During the last couple of years a number of restaurants have closed on Capitol Street. First Cazon closed in January of 2008. Cafe de Paris temporarily closed in the Fall of 2008 never to reopen. Charleston Bagel (formerly Chesapeake Bagel) closed in January of 2009. And Bellacino’s closed in November 2009 .
Cazon was a major loss for Capitol Street. The food was good and the prices are reasonable. It appears the location might be the new home of Pies & Pints. Everyone we’ve had contact with at Pies & Pints says a Charleston location will happen, but the details still needs to be worked out and no agreements have been signed.
Based on local news reports it appears the Bellacino’s corporate offices is searching for a new owner for the Capitol Street franchise, and it is expected to reopen.
Cafe de Paris received a lot of mixed reviews in the time it was open. I miss the place because the owners, Shelley and Gerard Cuisset, would open early on Saturday morning so we could watch English Premier League Soccer. They were the only bar in town who had Setanta, and Gerard is a soccer fan.
The food has good sometimes and not so good other times. It depended on who was cooking.
It was reported in April that the space might reopen as a bar, but the building remains empty.
Charleston Bagel was as a major loss to Capitol Street. There is no place in this town to get a good, freshly baked bagel. They were a big splash when it opened in 1995. After the place changed hands a few times it started to really go downhill. The contents of the restaurant were sold over the summer, but there is no word on if the bagel oven, a huge and expensive piece of equipment, sold. Sadly the space still sits empty.
While we have lost four restaurants, there are still plenty of good food to be found on and around Capitol Street, and there are at least a couple of prime locations to open new restaurants.