Restaurants shuttered on eve of hotel debut
Bourbon Raw, Cantiki Taco Deck close months after opening
A pair of upscale restaurants closed abruptly in South Norwalk only months after their debuts, and on the doorstep of a new Residence Inn by Marriott that promises a steady influx of patrons for eateries throughout the district.
Bourbon Raw Kentucky Kitchen & Raw Bar opened in September 2018 at 80 Washington St. based on a concept that got its start in Louisville, Ky., with Cantiki Taco Deck following within a month with a new “beach deck” theme that owners had hoped to expand to other locales.
The two eateries slotted into space once occupied by Johnny Utah’s, a western bar with a mechanical riding bull that shut down after Norwalk police conducted a raid to investigate underage patrons; and Killer B, which invoked bourbon in its namesake initial as well as burgers, beer and bacon. The Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection subsequently suspended Johnny Utah’s liquor license to force a permanent closure, with Killer B closing quietly
shortly afterward.
The ground-floor space of 80 Washington St. is now up for sale, with the commercial condominiums owned separately from residential condos on the upper levels. In 2014, the restaurant condos were sold for $1 million to a limited liability company against which the city of Norwalk subsequently filed multiple tax liens, including one from this past March that remains outstanding according to the most recent records posted online by the town clerk’s office.
The demise of Bourbon Raw and Cantiki Taco Deck represent the first significant closures since last fall on South Norwalk’s restaurant row, when Skal Restaurant Group shuttered Cask Republic after a decade’s run. Cask Republic locations continue in Stamford and New Haven, with Skal debuting last year Evarito’s Mexican Kitchen at the corner of Washington Street and North Main Street, with the venue planning to open a promised rooftop deck this spring.
A few blocks south, the new Residence Inn by Marriott — SoNo will begin operations on May 30, giving restaurateurs throughout South Norwalk a new influx of potential patrons, with the chain catering to business travelers on extended trips. And construction is proceeding on the SoNo Collection mall that is targeting a late October opening, with the promise of thousands of shoppers visiting daily to give the city a second major attraction in addition to the Maritime Aquarium in South Norwalk.
But South Norwalk businesses are bracing as well for significant disruptions in the coming five years, as the Connecticut Department of Transportation moves ahead with the replacement of the Walk Bridge that carries rail traffic over the Norwalk River.
“It’s going to be very deleterious for the community,” said Clay Fowler, CEO of Norwalk-based Spinnaker Real Estate Partners, speaking Thursday at a real estate forum in Westport co-sponsored by the Greater Norwalk Chamber of Commerce and the Westport-Weston Chamber of Commerce. “It’s going to be difficult to get down to South Norwalk, I believe.” Alex.Soule@scni.com; 203-842-2545; @casoulman