One of Houston’s best seafood restaurants will close next month. 1751 Sea & Bar will serve its last shellfish tower on March 4, owner Sambrooks Management Company announced.

Named for the Gin Act of 1751, the Heights-adjacent restaurant offered an extensive menu of globally inspired shareable plates along with a comprehensive raw bar and a few center-of-plate entrees. A gin-forward cocktail program and well-priced wine list have made the restaurant a popular happy hour destination.

Opened in 2019, 1751 evolved out of Star Fish, a restaurant Sambrooks Management inherited when it purchased some of the assets of Cherry Pie Hospitality. Executive chef Matt Young, a nominee for the 2023 CultureMap Tastemaker Awards Rising Star Chef of the Year, will transition to a corporate role with the company.

“We love the food and concept at 1751, but with our lease expiring mid-year and a lot on our plate with Andiron and The Pit Room 2, we made the business decision to close 1751 for now,” owner Michael Sambrooks said in a statement. “We certainly hope we can bring this concept back to life at a later date, but for now we would like to thank our customers who enjoyed 1751’s progressive small plate dining experience for a great run.”

Despite the closure, Sambrooks Management continues to expand throughout Houston. It will open Andiron, its luxurious live fire steakhouse, in late March. A second location of The Pit Room, its well-regarded Montrose barbecue restaurant, will open in the Memorial area this fall.

“We are happy that due to our expansion we can offer jobs to all of our great 1751 employees at our new or existing locations,” Sambrooks added. “We hope our loyal customers and fans will come out for one final meal in our remaining two weeks of service.”