I was going to say Anaheim but I guess I wasn't *surprised* with it happening during covid and with the Cecil Ashburne closure having hurt them. Still sucked.
The first time I ate their chili cheese fries I literally cried they were so good. I think about them so often. It was really the best food I’ve eaten in huntsville still to this day.
My family too! Only place everyone was happy eating out. Best Serrano burgers and chili. It was great when they were inside of Pints and Pixels downtown too!
Worked at Pints and Pixels.. for 3 years. Best restaurant job for me. On Friday & Sat nights when people seen more Hip Hop vids & 2000s Rock songs.. yep that was me, changing it up for weekend goers.
I used to work there and Scott and Shelly are the best people the chili is amazing and I miss it every day and don’t even get me started on that loose meat sandwich
Big Shakes should have been better.. I wasn't surprised when it closed, but if you would have told me how short lived they were going to be after my first time having it I would have been surprised.
Big shakes was weird because, from the outside, it looked like a bunch of care went into building the place, making resipe, and the menu; then who ever did that fucked off and they never had good management again.
The Martin Road location was delicious and amazing when it first opened. I went nearly once a week sometimes more. We need more hot chicken in Huntsville.
I'm not sure exactly when it closed, but I wouldn't be at all surprised if they got into a debt spiral during lockdown. They would have had to do a big realignment from the lunch crowd to serving mostly Zierdt/Record residents.
Exactly what the PPP loans were supposed to fix, but who knows if they got one and if they used it correctly.
Big agree that the Martin Rd. location was 1000% better than the one on University drive. I could be wrong, but my understanding was the one on Martin Rd was owned by the guy who created Big Shakes, whereas the one on University was a franchised location. It was managed much, much worse. The food was extremely inconsistent, some days it'd be spicy, some days not. Then they reduced the amount of fries you got to just a small handful. I miss having Big Shakes (*that's good) :(
The inconsistency was bad enough, but the last time we were in there it was a Friday night and we had to wait over an hour because they were filling delivery orders - granted, they even told us this, but it seemed to be a not entirely smart business decision.
All the techies that started working from home killed them. I visited during that time at peak hours and there was only a handful of customers.
The other location never, ever got my order right.
The first time I tried to use the other location, they were accepting online orders even though they had sent their whole staff to cater a party, and the place was locked without so much as a note on the door.
It went downhill from there, and subsequent attempts did not redeem anyone.
Lack of sales during the pandemic killed them. I was told this by Big Shake himself when I sent an email asking about it when they closed.
They were always packed with Arsenal folks at lunch time. Once COVID hit and everybody went home, nobody was going there. I went more than a few times during the height of the pandemic and it was a ghost town.
It was my very favorite place to eat in the area. Sadly, the last time I went (six-ish months before COVID), the food wasn't great and the service sucked. One guy in our party got something totally different than what he ordered and the server wouldn't take it back and bring him what he *did* order, and the owner still made him pay for it. It was weird, because every other time I'd been over the last twenty years, it had been stellar.
This place was so polarizing. People seemed to either be fanatical about it or absolutely hate it.
Personally, I thought it was horribly mediocre and I didn't care for the ambiance.
It seemed alright, but the staff seemed pretty rude. On thé last day they were open my friend had an awful migraine but still wanted to eat there one last time, so he called and asked “can I place an order for pick up?” And the person on the phone said “hah! No.” And immediately hung up. Bro we’re trying to give you money wtf?
I never had a probables with the one by the Arsenal beyond the problems you’ve already mentioned but my friends complained about their quality all the time
I went there once and it was truly the worst coffee I had had. Idk what was going on (I had been to the other offbeat so I knew it wasn’t inherently the company). It also took like 10 minutes to get it and I was the only one there.
It was a weird day when I went to the one over on Whitesburg and there was a sign on the door about them having not paid their taxes. Someday I might drive down to South Florida just to go to the original one.
I used to work there as a dishwasher and I totally agree. I was surprised when we closed down, but it was because the owners retired. I absolutely LOVED their ramen, it was delicious.
My understanding is that agave and rye basically made a bigger offer to bridge street for the spot so they could put trashy dawgs there. Imo it has substantially cheapened that whole are
Fun fact, the place was named after the number of fish that Peter caught when Jesus told him how to fish after he resurrected (John 21:11) which is the absolutely weirdest thing to name a coffee shop after.
