A restaurant that has served the neighborhoods near Rice University for almost 30 years will soon shutter. The Raven Grill announced it will close on Sunday, March 29.

In a statement posted to social media, owners Sara and Rob Cromie stated the landlord declined to renew the restaurant’s lease. Picnic, the Raven’s sister companion coffee shop, deli, and bakery, will remain open.

Open since 1998 in the Boulevard Oaks neighborhood, the Raven is a casual restaurant devoted to Southwestern fare. It’s known for dishes such as a Spicy Southwestern Caesar, pecan-crusted chicken with ancho cream sauce, and blackened chicken pasta. Meats, including steaks and burgers, are cooked on a mesquite-fueled, wood-burning grill.

In addition to the Raven and Picnic, the Cromies have been involved in a number of other concepts, including Cottonwood and La Grange, the Mexican-inspired patio bar in Montrose that closed in 2024.

The past few months have seen a number of Houston restaurants close after 20 or more years in business. They include Paulie’s, an Italian restaurant in Montrose, and Grand Lux Cafe. Picos, a Mexican restaurant that opened in 1984, is currently looking for a new location to replace the Kirby address it has occupied since 2014.