Century-Old Blue Parrot Restaurant Closes Ahead of Schedule

We were expecting the Blue Parrot, Louisville's 98-year-old Italian restaurant, to close on the last weekend of January, but it looks like the Colacci family decided to serve their last customers a week early. According to the Blue Parrot's Facebook page, the restaurant sold out of sauce and spaghetti on...

By Westword Staff

January 27, 2017

The Blue Parrot is now closed after nearly 100 years in Louisville. Westword file photo

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We were expecting the Blue Parrot, Louisville's 98-year-old Italian restaurant, to close on the last weekend of January, but it looks like the Colacci family decided to serve their last customers a week early. According to the restaurant's Facebook page, the Blue Parrot sold out of sauce and spaghetti on Saturday, January 21, then reopened for breakfast the next morning until 11 a.m.

And then at 11:46 a.m. that day, the restaurant posted this message:

Hello!
First of all, we just want to say thank you so very much for the loyalty we have seen the last 98 years. With a heavy heart, we have closed our doors for the last time.
Second, we are working on getting some of our foods in the grocery stores so keep an eye on this page for further updates.
Sincerely,
The Colacci Family

This marks the end of a long era of classic Italian-American cooking on Louisville's Main Street. Downtown Louisville has seen a restaurant renaissance in recent years, but also recently lost longtime establishment the Old Louisville Inn, which is now 740 Front. Other members of the Colacci family ran Colacci's Restaurant at 816 Main Street from 1955 to 1993, but the Italian eatery closed for good in 2000 under different ownership. That space is now the Empire Lounge & Restaurant.

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