Two more Houston restaurants announced they will soon cease operations. Alice Blue and Urban Eats both revealed imminent closing dates, but the circumstances around the decisions are very different.

Photo by Kirsten Gilliam

Alice Blue will close next month.

Diners have until February 25 to make their final visits to Alice Blue, proprietor Claire Smith announced. The next month will be a celebration as customers and former employees are invited to wish Smith well after a 30-year career in hospitality.

In response to CultureMap’s request for comment about the decision to close Alice Blue, Smith simply says it was time. She could have renewed her lease on terms that would have allowed the restaurant to remain open, a representative adds, but is ready for a well-earned break.

“I’m excited to see what the next chapter of my life brings. Hopefully lots of quality time with friends and family,” Smith says. “You never know, I may want a coffee shop one day. But for now, I will be watching all of the amazing things happening in the Houston restaurant scene.”

Smith launched Alice Blue in 2017 — with the assistance of Nancy’s Hustle owners Sean Jensen and chef Jason Vaughan — but she’s occupied the space since 2003 when she opened Shade. One of the first chef-driven restaurants to operate in the Heights, Shade helped paved the way for the neighborhood to become one of the city’s premier dining destinations.

Her history owning restaurants goes back to the Daily Review Cafe, which opened in 1994. She also operated Canopy in Montrose for 10 years.

Alice Blue will pay tribute to that legacy by serving popular dishes from all of those restaurants, including chicken pot pie, spinach salad, and lamb stew.

“[I’ll remember] experiencing the Heights as it exploded from a quiet, dry area to a vibrant ‘new Houston neighborhood’ with so many fabulous restaurants , bars, shopping destinations, homes, and families without losing its small town character,” Smith adds. “More than anything, I think of the amazing people I have worked with over the last 20 years and am so very proud of their multitude of achievements. I have learned so much from every one of them!”

As for Urban Eats, its late day will be this Sunday, January 28. In a lengthy post to social media, owners Levi Rollins and Eric Munoz write that they’re closing due to unpaid rent and taxes that accrued as the restaurant struggled to stay afloat during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. Rollins told Houston Food Finder that the amount totals $150,000.

Earlier this month, the restaurant launched a viral social media campaign to encourage diners to visit and help it raise the necessary funds to remain open. Although many flocked to support the business, the efforts were not sufficient to generate the entire amount.

While the closing is sad, Rollins and Munoz promised to pay their employees everything they’re owed and help them find new jobs at other restaurants. They also thank their customers.

“We want to express our deepest gratitude for the incredible nine years we’ve spent with you,” the couple writes. “Your support has allowed us to realize our dream of owning and operating our restaurant. Houston, you’ve embraced our delicious, comfy gourmet food, served by an amazing staff, in a warm, welcoming environment. Serving you has been the honor of a lifetime, and we will forever cherish those moments.”

Rollins opened Urban Eats in 2015. He divided the two-story space into a first-floor market with ready-to-eat items and a full-service restaurant devoted to sliders and comfort food on the second floor. It became a neighborhood brunch favorite thanks to its second-floor patio and welcoming atmosphere.

The beginning of this year has already seen a number of high-profile restaurant closings. Picnik, a healthy eating concept from Austin, closed last week in the Montrose Collective mixed-use development. Dish Society shuttered its original Tanglewood location after 10 years, and Montrose patio bar La Grange quietly closed after almost nine years of operations.