Burma Garden, Joella's: These Bloomington restaurants closed for good in 2023

Carol Kugler, The Herald-Times
Updated ·2 min read

More than a handful Bloomington restaurants closed in 2023. From franchise eateries to locally owned and operated joints, here's which ones closed their doors for the last time this year.

Denny’s at 2160 N. Walnut St. closed in February. It was one of the few Bloomington restaurants that was open 24 hours. (Lincoln Square Pancake House has announced it will open a restaurant there, but there's no date set for the opening at this time.)

The popular Asian restaurant The Bowl, at 2800 E. Buick Cadillac Blvd., closed for the last time in April. Its location is now Vivencia Latin Flavors.

Arepas and coffee: Vivencia restaurant opens with Latin, American fare

BloomingThai closed its restaurant in at 107 N. College Ave. in May but owner Joy Cruz said the restaurant will eventually reopen in a new location at 405 E. Fourth St., the former location of Anatolia Restaurant.

In August several restaurants announced they were closing.

Bowls 4 Boots, at 101 W. Kirkwood Ave., Suite 021, inside Fountain Square Mall, closed because its owners were leaving to pursue another calling, after being led into ministry. They said the shop was being sold but it has not reopened.

Estacion D Sabor was open for a time inside Switchyard Brewing Co., but it closed unexpectedly in August.
Estacion D Sabor was open for a time inside Switchyard Brewing Co., but it closed unexpectedly in August.

Estacion D. Sabor, a restaurant inside Switchyard Brewing, closed unexpectedly. The restaurant was operated by owners of Pili's Party Taco.

Aver’s Public House at 1285 S. College Mall Road closed but Aver’s pizza still has two locations: at 1837 N. Kinser Pike and 317 E. Winslow Road. It's now Hoosier Hanks Pizza Mac.

Hoosier Hanks: On opening day at this Bloomington pizza shop, the whole staff quit

Chocolate Moose closed its shop next to BuffaLouie’s at 114 S. Indiana Ave. The Chocolate Moose locations at 405 S. Walnut St., at 278 S. Van Buren St. in Nashville, inside College Mall and on the Indiana University campus remain open.

New to Bloomington: Which restaurants opened in 2023 and what's coming in 2024

Burma Garden, at 413 E. Fourth St., closed its doors.

Sofra Cafe closed in 2023 and was replaced by a Korean restaurant called Cafe K-Bap.
Sofra Cafe closed in 2023 and was replaced by a Korean restaurant called Cafe K-Bap.

Sofra Cafe closed its doors at 340 S. Walnut St. in September. (Currently, the owners still offer some of the baked goods at the Bloomington Winter Farmers' Market on Saturdays, 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m., in Switchyard Park Pavilion.) The location has become Cafe K-Bap, a Korean restaurant.

Joella’s Hot Chicken, at 3002 E. Third St., closed in November. Joella's was one of three restaurants along East Third Street that gave the area the unofficial name of "Chicken Corner." That will erode further when KFC closes so a Crew Carwash can be constructed on that site.

Rocky's Pizza, at 1713 N. College Ave., Suite 3, is also closed.

While it's not closing, Goat Conspiracy announced it will no longer make cheese or soap, so buy what's left while it's available.

This list includes most of the restaurants that have closed in the past year but may not be complete. Reach Carol Kugler at ckugler@heraldt.com.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Bloomington, Indiana, restaurants that closed in 2023