After nearly 8 years in Forest Hills, Jake’s American Grille (5018 Connecticut Avenue) closed its doors for good on Sunday, January 20th. But before doing so, the restaurant invited the community to a weekend wake.
Jake’s wake was fun and now we say goodbye! We are so thankful to our wonderful regulars! pic.twitter.com/CD8hKvtCsF
— Jake's (@Jakes_DC) January 21, 2019
First word came via PoPville, which got the word from ANC 3F Commissioner Monika Nemeth. She tells PoPville, “Apparently lease negotiations fell apart. They will be sorely missed.”
The restaurant’s name and naval theme were based on the owner’s grandfather. The upstairs dining area was decorated with photos of Jake Jablonski’s family and U.S. Navy life.
Our final trivia was amazing and we thank our trivia family for making it a great send off! Jake’s will close for good January 20th. We thank our amazing regulars for making this a fun spot! pic.twitter.com/tAL0iD2ekm
— Jake's (@Jakes_DC) January 17, 2019
A year ago, that block on Connecticut Avenue lost Terasol Bistro and Banana Leaf. I’m Eddie Cano has since moved into the Banana Leaf space.
Paul says
It’s unfortunate that rising rents on Connecticut Avenue (and elsewhere in DC, of course) seem to be the main cause of restaurant failure. We were commenting that the space formerly occupied by Palena in Cleveland Park has been vacant for, what, five or six years now? Are landlords so interested in rent increases that they would forego many years of revenue in favor of grabbing the one client willing to pay? Perhaps DC’s tax laws provide a perverse disincentive that favors shuttered buildings over active businesses?