There is still the faint semblance of a sign on the building at 621 N. Fourth Ave. but there is no sign of life at The B Line restaurant, the hip-and-happening little joint that has long exuded coolness on an avenue known for hip and cool.
Nearly a year after pausing operations in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the restaurant is closed for good.
The door and windows facing North Fourth Avenue are boarded up and the sign has been taken down, leaving an impression of the restaurant’s name where raised letters once stood.
In an email, owner Peter Wilke, who also owns the nearby Time Market at 444 E. University Blvd., confirmed that he closed the restaurant, which opened in 2002.
“Right now no decisions have been made and I don’t have any plans in place,†he said.
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Last March, when restaurants were forced to close their dining rooms in response to the pandemic, B Line announced it was following the lead of many ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ restaurants and shifting to takeout only. The following day, the restaurant announced on Facebook that it was “suspending operations.â€
“We hope the best possible curve for this pandemic and will re-open as soon as it is responsible to do so,†the Facebook post said. “Thank you for your support. Stay home and stay healthy ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥!â€
B Line never reopened.
Pima Community College students out at B Line, 621 North Fourth Avenue, in 2008.
For nearly 20 years, the B Line, known for its bistro-casual menu at diner prices, was a popular go-to restaurant for residents of the neighboring West University area student housing complexes. Most were drawn to the restaurant by its price range — most meals were in the $9 and $10 price range — and the quality of its food, from the mahi tacos and salmon salad to steak tacos and tuna fish sandwich kicked up with horseradish and sweet raisins with slivered almonds for crunch.
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The restaurant also earned raves on Yelp for its wide selection of pies, baked daily on premise.
“The B-Line is my favorite breakfast spot in ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥. ... And where else can you have a slice of pie with breakfast?†Steve B. from the Catalina Foothills area posted on the crowd-sourced restaurant review site in 2019.
“Now, I can add this to my list of places I go specifically for desserts,†added ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥an Christine F. a few weeks later. “Up close and center on their apple pie a la mode. Beautiful and delicious. Not too appley — not too mushy — just perfect. Apple pie a la mode. Almost too pretty to eat. ... Almost.â€
Terri La Chance, pastry chef at B Line, 621 N. 4th Ave, makes the signature baked goods and pastries.
B Line is the latest in a string of longtime downtown restaurants that have closed during the pandemic.
- Andreas Delfakis was the first to bow out, closing his Athens on Fourth Greek restaurant in June after a 30-year run.
- In a dark two-week period in late fall, downtown said goodbye to Suzana Davila’s legendary Café Poca Cosa, 110 E. Pennington St., when she announced on Oct. 16 that she was closing for good after nearly 40 years in business; and ·¡±ô±¹¾±°ù²¹â€™s Tequila, Cocina & Vino at 256 E. Congress St. — the ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ outpost of the popular Tubac restaurant — which closed Oct. 21.
- On Oct. 29, celebrated James Beard Award-winning chef Janos Wilder announced that he was permanently shuttering his 10-year-old Downtown Kitchen + Cocktails at 135 S. Sixth Ave.
ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ restaurants that closed in 2020:
We said farewell to these ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ restaurants and bars in 2020
The Independent Distillery
Choose your own smash from liquors and fruits at The Independent Distillery.
The 5-year-old downtown cocktail bar, 30 S. ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Ave.,Ìýannounced its closureÌýin early November, saying that eight months without revenue was the dealbreaker.
El Indio Mexican Restaurant
El Indio Mexican Restaurant was known for its albondigas and caldo de queso soups, as well as its topopo salads.
El Indio Mexican Restaurant, 3355 S. Sixth Ave., closed in March, when many restaurants closed because of the pandemic. Now the owner, Pedro Estrella, has decided to retire and the restaurant will not reopen.
Rigo's on Oracle Road
Rigo's Oracle location,Ìý5851 N. Oracle Road, closed in 2020.
Rigo's closed its second location,Ìý5851 N. Oracle Road,Ìýafter 10 years.
Mestizos
Mestizos, 1118 W. St. Mary's Road, announced it was closing in April, 2020.
