Pleasantry, which helped cement Over-the-Rhine's restaurant renaissance, is closing

In yet another blow to Cincinnati's struggling restaurant industry, Pleasantry, the Over-the-Rhine restaurant and wine bar that opened in 2016, will host their final dinner service on Dec. 31.

Owners Daniel Souder and Joanna Kirkendall made the announcement via social media Thursday morning. The closing follows the announcement earlier this week that another preeminent Cincinnati restaurant, Fausto, will close in December as well.

Pleasantry opened to local and national fanfare in 2016 as a natural wine bar with food, but eventually became just as celebrated for the latter. In recent years, chef Tyler Stemmer, who stepped into the executive chef position from longtime chef Evan Hartman, wowed diners, myself included, with unique, and often outstanding takes on charred cabbage, Lake Erie walleye and chicken katsu.

While an exact reason for the closure was not given, Souder and Kirkendall hinted that the struggle of keeping the restaurant open had become insurmountable. "We’ve chosen not to renew our lease," they wrote. "There are so many words we could say to the 'why' of it all, and they’ll likely come at some point. for now, it’s simply 'we’re tired.' we’ve given a whole heck of a lot to this place. and our lives have changed so much over the past 7+ years."

"As we sit here now," they continued, "we look back with extreme pride at it all: the people we’ve met, the relationships we’ve built, the food we’ve served, the wine we’ve poured. an ever-changing 32 seat restaurant on a quiet corner has never been about the money; it can’t be. but we’d like to think we’ll leave a lasting memory of what we all created."

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Pleasantry restaurant in Over-the-Rhine announces impending closure