patching...
Welcome back, Patch Blogger!

TE Restaurant Shake Up: BYOB Out-Sushi In

One restaurant abruptly closes and another prepares to open in the new year in Paoli.

 

Grappa Cafe is closed. A sushi restaurant is moving in.

There's no seating at the moment inside the restaurant. It's being remodled to make way for a new owner's vision of what dining should be at the corner of Paoli Court and Lancaster Ave./Route 30 in Paoli (Next to the Starbucks at the Paoli Train Station).

Grappa reportedly closed several weeks ago with little fanfare. A restauranteur in Berwyn tells Patch she found out when someone came in seeking work, He said he needed a job because he went to work at Grappa one day in November and saw the closed sign on the door.

Restaurants closing down with little or no warning in Paoli (or anywhere else in the industry) is not uncommon. Last Christmas, Saxby's Coffee closed down on Christmas Eve with only a few days notice. (There's now a cell phone store in that location), Jake's Frozen Custard shut down without notice in July 2011. Nudy's Cafe opened in August 2012 in that building. Grappa Cafe now joins the litany.

BYOB Out-Sushi In

Wednesday evening Ken Cao and a crew of workers were inside the former Grappa space, preparing to open Cao's new restaurant. The menu will be authenitic Japanese sushi.

Sushi Nami is schedule to open in early to mid January. Cao hasn't set a specfic date yet.

Cao, who has been a sushi chef in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut is the chef and the face of his family's newest restaurant. He says they also own other restaurants in other states in the region.

Related Topics: Grappa Cafe, Ken Cao, Restaurants, and Sushi Nami

Dave Staiger

10:03 am on Thursday, December 6, 2012

We will miss Grappa, good food and service....

Reply

Bill N.

11:21 am on Thursday, December 6, 2012

Yelp reviewers lambasted Grappa, which I'd guess contributed to it's downfall. I can't wait to try the new sushi spot!

Reply

RosiesDad

2:21 pm on Thursday, December 6, 2012

Grappa was never as good as the Fellini's that was there before. Or as good as Frankie's in Berwyn.

But we can always use a good sushi joint. Can't wait to try it.

Reply

James Johnson

6:44 am on Friday, December 7, 2012

Grappa was a real treat for us. We had a surprise whan we went there on Tuesday and found the place closed and workmen only there.

Reply

John from PA

12:28 pm on Friday, December 7, 2012

One serious problem with Grappa was the lack of a clear indication of where to park. If someone was just driving around looking for a dining spot they probably drove right by since no clear parking existed. A 2nd issue was food that was slightly above average (for Italian) coupled with an abundance of Italian restaurants in the area. Sushi may make it, especiall with the proximity to the train station. I can envision commuters picking up sushi on the way home. However I don't eat fish bait so I'll be at Tiramisu in Berwyn.

Reply

Leave a comment