Mestizos, 1118 W. St. Mary's Road, opened in November 2019, but announced in April it wouldn't be able to continue.
Gee's Garden
Gee's Garden closed in June, 2020.
Gee's Garden, 1145 N. Alvernon Way, opened in 1975, but the new owner fell behind on rent and it closed in June.
Chicago Bar
The owners of , a fixture for ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ blues fans and musicians alike since 1978, announced the closure on Facebook, saying the financial burden of being mostly closed since March 17 took an irreversible toll.
Chicago Bar, 5954 E. Speedway, opened in 1978. The owners announced it would be closed because of the pandemic in late June.
Athens on 4th
Ìýat 5951 E. SpeedwayÌýLast June, the owner of Athens on 4th at North Fourth Avenue and East University Boulevard threw in the towel. Owner Andreas Delfakis said it was impossible to continue under the strict COVID restrictions that limited capacity at his 27-year-old restaurant.Ìý
Athens on 4th had served up Greek food for 27 years when it closed in late June.
Alibaba Mediterranean
Alibaba Mediterranean was a casual spot for falafel plates and more atÌý2545 E. Speedway.Ìý
Alibaba Mediterranean, 2545 E. Speedway, closed in late June. This sign was gone and the doors locked.
Rincon Market
Rincon Market, 2513 E. Sixth St. in ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, closed for good.
Rincon Market, 2513 E. Sixth St., closed in June after the owner was unable to pay rent.
Public Brewhouse
Public Brewhouse, 209 N. Hoff Ave., closed its doors after a five-year run because of the pandemic.
Public Brewhouse, 209 N. Hoff Ave., closed for good in October. The nanobrewery was losing moneyÌý doing takeout only.
Meet Rack
Jim Anderson, owner of the Meet Rack, 210 W. Drachman St., in 2007 with his trademark staff and vehicle license plate, which reads “GOD.â€
Meet Rack, known for branding its customers and an owner who called himself God, closed in October.
Green Feet Brewing
Green Feet Brewing, 3669 E. 44th St., opened in 2016, announced in August that it would close "when the beer ran out."
Downtown Kitchen + Cocktails
Chef Janos Wilder has closed Downtown Kitchen + Cocktails, which had been open for 10 years. He temporarily closed the restaurant in March because of the pandemic and decided to shutter it for good on Thursday. He said he has no plans to start another restaurant.
Downtown Kitchen + Cocktails had closed temporarily because of the pandemic, but Chef Janos Wilder announced in October that the restaurant would close for good.
·¡±ô±¹¾±°ù²¹â€™s
Rubén Monroy Jr. has permanently closed his downtown restaurant ·¡±ô±¹¾±°ù²¹â€™s Tequila, Cocina & Vino due to COVID-19. He and his crew were cleaning out the restaurant on East Congress Street on Wednesday.
·¡±ô±¹¾±°ù²¹â€™s Tequila, Cocina & Vino, 256 E. Congress St., closed permanently after months of closure during the pandemic.
Cafe Poca Cosa
Café Poca Cosa, closed for months because of the pandemic, will not reopen. Other local restaurants are limping along.
After months of a pandemic closure,ÌýCafe Poca Cosa, 110 E. Pennington St., closed its doors for good.
Perfecto's Express
Perfecto Leon’s second family restaurant, in a former Sonic Drive-In at 1055 E. Irvington Road, is gone, but his restaurant on South 12th Avenue is still going strong.
Perfecto's Mexican Grill Express, 1055 E. Irvington, is another casualty of the pandemic. It was a spinoff of Perfecto's on South 12th Avenue.
Bianchi’s Italian in Marana
Bianchi’s owner Vincent Bianchi said the Marana restaurant, above, was picking up steam after years of struggle, but “we cannot overcome COVID-19.â€
Bianchi’s Italian in Marana, 3620 W. Tangerine Road, is the second Bianchi's location, and is now closed.
Irene’s Holy Donuts
Irene’s Holy Donuts, 340 N. Fourth Ave., will be unable to satisfy the sweet tooth of ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ans because it closed in February.
Contact reporter Cathalena E. Burch at cburch@tucson.com. On Twitter @Starburch
Cathalena E. Burch
Reporter
