Cruel April brings 5 big restaurant closures, but 6 new openings provide some solace

April was a particularly cruel month for me, as it saw the closure of one of my favorite local diners as well as a Northern Kentucky Cambodian spot I once included in my list of the best restaurants in Greater Cincinnati. On the upside, we also saw the opening of a new Downtown lunch and dinner spot, a high-end (and very good) new restaurant in Madisonville and a cool, Asian-style tea shop in Covington. Read on to learn more.

Cincinnati restaurants that opened in April

Bourbon's Craft Kitchen & Bar, Downtown

The second location of this Middletown restaurant opened in the former Wahlburgers space, Downtown. It's open for lunch and dinner with a menu that focuses on steak burgers, which are offered with various toppings, including a take on a classic In-N-Out burger. The rest of Bourbon's menu is eclectic, to say the least, with everything from Baja shrimp tacos to wings to French onion soup. On a recent visit, I found the wings (with a Grippo's dry rub) to be particularly good. I also liked their (very) crispy chicken tenders and double-fried French fries. Boubon's also features classic cocktails and, as the name might suggest, an extensive bourbon selection.

199 E. Sixth St., Downtown, bourbonskitchen.com .

Kung Brew Cafe, Covington

The owners of KungFood AmerAsia, Johnny and Hana Chu, recently opened Kung Brew, a new tea and coffee shop in Covington's MainStrasse Village. It's described on their Facebook page as an Asian-inspired cafe selling coffee, bubble tea and traditional gongfu-style tea , which involves steeping tea in tiny cups to maximize the flavor. The shop is located in the former Bean Haus Bakery & Cafe, which closed last year.

640 Main St., Covington .

Mi Cozumel, Lebanon

The local, family-owned restaurant chain known, according to The Enquirer's Haadiza Ogwude, for "its over 40 margarita flavors, cocktail towers and unique specialties, such as the birria pizza and Hot Cheetos tacos" opened a new Lebanon location this month, one of five planned locations for the chain.

According to Ogwude , Liliana Jaime and Catarino Espinoza opened the first Mi Cozumel location in Springdale in 2018. The family, originally from the Central Mexican city of Guanajuato, wanted to open a restaurant that represented every Mexican state through its decor and menu. Along with the new Lebanon location, they have three other locations in Springdale, Oakley and Finneytown, but plan to open four more restaurants by early 2025. They will be located in Florence, Kenwood and downtown Cincinnati, near Fountain Square. Another Mi Cozumel location is scheduled to open in Dayton in 2025.

511 N. Broadway St., Suite 2001, Lebanon, 513-228-010, micozumel.com .

Alara, Madisonville

Alara is the newest restaurant from Looking Glass Hospitality and its executive chef Mark Bodenstein. If Bodenstein's name sounds familiar, it might be because he once owned NuVo, a popular upscale restaurant in Covington. Before that, he worked as sous chef at Lilly's Bistro, in Louisville, under chef and owner Kathy Cary, one of the pioneers of the farm-to-table movement, though she closed shop in 2020 after 46 years in business. Lilly's received two James Beard Awards while Bodenstein was there. Looking Glass also owns S.W. Clyborne Co. Provisions & Spirits , Tahona Kitchen + Bar , Fretboard Brewing and Toast & Berry .

5410 Medpace Way, Madisonville, 513-272-5313, alaracincinnati.com .

Cafe Vino, West Chester

This new coffee shop and wine bar opened in the former Revitalize space.

8095 Beckett Center Drive, West Chester, 513-870-0200 .

The Bay Horse Cafe, Downtown

Ice-cold schooners (aka enormous goblets of Hudy Delight) have returned to Main Street! That's because the iconic Bay Horse Cafe has reopened after shuttering two years ago. The Bay Horse was most recently owned by Fred Berger and Lori Meeker and closed in 2022 after Meeker's untimely death at age 61. Berger recently sold the bar to Kyle Smith, a long-time bartender who had always wanted to own a place of his own.

Opened on Water Street in 1817 under another name (which has unfortunately been lost to history), the Bay Horse later moved to Longworth Street and then to Fifth Street where, for six decades, it was owned by Gus Schmieg, who worked there from the time he was 17 until his death at age 78 in 1938. In 1962, under the ownership of Al Huff, it moved one last time to its current location on Main Street after the Fifth Street building was condemned to make way for a new government building.

625 Main St., Downtown, 513-975-0335 .

Cincinnati restaurants that closed in April

Madison Bowl Diner, Madisonville

Owner Larry Misleh shuttered his beloved bowling alley diner this month. He told me that the new owners of Madison Bowl did not renew his lease. The diner opened in the 1950s, but since 2006, it’s been owned and operated by Misleh, a former Moeller High School football center turned graphic artist with an undying love of the restaurant business. His specialty was burgers , which were all named after the five sons he’s raised with his wife, Marta. His Cincinnati-style chili paid homage to his family’s connection to Skyline, and one of the breakfast specials was named after Cincinnati Police Officer Sonny Kim, a friend of Misleh who was a regular here before he was killed in the line of duty in 2015.

The Hub, Over-the-Rhine

This popular Main Street dive bar has announced its final last call. Owner Lindsey Swadner explained the surprising closure of the bar, which she opened seven years ago, on social media. "I have signed off to sell the space with the intention of it being placed in the hands of someone who plans to use it to its fullest extent, who will inhabit the space with the same dreams and energy I had when I first opened years ago," she wrote.

Sleepy Bee, College Hill

As reported by The Enquirer’s Bebe Hodges, "Sleepy Bee College Hill, which opened its doors in August 2022 , said in a Facebook comment that the main reason for the closure was that 'our breakfast and lunch operation isn’t the best fit there.' The cafe added that the Sleepy Bee team is working with the College Hill Community Urban Redevelopment Corporation to secure a new restaurant tenant as soon as possible, who will be able to offer dinner service.”

Kampuchea Kitchen, Fort Thomas

After just three years in operation, Kampuchea Kitchen, an excellent Cambodian restaurant in Fort Thomas, has closed its doors. Owner T.C. Long told me that the owner of the building has plans to open a pizza parlor in the spot and that he was unable to find a new space that he could afford. In 2022, I included Kampuchea Kitchen on my list of the best restaurants in Greater Cincinnati .

When he opened in 2020, Long's goal was to open a restaurant that felt like a traditional cafe in his hometown of Phnom Penh by showcasing the hallmarks of Cambodian cuisine, including freshwater fish, fresh fruits and a preponderance of lemongrass, galangal, ginger and kaffir limes. “Cambodians don’t have a pantry,” he told me. “We grow everything ourselves.”

Tuco’s Cantina, Harrison

The Harrison Mexican restaurant announced it would close after just 20 months in business via social media. "Coming to this decision was extremely hard for us," the owners of the restaurant posted. "We have fought hard during slow times and a tough economy, often putting our families on the back burner to stay afloat." Tuco's was located in Harrison's Downtown District. In the post, the owners encouraged its former customers to "shop, eat and drink locally."

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cruel April brings 5 big restaurant closures, but 6 new openings provide some solace