Tavern sets closing date as Dec. 24

The Tavern, that venerable Emmet Street breakfast place where "students, tourists, and townpeople meet," has set its departure date: Saturday, December 24. The Christmas Eve closing has been revealed to customers via a recently-installed front-door sign that, in keeping with the manager's past statements, appears to blame the landlord. The Dish reported in May that a struggle between the restaurant and the property owner has resulted in the planned departure.


I haven't eaten in there since 2008 when they had the outbreak of salmonella poisoning.


This is good news. The last time I ate there, one of the "diners" at my table had a BLUE "9" on his egg. I always had to laugh at the sign on the roof as I can well imagine that fewer and fewer people were going there.

Classic case of greed. The Tavern is an icon and I am sorry to see it go. It's a sad day for Cville. All the good and great things about this town are slowly being diminished.

This place served up a bad plate of food.

cured many a hangover there many years ago. Last visit (about a year ago) featured cold pancakes.

Some bitter comments here- typical of the "one strike" policy so many people seem to endorse when it comes to restaurants. It's very sad to see this place go, as its atmosphere (if not the food itself) is unmatched in Cville

Buh-bye. Hopefully it will be replaced by an establishment that serves edible fare.

That place was a dump twenty years ago. Never could understand how they could pass a health inspection. Good riddance.

Awwww...so many good memories and yummy french toast breakfasts! The Tavern will be missed.

I was born in Charlottesville, lived there until moving away for college, returned to C-ville for grad school at UVA and still return to visit family. Never once ventured into the Tavern in nearly five decades. Even as a kid I remember the grownups occasionally tossing out the Tavern as a posible dining destination.

Came the inevitable response: "Nah; let's go somewhere else."

In coming across this story I was more surprised to learn the Tavern was still in business, not that it was closing.

Tradition...it is the roof, the moose and the knotty pine panneling that I'll miss. Will probably be replaced by a franchise. That's all our young people can grasp nowadays.

Absolutely zero sympathy for Gordon. He doesn't have lifetime rights to the building. Time to stop whining and move on. The owner has every right to resume control of his personal property.

Think I ordered the moose once- not bad!

Hmmm, salmonella? There must be a more stealth way to eliminate the world of preppy, frat boy UVa cretins and their bleach-blond, vacuous future Stepford wives. I picture more of a productive effort, like a Jonestown scenario or a field trip across a railroad trestle.

Oh, and TCar, what is the problem with "one strike?" Eatery: Get your act together before you open your doors to start excising money from people!

@ Liberalace - "Oh, and TCar, what is the problem with "one strike?" "

Typical liberal mindset. You want a nanny state looking after you in everything you do.

Not sure what that means cookieJar...What's so liberal about letting a restaurant sink or swim based on its food/service? One strike: you screw up my meal and I don't come back.
Love 'ya babe!

really, cookieJar? bringing politics into this is silly...did you get kicked off your high school debate team for having nothing intelligent to offer? this place has sucked for years and if you think differently you were too drunk to notice...


Hilarious - the loyalty-oath purity-pledge wars really have begun among the conservatives, and they're so busy with their circular firing squad, that they've gone all j'accuse! on each other in entirely unrelated threads!

I'm saddened by this as well; it is the loss of an institution. There are plenty of sterile corporate chain joints around town which have had health inspection issues at times as well. Sure, Dr. Wheeler is entitled to assert the property rights she inherited from her daddy, but this is a rather unique piece of c'ville history and a cultural touchstone.

I stopped eating there about a decade ago, mainly to help win the battle of the bulge. I did go back last weekend after hearing of the final impending demise and I am saddened to see the number of long term employees who will be out looking for a new McJob.

I too will miss the place. More times than not, there is a waiting line to get in on weekends, so there is still a large crowd of people who like eating there. I guess if everyone who has spoken ill of the place did feel otherwise, I would never be able to eat there as the lines would be longer.
This place is an institution that will be missed. It is pure greed that is driving its closer by the landlord and that of a desire to see CVS relocate to her property from across the street.

What are rodents going to do? I knew Sal- and remember his visit to the tavern.

Why is it considered greed to garner higher rent from a more capable source? Sounds as a very smart business owner to me.

The Italian Villa still serves a decent breakfast. Well hopefully, we will get another car title or pay day loan business at the site of the Tavern.

While on the subject of breakfast, why is it so frickin' hard to get hashbrowns in Charlottesville? Every place serves home fries instead.


DF, Waffle House has hash browns the way you like them, I believe if you are talking about the shredded ones. Anyone tried out the place on Pantops that used to be Aunt Sarahs??? Is it any good?