Aatxe Will Shutter at the End of May

Aatxe, the Spanish restaurant from Ne Timeas Restaurant Group and chef Ryan Pollnow, will close at the end of the month according to Thomas McNaughton, founder and CEO of the group. The closure follows the restructuring of the entire building, which is also home to Cafe Du Nord and the Swedish American Hall.

McNaughton told Eater that there was a host of factors involved in the decision to close the restaurant, the success of which he attributed to chef/partner Ryan Pollnow. “He’s ten times better at cooking than I am,” said McNaughton. “The space was just not as busy as we’d hoped.”

McNaughton says that Ne Timeas handed off operations of Cafe Du Nord to the building’s owner, Dylan MacNiven, last month; following suit with Aatxe made sense, given the restaurant group’s waning interests in the building. Its last service in that location will take place on May 28th.

However, says McNaughton, “This isn’t a funeral.” McNaughton and Pollnow plan to bring Aatxe to life in a different, better-suited location (once they’ve found it). And now that there’s less than a month, the crew plans to blow it out for the rest of the time they have left. Head over to Aatxe for some of Pollnow’s Basque food, gin, rosé, and all the tapas; there will be a closing party at the end of the month, date TBD.

In the meantime, there’s no word on what will become of Aatxe’s space; owner Dylan MacNiven is also the force behind Woodhouse Fish Co., so perhaps it will become a new destination for fish and chips, and clam chowder. Stay tuned for more.

• Inside Aatxe, the Glossy Basque Spinoff from the Team Behind Flour + Water [ESF]
• You’ll Never Eat Cafe Du Nord’s Delicious Burger Again [ESF]