*****
Restaurants come and go. But for a few recently closed spots, their time serving Phoenix was short. A vegetarian restaurant closed in downtown Phoenix after nine months, a ramen shop on Thomas Road shuttered after a year and a wing joint lasted only a few weeks. Also in this month's closings were a tiny diner and a Grand Avenue fave.
These nine restaurants and dining concepts are now closed.
The Breadfruit & Rum Bar
The brick-and-mortar location of The Breadfruit & Rum Bar has been closed since March 2020, but its menu of Jamaican dishes has been available from inside Bitter & Twisted Cocktail Parlour for the past year. However, the pop-up officially ends on Sept. 2. The following week, Bitter & Twisted will take back over its own kitchen and bring back some favorites that long-term customers may be happy to see.El Charro Hipster Bar and Cafe
El Charro Hipster, a lively hangout on Grand Avenue, has closed after five years. In late July, the owners announced the news, citing a rent hike as the reason. Throughout August, they hosted events and made the most of their last month in business. El Charro Hipster had a unique concept that evolved throughout the the day. It served coffee and breakfast in the morning, Mexican and Spanish-inspired foods for lunch and dinner and mezcal cocktails at night. It was a popular spot for live music, open mic nights and local artist events.Ghett 'Yo Wings
Ghett 'Yo Wings celebrated its grand opening in Ahwatukee on July 29. By Aug. 21, the restaurant was closed. In an announcement shared on the restaurant's social media, the owners were unable to come to an agreement with the landlord. Ghett 'Yo Wings is part of a chain with locations in Phoenix and San Tan Valley and is a sister restaurant to Ghett 'Yo Pizza and Ghett 'Yo Taco.Kaisen
Kaisen, a little ramen restaurant on Thomas Road (unrelated to Kaizen in downtown Phoenix) has closed after roughly a year in business. The simple yet cozy space was wedged into the same strip mall as Presidio Cocina Mexicana, where it served dumplings, steaming bowls of savory ramen and fried chicken with Japanese curry.Li's Asian Chinese Food & Sushi Fusion
A Tempe restaurant that specialized in Chinese and Japanese cuisine has closed. Li's Asian, which prioritized takeout, closed earlier this month and has already been replaced. The new restaurant, called Chow's Ramen & Hibachi, serves classic Cantonese-American appetizers, including dumplings, spring rolls, cheese wontons and edamame. Mains include noodles, fried rice, ramen bowls and hibachi dishes.Little Chef Diner
Housed in possibly one of the cutest buildings downtown, Little Chef Diner has closed. The restaurant, located on Roosevelt Street, served pancakes, burgers, burritos, coffee and other diner classics from within a 1950s Valentine prefabricated diner. The tiny, retro spot served its last customers on Aug. 27. While the diner is closed, fans can expect to see the chefs behind the wheel of their food truck, Culinary Theory.
Sin Muerte, which means "without death" in Spanish, was once a funeral home. The restaurant is now closed.
Sara Crocker
Sin Muerte
Located in a refurbished funeral home, Sin Muerte was one of the more unusual restaurants in the Roosevelt Row area of downtown Phoenix. The menu was entirely vegetarian with many vegan options and took inspiration from places on the same latitude as Phoenix. The catchphrase was "from Maricopa to Morocco." The concept came from Instrumental Hospitality, the team known for the Asian-inspired restaurant Belly. One of the group's founding members, culinary director Michael Babcock, stepped down in July to spend more time with his family. The restaurant's closing came about a month later. In the announcement, the owners shared that the concept "just didn't work."
Little Spring Provisions took over the kitchen at Sister Helen. Both concepts are now closed.
Sister Helen
