Arturo’s Uptown Italiano is Done, Will Close Sunday

The ongoing saga of whether Arturo's Uptown Italiano will close or relocate has reached a conclusion. In an email statement, owner Bill Sadler revealed he's hanging up his restaurateur reins to ride off into the sunset of retirement life. The Galleria restaurant, will close Sunday, March 1st.

A career spanning over thirty years, Sadler has managed to open a number of restaurants, most in Montrose: The River Café in the mid 80's (3615 Montrose);  Café Noche in the 90's (2409 Montrose); The Moose Café, the Pacific Northwest  barbecue eatery opened during the 90's which later turned into The Blue Agave (1340 W. Gray) ; Solero in early 2000's (910 Prairie); Beso (2300 Westheimer) and Arturo’s Uptown Italiano. " I am very appreciative of the great clientele that graced those restaurants, the good friendships that were formed and for the many fine people I was lucky to have worked with."

While Sadler has had a remarkable run, the closure of Arturo's doesn't come as too much of a surprise. One major red flag was the recent news of longtime manager Shanon Scott opening Sud Italia Ristorante, an Italian restaurant replacing Bistro des Amis in Mid-April. It's not all bad news, Scott has hired several Arturo's employees to join him in Rice Village.

"I am happy to say that we are going out on top, with each of the last five years sales being better than the one before and all profitable," Sadler writes, perhaps his way of squashing rumors that suggested the restaurant wasn't doing well. Sadler goes on to note that he got an offer he couldn't refuse and will become a gentleman farmer as well as a guest lecturer.

That hefty offer Sadler is referencing, the amount Lasco Enterprises paid to move into the restaurant to open their latest concept, Añejo. The group responsible for bringing Houston  The Tasting Room, Flow Juice Bar and Max’s Wine Dive is branching off to upscale Tex-Mex and high-end tequilas. Añejo is expected to open in March.