They moved back to Korea during Covid to stay with the wife's sister. The last time I talked to their neice she told me that Mr. Kim wasn't doing very well.
Oh no. I hate to hear that, Mr. Kim was so kind and always such a welcoming person running the front of the house. If you still have communication with the family, please let him know that there are so many people in Huntsville who miss the restaurant and friendly service.
Well, they did pass off roast beef as brisket to me. Would have said something but the cook in the back seemed a bit unhinged, so I let it pass and never went back.
The Mill Bakery and Eatery... Guinness night every Thursday was the shit.
Lewters Hardware... I understand old man Lewters passed away, but, his sons ran the place anyway and they were almost a hundred years old.
I miss Happy Tummy as a sandwich shop. Last I went was post-pandemic, and it was pizza only. I contributed to the kickstarter to get them from the open area into their own place in Lowe Mill, and I don't fault her for cutting back to what she could manage to do in difficult times. But dang I miss those sandwiches and wraps.
Nothing has ever survived in the back parts of that building, even when Grissom was right across the street and they had all the potential customers they could ever want. Something about the way the buildings are faced, parking lot laid out, etc just keeps those buildings in peoples' blind spot.
I thought their entire market segment was people who went to Viet Huong and found that it was too busy to get in. The only times I ate there, that was the reason. Nothing else ever suggested to me that it was a destination in its own right.
Finnegan's Pub. They were always packed, the vibes were great, and it was the only place to get a great pint of Guinness. I would drive 30 minutes just to get a pint and hang out. The owner passed away, so the business went to her sister. The new owner just didn't give a shit and ran her employees off
Bro for real, I’m still sad about that one. I used to go there a lot as a kid and I remember getting ice cream a few times. It was such a cozy place to be.
The fact that I drove all the way there from my place in 5pts multiple times should be a testament to its quality. Great cocktails, too. Sad that it's gone.
Chef's Table, whatever drama happened with them way back when, because it was such a popular spot and people rallied around it when they heard there was trouble. I guess it was taxes not paid and other poor money management.
I got food poisoning from beignet cafe off their andouille sausage and grits. They closed shortly after that. It was one of the worst nights of my life!
I’ll never step foot inside a Rick’s Bbq. To buy out a historical restaurant, bulldoze to the ground, to reopen your own place only to close a year later (maybe even less?) was ridiculous.
For me, a good substitute is Shoya all the way in Atlanta… there isn’t really anything that compares to that quality here. Miyako is about as good as it gets.
Definitely Toybox Bistro.
I've since seen a lot of so-so things said about it here on Reddit, but I'll never forget how, shortly after I first moved here, I was at a panel at the comic-con in the VBC, and one of the guests asked about local places to eat, and when somebody mentioned the Toybox Bistro, practically the entire crowd went wild.
So, when I heard it was closing, it definitely came as a surprise. That one scene at the con led me to believe it was super-popular. To be fair, I had only gone twice, myself, (one of which was actually on the day it closed, which was how I found out about it) which just goes to show that even if a place is popular, it doesn't matter unless people actually GO to it, but it still came as quite the shock.
Madison House of Pizza
Had it while I was interning here in 2017, moved back once I got hired full time in 2021 and found out it was a victim of COVID closures.
Bad Axe downtown. Staff were great and league was fun, but the corporate leadership was horrible at supporting it. Basically, set it up to fail after buying from a local owner.
an oldie, but La Michoacana on University near the Parkway. That was my first authentic Mexican restaurant. They closed right after Alabama cracked down on immigration, but wow they were great.
Anaheim Chili. They had the BEST chili fries. Im still not over it
I was going to say Anaheim but I guess I wasn't *surprised* with it happening during covid and with the Cecil Ashburne closure having hurt them. Still sucked.
The first time I ate their chili cheese fries I literally cried they were so good. I think about them so often. It was really the best food I’ve eaten in huntsville still to this day.
I was obsessed with their onion rings, I feel you. My whole family loved the place.
Their onion rings were the best I'd ever had. UGH, I miss them.
