Montreal Restaurant's Sudden Shutter Prompts Questions

As quickly and quietly as it opened, Osteria Macchina is now closed. The successor to Pizzaiolle and Pizzeria Moteur was unveiled in June. Chef Simon Vallée-Troie's cuisine was described at the time as "fresh, Italian-style, with Québécois terroir products and Italo-Québécois inspirations." The owners seemed keen to make use of the space's impressive pizza oven.

Worryingly, however, little was done to promote the restaurant's existence, either via social media or physical signage on Hutchison, just up from competitive Laurier. No grand opening was held. An Osteria Macchina employee told Eater that the owner had promised that the restaurant would be given until September to succeed. During a staff meeting on June 24, St. Jean Baptiste Day, however, the owner disclosed that he had decided to shut the restaurant down because it was "taking too long to pick up steam in terms of customers." Osteria Macchina was open less than a month.