Another Restaurant Closes on an Apparently Dying Stretch of Mile End

MILE END — Another one has bit the dust on Bernard Street, with long-running sushi restaurant Oishii now closed. The restaurant announced its closure on social media earlier this week, thanking customers and stating that it had “ceased our restaurant services”, but not giving any explanation for the closure. However, it will continue as a catering operation. Oishii opened on Bernard just east of Parc in 2003, and it looks like its locale will be the latest empty storefront on an increasingly desolate Bernard Street. Within just a few blocks, other empty locations include the former locations for vegan restaurant Invitation V, Vietnamese resto Milani, taco spot Mr. Azteca, ice creamery D’Une Glace à L’Autre, Moroccan restaurant La Cuisine d’Izza, and sports store D’Un Sport à L’Autre — to name just a few.

While Oishii Sushi’s location is not owned by a major real estate company (and its closure doesn’t appear to be tied to increasing rents), the blame for some of these other vacancies is being put on “cowboy” practices by property owners and developers — in particular, speculation, where owners hike rent prices and leave commercial properties empty, while waiting for a potentially wealthy renter (such as a major chain) — this appears to be the case for the former locations of patisserie De Gaulle and Le Cagibi on St-Viateur Street.

PLATEAU — After three and a half years, purveyor of spicy Jamaican-style meats Local Jerk has shuttered on Duluth, just east of St-Laurent. The restaurant didn’t make a public announcement, although a liquidation sale for its equipment was announced in a Facebook group for restaurant workers in Montreal. Signage for a replacement business has already gone up in the window — a so-called “bar à potion” named Love will apparently be opening there, serving “multidimensional cuisine”. Okay, then!

QUARTIER DES SPECTACLES — Fantastic de Bleury Street butcher shop, sandwich counter, and épicerie Boucherie Dans La Côte is being forced to close in the first half of February. A post on Instagram noted that after five years, its lease is up. It appears the building housing Dans La Côte is set to be demolished for a condo project, because neighbouring Japanese restaurant Furusato is also closing. However, the boucherie should hopefully have a second life: its closure post notes that the owners are “working hard to relocate”, suggesting that a new location in another neighbourhood was close to being locked down, although nothing has been confirmed yet.

MILE END — Burrito shop Tejano has temporarily closed its location on St-Viateur Street, but a sign in the window promises that it’ll be back in the spring.

Seen any bankruptcy notices or papered-over windows in your neighbourhood? Tell us about it.

• La Rue Bernard à la Dérive [La Presse]
• Rent Hikes Kill Off Yet Another Mile End Business [EMTL]
• Local Jerk Drops West Indian Flavour Bombs on Duluth [EMTL]