St. CeCe’s Pub Will Bid Farewell to Corktown in November

After five years, St. CeCe’s will bid adieu to Corktown next month. The bar was initially listed for sale by O’Connor Real Estate for $850,000 last winter (it’s since dropped to $824,900) and this month secured a buyer. While the sale is still listed as “pending” on the O’Connor website, St. CeCe’s owner Celeste Belanger confirms that she’s preparing to shut the doors of the bar in mid-November.

Belanger declined to comment on her reasons for selling the bar, but expressed her appreciation for her many friends, regulars, and employees. “It’s hard on all our customers. We’ve had a lot of loyal customers that have stuck with us since the beginning,” she says. Still, this might not be the last diners see of the gastropub. “I’m hoping that I’m going to start another one,” she says. “You might see St. CeCe’s down the road.”

According to the owner, CeCe’s will offer its regular menu this week, with a more limited menu starting next week. The bar will host its final brunch service on November 6. A welcoming venue for the pop-up community, guest chefs will say their goodbyes with final events over the next several weeks. Nick George of Dr. Sushi will host his final Tuesday night sushi pop-up at the bar this evening (he’ll continue popping up elsewhere). Additional farewell pop-ups will follow on October 31, November 1, and November 7-8. Belanger also expects to see some of CeCe’s regular chefs in the kitchens on November 11-12 as a final send-off.

O’Connor Real Estate

It’s still not clear what will come next to the building on Bagley. Belanger declined to comment on the buyer’s plans for the space. Eater tipsters had speculated that chef Kate Williams might be behind the purchase, however Williams tells Eater she’s not involved.

The bar’s closure is the latest in a string of several major shakeups in the Corktown neighborhood. Earlier this month, Casey’s Pub closed its doors. It’s slated to be replaced with a dive bar and taco concept developed by the owners of Bobcat Bonnie’s. Gold Cash Gold is also in the midst of a major chef shakeup and across the street Rubbed has quietly shut its doors. Meanwhile, a forthcoming sushi concept Itadaku is no longer headed to the old Bagley Market building. Stay tuned for more updates on the future of the St. CeCe’s space.

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