Café Fiorello to Close in D.C. as New Owners Acquire Bankrupt Parent Group

Café Fiorello, the high-profile Italian restaurant situated along Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C., is shuttering its doors just 17 months after opening, caught in the aftermath of its parent company's bankruptcy and subsequent corporate buyout. The closure at 1001 Pennsylvania Avenue NW marks a swift conclusion to the first venture outside New York City for the restaurant brand, which was founded by the late restaurateur Shelly Fireman.

The exact timing of the final dinner service has drawn varying reports from local outlets. Eater DC reported that Café Fiorello would permanently close following service on Wednesday, October 28, a date supported by the restaurant's OpenTable reservation system, which blocked further bookings. Conversely, community news site PoPville reported the official closing would take place on Thursday, October 29. A message on the restaurant's reservation page thanked patrons for considering the establishment and offered apologies for the sudden disruption.

The shutdown is tied directly to the Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing of the New York-based Fireman Hospitality Group, which filed for protection in August while facing nearly $10 million in secured claims. The hospitality company had struggled financially following the COVID-19 pandemic, with troubles deepening after the passing of its 93-year-old founder, Shelly Fireman, in October. Other holdings had already collapsed earlier in the year, including the 30-year-old RedEye Grill in Manhattan and a Bond 45 outpost in National Harbor, Maryland.

Under a court-approved $22 million transaction, restaurant conglomerate Landry's Inc., led by billionaire Tilman Fertitta, teamed up with Ciao Hospitality Group to acquire the bankrupt organization's portfolio. The partnership emerged after a bankruptcy judge rejected an initial $9 million bid from Landry's that sought only three prime Manhattan locations. The higher, joint offer prevailed over rival interest, which included an attempt by former Fireman Hospitality CEO Ben Grossman to reclaim the assets.

While the deal secured the survival of Fireman's flagship New York locations, the new ownership elected not to maintain the capital's outpost. Landry's took direct control of Manhattan's most profitable venues: Fiorello's, which has operated across from Lincoln Center for 52 years, along with Trattoria Dell'Arte near Carnegie Hall and Bond 45 in the theater district. Meanwhile, Ciao Hospitality Group, led by Chief Executive Officer Jeff Crivello, was assigned operating rights to other New York properties, including Le Meridien Central Park's Paris Bar, the Le Jardin rooftop venue, Brooklyn Delicatessen, and two Manhattan Brooklyn Diner branches.

The D.C. shutdown is also taking down an adjacent Maryland venue. Sibling location Fiorella Italian Kitchen & Pizzeria, which operated at 152 National Plaza in National Harbor since 2011, is closing on October 29 as well. In the capital, Café Fiorello leaves behind a prominent 6,500-square-foot space in the Penn Quarter neighborhood that once housed San Francisco's Tadich Grill and long-standing restaurant TenPenh before cycling rapidly through tenants.

During its brief existence on Pennsylvania Avenue, the restaurant offered thin-crust pizza, an expansive antipasto display, and signature dishes cooked in wood-burning ovens, drawing political figures and downtown visitors alike. Its departure reflects ongoing challenges throughout the Downtown, Chinatown, and Penn Quarter districts, where operators have cited reduced office attendance, crime, and parking difficulties as hurdles for local dining rooms.