Earlier this week, Beans and Barley announced it was closing, and things just keep getting worse in the hospitality industry. This morning, The National Café (839 W. National Ave.) announced its “sudden” closure. The breakfast/lunch spot had operated since 2008, initially under its founding owner Michael Diedrick.
Current owner Angie Wierzbinski, who bought the business in 2019 from chef Nell Benton (who’d bought it from Dietrick for $100 back in 2011), also previously ran a restaurant on the East Side called Lafayette Place, which served vegan cuisine. Months after a car crash caused serious structural damage to the building it occupied (1978 N. Farwell Ave.) earlier this year, Lafayette Place shut down for good.
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The National’s closing announcement, via Facebook, is as follows:
- It is with great sadness and utter heartbreak that we announce the sudden closure of The National Cafe, our beloved Walkers Point breakfast and lunch spot. After our Lafayette Place tragedy and a painfully slow 2025, we kept hoping for a busy fall and holiday season that just never came.
We will miss our cafe. We will miss working with our favorite people. We will miss the smell of crispy bacon and cinnamon rolls. We will miss the hiss of our espresso machine…
And we will so so miss serving our beautiful and amazing customers with our brunch that was made with so much love.