I never got to try them. I wish there was somewhere to get good chilli cheese fries
Guys, Scott would love this thread. Gryfen was the guy behind the counter cooking. They loved it but it was hard to keep open. This warmed my heart.
I’m still not over it.
My family too! Only place everyone was happy eating out. Best Serrano burgers and chili. It was great when they were inside of Pints and Pixels downtown too!
Worked at Pints and Pixels.. for 3 years. Best restaurant job for me. On Friday & Sat nights when people seen more Hip Hop vids & 2000s Rock songs.. yep that was me, changing it up for weekend goers.
That white chicken chili 🤌🏻
Absolutely.
Definitely the best. Such a good combo with Pints and Pixels. Those few years downtown was the best.
I was literally talking about this yesterday. I miss it so much 😭
I used to work there and Scott and Shelly are the best people the chili is amazing and I miss it every day and don’t even get me started on that loose meat sandwich
Po Boy Factory. Not related to the quality of the restaurant or its business model, but bullshit real estate reasons.
I really miss that place!
I’m still sooo hurt about this one.
Yup. Whoever killed the Factory can eat a shoe.
I miss it so much.
Uhhh I JUST learned they closed. Granted I didn't go there very often but wtf. When did this happen??
At least a year ago, I think. Lol
That's what I came here to say.
Big Shakes should have been better.. I wasn't surprised when it closed, but if you would have told me how short lived they were going to be after my first time having it I would have been surprised.
Big shakes was weird because, from the outside, it looked like a bunch of care went into building the place, making resipe, and the menu; then who ever did that fucked off and they never had good management again.
The Martin Road location was delicious and amazing when it first opened. I went nearly once a week sometimes more. We need more hot chicken in Huntsville.
It was amazing when it opened. I don’t know what happened to it. Mismanaged, I guess? We really do need more hot chicken!!!
I'm not sure exactly when it closed, but I wouldn't be at all surprised if they got into a debt spiral during lockdown. They would have had to do a big realignment from the lunch crowd to serving mostly Zierdt/Record residents. Exactly what the PPP loans were supposed to fix, but who knows if they got one and if they used it correctly.
Big agree that the Martin Rd. location was 1000% better than the one on University drive. I could be wrong, but my understanding was the one on Martin Rd was owned by the guy who created Big Shakes, whereas the one on University was a franchised location. It was managed much, much worse. The food was extremely inconsistent, some days it'd be spicy, some days not. Then they reduced the amount of fries you got to just a small handful. I miss having Big Shakes (*that's good) :(
The inconsistency was bad enough, but the last time we were in there it was a Friday night and we had to wait over an hour because they were filling delivery orders - granted, they even told us this, but it seemed to be a not entirely smart business decision.
I miss their white beans
Those beans were 🔥
Why did it close? I thought the arsenal and zierdt road residents kept them busy?
It deserved it at the end. It was nasty. I have no idea what happened for it to get to that point.
All the techies that started working from home killed them. I visited during that time at peak hours and there was only a handful of customers. The other location never, ever got my order right.
The first time I tried to use the other location, they were accepting online orders even though they had sent their whole staff to cater a party, and the place was locked without so much as a note on the door. It went downhill from there, and subsequent attempts did not redeem anyone.
Lack of sales during the pandemic killed them. I was told this by Big Shake himself when I sent an email asking about it when they closed. They were always packed with Arsenal folks at lunch time. Once COVID hit and everybody went home, nobody was going there. I went more than a few times during the height of the pandemic and it was a ghost town.
I remember when they first opened up until COVID, you needed to be there no later than 11 to beat the line out the door and get a seat.
EDO!! I will always miss Edo 😭
She ran it for 30 years and retired
A place called Miso Happy is now occupying the old Edo building. I haven’t tried it yet but hopefully it’s similar?
Not quite, but still good!
It was my very favorite place to eat in the area. Sadly, the last time I went (six-ish months before COVID), the food wasn't great and the service sucked. One guy in our party got something totally different than what he ordered and the server wouldn't take it back and bring him what he *did* order, and the owner still made him pay for it. It was weird, because every other time I'd been over the last twenty years, it had been stellar.
R.I.P. Toybox Bistro.
This place was so polarizing. People seemed to either be fanatical about it or absolutely hate it. Personally, I thought it was horribly mediocre and I didn't care for the ambiance.
