Indianapolis restaurants that permanently closed due to the pandemic
Some of Indianapolis’ most popular independent restaurants, including Black Market and Rook, have closed for good during the pandemic. Here’s a look at some of them.
Dwight Adams, dwight.adams@indystar.com
A pandemic-related challenge in accessing organic ingredients is forcing the closure of Ezra’s Enlightened Cafe in Broad Ripple.
The health-focused dairy-, gluten- and GMO-free Indianapolis spot will permanently close at 6516 Ferguson St. on April 2, owner and chef Audrey Barron announced on its Facebook page.
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“We were doing great prior to the pandemic. We planned to be here for many years. These past two years of navigating constant rising food costs, food shortages, staffing shortages and more, have frankly chipped away at our sweet business,” Barron said in the post. “We are able to source less and less organic, many items are doubling and tripling in price and I find us at a crossroads.”
Opened in 2014, the cafe is mostly vegan, outside of its use of raw local honey. The cafe serves smoothies, juices, salads and chef-driven entrees, some made with vegetables and herbs from its own farm.
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“I opened Ezra’s Cafe to be a place where our customers know they can eat pesticide-free, GMO-free food. As more and more items on our menu are forced to be non-organic due to shortages or pricing that simply isn’t possible for us to sustain, it’s clear to me that it’s time to move on.”
Barron said she is writing a recipe book, to include some of the cafe’s top dishes. For information, visit gaiachef.com.
Contact IndyStar reporter Cheryl V. Jackson at cheryl.jackson@indystar.com or 317-444-6264. Follow her on Twitter: @cherylvjackson.
