Lido restaurant Ramo — one of Beijing’s most popular spots for pizza, pasta, brunch, and other comfort food — suddenly announced its closure today (Friday, Dec 28) via a WeChat post. The news will be all the more disappointing for fans because its recent relocation to the relatively stable Lido seemed like a surefire bet to stave off such a shock shuttering.
Owner Paca Lee opened Ramo’s first incarnation in 2014 at Fangjia Hutong, a former magnet for foodies and party goers in Dongcheng, at least until 2017. After that, the alley became notorious as ground zero for Beijing’s Great Brickening renovation campaign, which left many small businesses decimated.
Read: Fate of Fangjia Hangouts Unclear at the Height of the Great Brickening
Lee opened Ramo 2.0 in Lido within a few months of Fangjia’s gentrification, much to the surprise of foodies and the capital’s F&B industry. After all, Lido is a comparatively sleepy neighborhood, where many upwardly mobile Chinese and well-to-do expats with families dwell. It was certainly a far cry from the lively drinking and dining hotspot that Fangjia was in its heyday.
Nevertheless, many felt that Lee pulled off the change with aplomb, opening a far bigger restaurant painted in bold bright colors that not only appealed to Lido families with its ball pit replete play area but also lived up to its predecessor’s party rep with a stylish upstairs bar.
Lee and her team admitted in the closing announcement that the past year “has been a tough one for us” but stressed that they nevertheless “have shared tons… of joy and laughter, and we wish that Ramo would always exist in your memories as an oasis of good food.”
The restaurant’s team ended that statement with an admission that is sure to dismay Ramo diehards all the more: “At this moment, we are not certain of our next move yet [but]we are surely looking forward to seeing you soon again!”
Read their statement in full here.
Photos: Courtesy of Ramo
