Landmark Rice Village restaurant cancels relocation plans — will shutter instead

A beloved Rice Village restaurant will soon serve its last meal. Prego will close on May 31, the restaurant announced on Facebook.

Last October, Prego revealed that it would be relocating from its current home at 2520 Amherst to the space currently occupied by Talbots at 5515 Kelvin. Unfortunately, those plans have changed. The restaurant, which has served classic Italian food in Rice Village for more than 40 years, will not be moving after all.

“We have made the tough decision to pause our relocation plans for our original location of Prego from 2520 Amherst to 5515 Kelvin,” the statement reads. “Despite our best efforts and Rice Real Estate Company’s generous accommodations, we have decided that it is not the right time for Prego to make such a move. We appreciate the long-standing relationship with Rice and their partnership in helping us come to this decision.”

Prego general manager and operating partner David Cook was reluctant to discuss the details of the decision to close rather than move.

“The business wasn’t able to make it work,” he says. “There were several different factors. That’s not what I want to talk about. I’m just so grateful for the time we’ve spent in this community with this team.”

Cook adds that he would like to find Prego a new location somewhere nearby, but he doesn’t have any firm plans on when that would take place or where the restaurant might move to.

“Right now, this is the end. We’re going to pause for the foreseeable future. We would like to come back in some way shape or form in the area.” he says.

In response to CultureMap’s request for comment about Prego’s decision, Rice Real Estate Company provided the following statement:

“For 40 years, Prego has been an important part of the Rice Village community. Many friends and neighbors of Rice Village have fond memories of Prego as a place where families and friends can gather to relax and share a delicious meal. Rice Real Estate Company appreciates the difficult decision Prego has made to pause relocation plans, as the best decision for the restaurant’s future. We will continue to offer our full support to the Prego team during this transition period. We are thankful for the community’s support of Prego and continued support of Rice Village.”

The statement notes that Rice Real Estate Company is currently in the process of evaluating Rice Village with the goals of improving walkability, mobility, and its overall use of space. “2520 Amherst St., the building which currently houses Prego, was built in the 1950s and is beyond its expected useful life. As a part of the aforementioned comprehensive site assessment, we are evaluating opportunities for programmatic improvements to this site. We look forward to sharing further updates as we continue examining further opportunities for improvements to Rice Village,” it concludes.

As for Prego, it intends to spend its last month celebrating its successes and giving regulars the opportunity for another visit or two. That includes hosting a series of wine dinners, including one on Wednesday, April 24, with more to be announced.

“I want to celebrate all that Prego has been doing for so long. We’re really just so thrilled to have had the run we’ve had. It’s just such a beautiful thing for 40 something years to have been there,” Cook says.