dining Room, which opened last July in an attempt to bring the historic Eiderdown space back to life. Shortly thereafter, Angio's Italian Restaurant at 1915 Blankenbaker Pkwy, closed after 25+ years of operation, citing the rising cost of labor and product, along with La Que, an Asian restaurant at 1019 Bardstown Road that closed after 15 years of operation. As the year wrapped up, Sinclair Smoked Salmon in the Douglass Loop and a popular White Castle location closed its doors.

Take a look below at the list of Louisville-area restaurants that have shut down in 2023. Know one we missed? Send a note to ahancock@courier-journal.com.

Louisville restaurants that closed in 2023

1. Al Hamra Halal Mediterranean Buffet — 1250 Bardstown Road, Suite 19. This buffet in the Highlands closed in early January after just over three years of operation.

2. All Thai'd Up — 211 S. Fifth St. A popular Thai food truck closed its brick-and-mortar restaurant in downtown Louisville on May 4.

3. Angio's Italian Restaurant — 1915 Blankenbaker Pkwy. This Italian restaurant closed in January after 25+ years of operation, citing the rising cost of labor and product.

More in local restaurant news: This Italian restaurant in east Louisville has closed after 25+ years of operation

4. Angilo's — 1725 Berry Blvd. This restaurant is going out of business at the end of May after decades.

5. Board & You Café — 10711 Meeting St. This offshoot of Board & You Custom Charcuterie closed in Norton Commons after about eight months of operation.

6. BurgerIM — 3733 Lexington Road. This chain burger restaurant closed suddenly on May 1.

7. Chubby Ray's Original Pizza Co. & Bistro — 3910 Ruckriegel Parkway, Jeffersontown, Kentucky. This pizza parlor closed on Jan. 29 after 30 years of operation when its owner retired. Owner Ray Perkins sold the restaurant to Parlour Pizza, which will put the restaurant under renovation and reopen on April 1.

8. Come Back Inn — 909 Swan St. The Germantown restaurant and bar closed in early October after more than 20 years.

9. Comfy Cow — 2221 Frankfort Ave. The Comfy Cow, an ice cream shop founded in Louisville with multiple locations, has announced it will close its Frankfort Avenue location on Nov. 5

10. Common Haus Hall — 134 Sprint St., Jeffersonville, Indiana. A German restaurant open for less than a year announced it plans to close on Feb. 19.

11. Cookie Crush USA — 1613 Bardstown Road. A short-lived gourmet cookie bakery closed its doors.

12. Chimera Brewing Co. — 1025 Barret Ave. A sister concept to V Grits, this brewery closed on Feb. 26 when V Grits moved out of its space.

13. Daddy Rich's — 617 W. Oak St. This counter-service barbecue stand, known for its wings, tenders and chicken sandwiches, closed its doors in January.

14. Feast BBQ — 10318 Taylorsville Road. This popular barbecue restaurant known for its smoked meats including brisket and pork, salads, tacos and bourbon slushies closed its Jeffersontown location in July.

15. Frisch's Big Boy — 4800 Shelbyville Road. This chain restaurant closed its doors suddenly in February.

16. Frisch's Big Boy — 804 Hausfeldt Lane, New Albany, Indiana. Another location of this chain restaurant closed in April.

17. Funmi Cafe — 3028 Bardstown Road. This Nigerian restaurant closed in November after 13 years in business.

18. Germantown Social — 1318 McHenry St. This restaurant and bar closed in January after a year and a half of operation.

19. The Grainwright — 1001 Logan St. This boutique bakery based in Logan Street Market, which supplied bread to many Louisville restaurants, is closing on April 30.

20. Hill Street Fish Fry — 111 E. Hill St. This longtime fish fry closed in early May after 30+ years of operation.

*21. Honey Depot & Coffee House — 10512 Watterson Trail. HoneyBear Farms closed its brick-and-mortar location in Jeffersontown on Aug. 26, with plans to restart business operations in September at 3840 Ruckriegel Pkwy, Suite 100, where it will focus solely on honey.

22. Jake & Elwood's — 2330 Frankfort Ave. This spot known for its Chicago-style cuisine, including deep dish pizzas, sandwiches, pasta, and more reminiscent of Italian and Chicago recipes, closed after three years in operation.

23. La Que — 1019 Bardstown Road. This Asian restaurant closed its doors in January after 15 years of operation.

24. Legend Crab Seafood House — 3020 Bardstown Road. This seafood restaurant closed after about two years of operation.

25. Manhattan Grill — 429 W Muhammad Ali Blvd. This well-known breakfast and lunch spot, which opened in 1997, announced in October it would close by the end of 2023.

26. Maple Street Biscuit Co. — 1004 Bardstown Road. This chicken-and-biscuits chain closed on March 23 after 3 years of operation.

27. Napa River Grill — 1211 Herr Lane. After 20 years in business, this restaurant in Westport Village closed for a remodel/rebranding and will reopen as Osteria Italian Seafood in late September.

28. New Wave Burritos — 3311 Preston Highway. This popular spot, known for its burritos, cocktails, and 80s vibes, closed in August.

29. O'Charley's — 4404 Dixie Hwy, Shively. The chain closed one of its Louisville-area locations in October.

30. Panchitos Ice Cream & Taqueria  — 2245 Bardstown Road. This popular shop closed one of its three locations in late October.

31. Rawnaissance Desserts — 1759 Bardstown Road. This vegan organic dessert shop closed in March.

32. Redbud Dining Room — 983 Goss Ave. This restaurant, owned by the team behind Toasty's Tavern and New Wave Burritos, opened in the old Eiderdown spot last July. It didn't work out; the restaurant announced its imminent closure in January.

33. Sinclair Smoked Salmon — 2208 Dundee Road. A grab-and-go salmon shop in the Douglass Loop closed in November.

Related restaurant news: Redbud Dining Room announces closure after 7 months of operation

*34. Six Forks Burger Company — 1039 Ash St. This family-owned restaurant serving burgers and hot dogs since 2020, closed its brick-and-mortar location in Schnitzelburg after three years in September. The owners reopened the restaurant as a take-out-only location in October.

35. Taco Luchador — 5205 New Cut Road. This taco restaurant closed its Colonial Gardens location on April 30.

*36. Union 15 — 818 W. Kenwood Dr. A pizza restaurant at Colonial Gardens in South Louisville closed on Jan. 21. After being sold to new owners, this restaurant reponed in the spring.

*37. V Grits — 1025 Barret Ave. This vegetarian and vegan restaurant is closing on Feb. 26 and moving into Logan Street Market, due to dipping sales and increased food costs.

38. White Castle — 4020 Shelbyville Road. This longtime location of the popular fast-food chain closed in December.

39. Wild Ginger — 1700 Bardstown Road. Wild Ginger Sushi Bistro, an Asian fusion restaurant in Deer Park, has permanently closed and will be replaced by Kiwami Ramen, which is expected to open sometime this winter.

40. Wiltshire on Market — 636 E. Market St. Known for a different menu biweekly with modern farm-to-table dishes, this restaurant closed in July after 14 years in business.

*= denotes a restaurant moving/reopening

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

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville restaurants, food spots that closed in 2023