Artu will permanently close its 89 Charles St. location on Saturday, May 30, making it the first restaurant in the neighborhood to fall casualty during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We wish to thank each and every one of you for your patronage and friendship over our 25-year tenure on Beacon Hill,” reads a posting from the establishment’s ownership on Instagram. “The journey has been most memorable. From birthdays [and] engagements to anniversaries and more it has been our honor to be a part of the most special occasions for you and your families.”
Artu opened on Charles Street in 1995 and had gone on to become one of the most enduring restaurants in the neighborhood. But at only 20 seats at maximum capacity, and with the exorbitant fees it is now paying third-party delivery services, the business was no longer sustainable, said Gianni Frattaroli, general manager of both Artu’s Beacon Hill and North End locations, and whose family owns and operates those two restaurants, as well as il Molo, also in the North End, and Victory Point in Quincy’s Marina Bay.
“It was time for Charles Street to no longer exist,” Frattaroli said. “Beacon Hill is a great community, and the people are really friendly, but with only 20 seats there, we can’t do that with much [with the restaurant].”
Still, Frattaroli said his family is “luck in the sense” that their other three restaurants, including the North End location of Artu, which has a similar menu and operates from noon to 11 p.m. Monday to Wednesday and Thursday to Sunday noon to midnight, will remain open.
And since Frattaroli said his family is holding onto the liquor license for Artu’s Charles Street location, which is only valid on Beacon Hill, he said they would return to the neighborhood with a new restaurant.
“We’re looking to be back on Beacon Hill in the future,” he said. “We’re just looking for the right opportunity.”