Popular neighborhood eatery to shutter.
Mezza, an independently owned Lebanese restaurant in Oak Grove, will be closing December 31st, after 15 years in business. The restaurant's owners, the Bitar family, said that their lease was ending and that it was a difficult decision to close but one that needed to be made due to "unexpected family related issues."
Mezza first opened in the Oak Grove community February 20th, 2001.
At one point, the restaurant encompassed two storefronts in its Oak Grove Shopping Center home. More recently, the restaurant consolidated back down to a single space with Queenie's Consignment having opened in their vacated space earlier this year.
Oak Grove center is also home to Oak Grove Market, The Grove, Taqueria El Vecino and a few other smaller shops. Beer Growler Nation closed earlier this year in the center, and after talk that Sherlock's Wine Merchant might open in its space, it remains vacant.
Not far away, Sobban, the Korean southern diner that opened about two years ago in the one-time Arby's on Clairmont Road by the VA, is also closing. The owners, Jiyeon Lee and Cody Taylor, plan to close Sobban December 19th. There is reportedly a chance Sobban will reopen elsewhere in the future, but it is likely to be near the owners' other restaurant, Heirloom Market BBQ in Smyrna.
What would you like to see open in the Mezza or Beer Growler spaces? What is your favorite Oak Grove neighborhood eatery? What will you miss most about Mezza?
Please share your thoughts below.