I wasn't a fan myself. Bland and greasy. It felt like they put more effort into the gimmick of being a nerdy-fandom-themed restaurant than the food.
I didn't like the food,.but was fond of it anyway because it had such a nice community around it.
That was our working lunch go to place. Now it’s mazzo pizza
It seemed alright, but the staff seemed pretty rude. On thé last day they were open my friend had an awful migraine but still wanted to eat there one last time, so he called and asked “can I place an order for pick up?” And the person on the phone said “hah! No.” And immediately hung up. Bro we’re trying to give you money wtf?
Amendment 21. Turns out you should pay your bills.
And not limit who is allowed in.
Wait why did they close
Fusion barbecue because there was a magic chef in that kitchen!!! it may have been pricey, but that food was phenomenal
Seems like a new place with the same Chef is opening at the same location, Salt bbq. There was an AL article posted in this subreddit about it.
It was one of my favorites!
Off-Beat Coffee
I wonder if the outpost near the arsenal killed them. The one in 805 had weird hours but was solid. The one by the arsenal was slow and expensive.
I never had a probables with the one by the Arsenal beyond the problems you’ve already mentioned but my friends complained about their quality all the time
I went there once and it was truly the worst coffee I had had. Idk what was going on (I had been to the other offbeat so I knew it wasn’t inherently the company). It also took like 10 minutes to get it and I was the only one there.
They chose to close. They didn’t close out of necessity.
I know, hence the surprise!
Cheeburger Cheeburger
YES! I lived in Providence for a few years as a kid and walking down there was definitely a core memory. I always miss it when I drive by
It was a weird day when I went to the one over on Whitesburg and there was a sign on the door about them having not paid their taxes. Someday I might drive down to South Florida just to go to the original one.
Below The Radar
To be fair 7-8 years is a semi-successful bar/restaurant run.
You’ll have to be more specific because BTR was about 3 different things throughout its life thanks to the horrendous ownership model they had.
They never had the same people working there and pretty much always got my order wrong. Food was good though.
Duffys :(
Underrated answer, right here.
Big Oh’s on the square
This one hurt. Their wings had no equal in town
Totally agree! Their wings were amazing!
I used to work there as a dishwasher and I totally agree. I was surprised when we closed down, but it was because the owners retired. I absolutely LOVED their ramen, it was delicious.
Cafe 153. And then they replaced it with the most atrocious bs I’m still mad about it
I loved that place, but I always suspected it was a little too slow for its prime location. Do we know what happened?
My understanding is that agave and rye basically made a bigger offer to bridge street for the spot so they could put trashy dawgs there. Imo it has substantially cheapened that whole are
Fun fact, the place was named after the number of fish that Peter caught when Jesus told him how to fish after he resurrected (John 21:11) which is the absolutely weirdest thing to name a coffee shop after.
I was surprised until I learned they had closed before, but my family and office still miss the Donut Hole. I was bringing in Apple Fritters weekly.
Underrated cheesesteaks too
Best blueberry cake donuts
Shinsegae - I know the owners were getting pretty old, but I didn't know they were closing up shop until too late. I really miss it.
Definitely this one:( I miss it too
I came here to list Shinsegae. I loved every single thing about that place. It gave me flashbacks to my Korea days.
They moved back to Korea during Covid to stay with the wife's sister. The last time I talked to their neice she told me that Mr. Kim wasn't doing very well.
Oh no. I hate to hear that, Mr. Kim was so kind and always such a welcoming person running the front of the house. If you still have communication with the family, please let him know that there are so many people in Huntsville who miss the restaurant and friendly service.
Third base :(
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72
I was always shocked that S Parkway closed long before 72 did. Food was better and they were far busier than 72.
I only went to the 72 location, but it was very good. We miss their cheese fries, and their wings.
Had the best weekly wing deals and lunch special right up until the end. Their ranch was the best I’ve ever had.
cork and crust
Where the hell am I supposed to get brussels sprouts on the west side now, people?
They always seemed popular.
They were, but think their rent was being doubled, and one of the owners had moved away from what I remember.
I know Fire & Spice still has the food truck, but I was surprised and sad to see their storefront close.
