Skip to content

More closures and updates on Utah restaurant scene

Tanabata Japanese Restaurant - interior tables (Gastronomic SLC)

Barrio

Posting to Facebook this week, Mexican eatery Barrio announced their imminent closure. Opened in February 2019 the restaurant was known for their from scratch Mexican cooking, not least their expansive and eye catching patio along 9th South. The restaurant’s history and focus was profiled by the Tribune in this piece earlier this year.

The announcement from Barrio does tease a possible comeback at a future date, as ever, tune in here should that transpire. The full announcement from the restaurant reads as follows:

“It is with our deepest regards to announce that Barrio will be closing its doors at the end of the month. Stop by and visit us one last time this week! We will be closing Saturday December 30th at 4:00pm (while supplies last). We hope to see you all at a future location (TBA)! Thank you all so much for your support in our small business!
HAPPY HOLIDAYS”

Dulce De Yumz

You might recall that popular vegan eatery Yumz closed their state street location back in November. At the time the restaurant was survived by a West Jordan location. That too has now closed, with the owners posting the following to Facebook yesterday:

Hey friends TODAY will be our LAST DAY OPEN open at DULCE DE YUMZ. We have to say our goodbyes 8989 s Redwood Rd. WJ,84088 Our hearts are broken with all the happiness of all the new dreams we had for this location 6 We will be trying to sell out of all our inventory food/Sweet wise. We would love if we could see yalls support even if you can’t drive in We have door dash and grubhub you can order with. It’s just me and 1 other person so we will be working our hardest to cook and bake as much as we can throughout the day. Thank you to everyone who did support us. It’s been a bit emotional and crazy past few months with all that has happened to us and with my health.
We love you yumz Familia thank your”

V & R Baking Company

Another signing off this week via Facebook, this Millcreek based baker. The business posted the following note

Our last post is to say THANK YOU to all of you who have supported our business these past 3 years. We can’t fully express how we feel or know the right words to say, but we are grateful, thankful and humbled. We are going to miss you and hope you guys remember us. A special thanks to those that allowed us to wear our hearts on our sleeves. It has been a whirlwind of emotions the last several weeks.

And to all those haters who love to come and say there is better places then us – you guys are right, but remember that growing is learning and to be the best you need to go through trial and error.

If you like our product, come this Saturday for the last ride. Remember there is more local businesses who need your support; don’t let them die. Behind these businesses are employees who depend on all of that support and not just about owners getting rich.

Thank you all! Sincerely V&R Baking Company. Victor Hernandez and Rosanna Wayman”

Other Utah restaurant closures in 2023

While we’re on the subject of closures, let’s take a quick moment to look back on the other businesses we lost along the way through the year that was:

Tanabata Japanese Restaurant

This South Salt Lake Japanese restaurant (pictured top) recently temporarily closed their doors, not for a closure mind you, but a remodel. More than that, the restaurant looks likely to bounce back as a buffet concept, rather than a sit down full service restaurant. A note posted to the businesses door reads:

“The restaurant is temporarily closed for remodeling. We are in the process of converting to a buffet restaurant. Thank you for your patience!”

At this time there’s no indication whether the restaurant will retain the Japanese menu under the new buffet model.

Busy Bee

Lastly, news recently surfaced about what’s next for this famous State Street landmark. Eagle eyed Redditors spotted a famous blue and white logo of Dominos on the building former home to the 21+ Busy Bee; the bar routinely topped lists of best garlic burger for many a year, before sadly closing. The picture posted to Reddit still shows the old Busy Bee sign still proudly standing.

Other useful links



This article may contain content provided by one of our paid partners. These are some of the best businesses in Utah. For a list of all our current and past relationships see our partnership history page.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *