Downtown Focaccia Destination di Alba Shutters Just Eight Months In

Well under a year in, it seems that di Alba in the Arts District has closed. The tiny focaccia shop with big New York City backing from the restaurant group behind The Smile just barely hit the eight month mark.

A tipster writes in to say the place closed quietly earlier this month, a fact that Yelp now confirms on their own page. The restaurant similarly posted a goodbye notice on its website, declining to get into specifics while hinting at the future. It reads:

To Our Dearest Customers,

We have very much appreciated your patronage and support over these last eight months.

For a number of factors unfortunately today we are now closed…but have no fear, there will be another concept coming soon!

What that future concept will look like is so far anyone’s guess. Regardless, the space will likely continue to struggle with some of the same early issues that now seem to have plagued di Alba: tight parking during the day, very small square footage with little room for customers to congregate (let alone eat), and high rent even while being attached to Downtown’s flagship Shinola retail store.

That being said, there is reason to be hopeful for the future of that corner, and whatever ends up in the di Alba space. Not only is Manuela still rocking and rolling across the way, but incoming names like Father’s Office and the folks behind international izakaya chain Zuma are slated to land very close by as well. Eater reached out to reps for di Alba to find out what’s next, but so far no word.

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