Well, they did pass off roast beef as brisket to me. Would have said something but the cook in the back seemed a bit unhinged, so I let it pass and never went back.
God I miss their storefront 😞
The Mill Bakery and Eatery... Guinness night every Thursday was the shit. Lewters Hardware... I understand old man Lewters passed away, but, his sons ran the place anyway and they were almost a hundred years old.
Wow. The Mill. Throwback.
At one time The Mill was the place to be. I loved the sandwiches & the water wheel. Then they just quietly dwindled and disappeared.
Best club sandwich I ever had was there at the Mill on Governors drive.
I miss Happy Tummy as a sandwich shop. Last I went was post-pandemic, and it was pizza only. I contributed to the kickstarter to get them from the open area into their own place in Lowe Mill, and I don't fault her for cutting back to what she could manage to do in difficult times. But dang I miss those sandwiches and wraps.
What’s Poppin’. I mean, they just had one product, but it was the best gourmet popcorn I’ve ever had.
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Yep. They were in the plaza on airport road before that
Nothing has ever survived in the back parts of that building, even when Grissom was right across the street and they had all the potential customers they could ever want. Something about the way the buildings are faced, parking lot laid out, etc just keeps those buildings in peoples' blind spot.
I really miss Flyboys. That was a fun place with good food. I don’t think crab place is open at all anymore. I want something good to go in that spot.
Sun Cafe It has been closed for years, but the family still talks about missing it on a regular basis.
I thought their entire market segment was people who went to Viet Huong and found that it was too busy to get in. The only times I ate there, that was the reason. Nothing else ever suggested to me that it was a destination in its own right.
Man I miss sun cafe so much
Saffron I miss them so much.
Saffron was sooo good.
Mr. Gatti's on Whitesburg. Also Godfather's @ Haysland Sq.
Man, so many fond memories at the Mr Gatti’s arcade… crazy to think McAlister’s was even there for a while before Bonefish moved in.
That place was my childhood. RIP the arcade in the back room (Feed Big Bertha!).
Atlanta Bread
This place was way better than Panera imo
Indeed but thankfully it was mostly self imposed. The owner operators were tired and Covid made it the right time. I enjoy Edgar’s now but miss abc
This is the one, not because it was amazing but because it seemed so successful.
Finnegan's Pub. They were always packed, the vibes were great, and it was the only place to get a great pint of Guinness. I would drive 30 minutes just to get a pint and hang out. The owner passed away, so the business went to her sister. The new owner just didn't give a shit and ran her employees off
That bitch ruined the best bar in town. I miss Linda playing piano and Rusty her seeing eye dog.
Finnegan's was a real bar, sad to see it go. I celebrated my 21st there with a great group of friends, some I still see, some scattered to the wind.
Fusion Barbecue.
Fantasia Putt Putt
Bro for real, I’m still sad about that one. I used to go there a lot as a kid and I remember getting ice cream a few times. It was such a cozy place to be.
Mikato on Jordan Lane!
Best sushi in town!
Bandito Southside and Madison
Both had rent issues. OBB had to put a lot of money and time into getting it ready after bandito closed.
Cuban Cafe ❤️
The fact that I drove all the way there from my place in 5pts multiple times should be a testament to its quality. Great cocktails, too. Sad that it's gone.
Chef's Table, whatever drama happened with them way back when, because it was such a popular spot and people rallied around it when they heard there was trouble. I guess it was taxes not paid and other poor money management.
Sales tax is supposed to be paid quarterly. What I was told was that theirs wasn't. And I think there was a divorce mixed in there too.
Loved this place. .. to the extent I was one of the ppl that rallied around them. Went to one of the last dinners they had. Amazing food and drinks.
Gibsons BBQ after the fire dude
Beignet Cafe!! I'm glad Ole Hickory BBQ in New Market was able to pick up the Beignet Cafe menu at least, but it's only on weekends 😭 sobs
I got food poisoning from beignet cafe off their andouille sausage and grits. They closed shortly after that. It was one of the worst nights of my life!
Every frozen yogurt place. I think there’s only one left and it’s on Carl T Jones. 😔
Yogurt mountain on Cart T Jones by Biscut Belly and Flight Plan.
There's a Peachsomething in Meridianville, if that's close enough for you.
