On most weekend nights, you could see a crowd spilling out onto the patio of HiFi Kitchen & Cocktails, the sprawling downtown ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ sports bar and restaurant that turned into party central at night.
But traffic at the downtown bar at 345 E. Congress St. seemed to wane in recent months.
On Tuesday, the owners, , announced they were closing. They gave no reason for the move in a message posted Tuesday afternoon to the restaurant’s .
“After 11 unforgettable years, it’s time to say farewell, ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥,†stated the post, dotted with a heart and other emojis. “From the wild nights to the unforgettable memories, we’ve loved every second of this ride with you. To all our friends, staff, and party people — thank you for making HiFi ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ what it was. You will all be deeply missed. Cheers to the memories that will last forever!â€
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Despite its popularity as a downtown ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ hangout, HiFi at 345 E. Congress St., abruptly closed early this week.
Evening Entertainment’s Diane and Les Corieri could not be reached to comment, but in a statement provided by their publicist, in Phoenix, Les Corieri basically repeated the Instagram post.
“HiFi ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ has had an incredible 11-year run. While we are sad to move on, we are grateful for the support and energy that shaped HiFi into what it was,†Corieri said in the statement.
Rio Nuevo Chairman Fletcher McCusker said he has been in contact with the building’s owners in Dallas and offered to help find a tenant to replace HiFi.
“We’re very interested in that corner. It’s the gateway to downtown,†McCusker said. “We have a lot of good news going on and these things create negative momentum, and we can’t just sit around. So we’re going to do whatever we can to offer assistance to that owner to help activate those spaces.â€
Employees begin to clear out Hi-Fi Kitchen and Cocktail on Feb. 26 after its owners announced on social media that it had closed after 11 years of operation.
The Dallas company also owns 350 E Congress St, formerly home of The Funky Monkey, which has been closed since March 2023.
HiFi’s arrival in February 2014 brought a new level of energy to downtown’s Congress Street entertainment district.
The 6,150-square-foot space with an additional 2,000-square-foot patio facing Congress featured 35 big-screen TVs and a trio of 20-foot screens that blasted every sport imaginable.
Hi-tech touches included a state-of-the-art digital graffiti display that complemented the blasting house music that seemed to reverberate onto the street.
But the bar, popular with the college crowd, also had a reputation for fights and police intervention, although police said it was not unique to HiFi.
“You get a little bit of everything in that area,†said Sgt. Richard Gradillas, of the ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥ Police Department. “It’s not all directly related to HiFi. It’s the whole downtown area depending on the day and time.â€
HiFi is one of the Scottsdale-based Evening Entertainment Group’s with 15 locations, including Dallas, Scottsdale, Vegas and Houston. The Scottsdale location of HiFi, which opened a year before the concept came to ÃÛèÖÖ±²¥, is still open.
HiFi was the second downtown-area bar to close in less than a week.
Ermanos at 220 N. Fourth Ave. closed on Feb. 22, days after making the announcement on Instagram. It had been on North Fourth Avenue for 10 years.
Contact reporter Cathalena E. Burch at cburch@tucson.com. On Bluesky @Starburch
Cathalena E. Burch
Reporter
