Cafe Via closes in Birmingham

Long time Birmingham restaurant Cafe Via closed this past week but there are plans for it to reopen sometime this summer under new management.

Ted Fuller, president of Birmingham-based Central Park Properties and owner of Cafe Via, said he has a deal with another local operator to take over the operations and management of the restaurant. He declined to name the operator, as he said he is “sworn to secrecy.” A local architect has been hired, he said, to perform an extensive remodel, and the reborn Cafe Via is expected to reopen in June or July.

“They'll do a nice job,” Fuller said. “It'll be Italian. It'll be great, and it'll be very nice for town.”

The restaurant will maintain its original name, as it has a Birmingham bistro liquor license. In order to keep the license, an establishment must keep its name and a similar style of cuisine. The original restaurant described itself as “a unique American bistro inspired by the elegant cafes of Europe.”

An extensive renovation would need to be approved by the Birmingham City Commission with a special land use permit.