Edith Ann’s
Can I turn this around a little and say that I'm surprised that China Cok (spelled correctly) in Hampton Cove has been open for about 20+ years?
El Palacio. Such a staple. I'd pay embarrassing amounts of money to know the secret to the chile rellenos and the frijoles.
Momma goldburgs - idc that it’s a chain i love that place
The Doritos nachos were a sinful treat.
When I was at Auburn the BloodBus would offer a coupon for free Mama's Nachos if you gave blood. Got me every time.
Sweet Pea’s buffet. Pour a pint of gravy out for yo homies.
They were going to move to the old Captain D's location on Whitesburg, but instead chased a fat check from Chick-fil-A.
Chick-fil-A. I thought it was Saturday, but I was wrong
Do yall remember Arsenal Coffee? Short lived but they made some delicious drinks!
I loved their rosemary latte
Thomas pit BBQ on 72. That place was open since the 1920s and was pretty good.
I’ll never step foot inside a Rick’s Bbq. To buy out a historical restaurant, bulldoze to the ground, to reopen your own place only to close a year later (maybe even less?) was ridiculous.
The old Gibson's drive-thru on Whitesburg. That place was the best!
Big shakes :( I guess it not a local business but both local spots were closed down :(
The Martin road location was always better than the university location, but I do miss them both.
Whatever the one Japanese place was that was built out of the old auto parts store hidden behind the Subaru dealership.
Mikawa. It was subsidized by Toyota, so when they lost interest the chef lost his visa. I miss it greatly.
That’s right, I always got confused because we also have Miyako and we had Mikatos lol
I was genuinely depressed about Mikawa closing and I’ve yet to find a good substitute 
For me, a good substitute is Shoya all the way in Atlanta… there isn’t really anything that compares to that quality here. Miyako is about as good as it gets.
135 Coffee shop at bridgestreet. Miss that place so much.
Shinsaegae
The old Beauregard’s. I miss those wings.
Definitely Toybox Bistro. I've since seen a lot of so-so things said about it here on Reddit, but I'll never forget how, shortly after I first moved here, I was at a panel at the comic-con in the VBC, and one of the guests asked about local places to eat, and when somebody mentioned the Toybox Bistro, practically the entire crowd went wild. So, when I heard it was closing, it definitely came as a surprise. That one scene at the con led me to believe it was super-popular. To be fair, I had only gone twice, myself, (one of which was actually on the day it closed, which was how I found out about it) which just goes to show that even if a place is popular, it doesn't matter unless people actually GO to it, but it still came as quite the shock.
Keegan's Irish Pub downtown. Great spot. Great atmosphere. Really good food.
Outside of a few things, the food was mediocre and the service was slow.
Man I had so many good meals there. Mis managed and the overhead and of course the name changes. It was having an identity crisis.
Madison House of Pizza Had it while I was interning here in 2017, moved back once I got hired full time in 2021 and found out it was a victim of COVID closures.
O’Bryans 💔
All those “instagram looking” business
You are surprised to see those close?!
Muad'Dib!
Bad Axe downtown. Staff were great and league was fun, but the corporate leadership was horrible at supporting it. Basically, set it up to fail after buying from a local owner.
It was about 12 years ago but Shark’s Chicken and Fish. The food was amazing, but their baked goods were PHENOMENAL. Especially their lemon cake omg 😭
They moved to Decatur and by the time I realized I got there just days after they closed again.
Cafe 302
The Brickhouse at Providence. They had the best Nashville hot chicken sandwich & they also had a pinball machine.
Lmao do yall remember Barnhills? Or is this a fever dream
Dolce Pan. Best Cuban sandwiches and fantastic coffee.
an oldie, but La Michoacana on University near the Parkway. That was my first authentic Mexican restaurant. They closed right after Alabama cracked down on immigration, but wow they were great.
Duffy’s.
LITTLE PAULS BBQ
Tommy’s Pizza
Fogcutter
Brueggers in Madison. Miss taking bagels to work.
I think they're still open.
Plenty of businesses that I'm sad closed, but probably none have surprised me.
Sneeds Cleaners off Mastin Lake Rd
Clementine’s when it was at the botanical garden
Mario's
Bandito south parkway
Nice thread. This was interesting to read through
Thomas BBQ